It is now possible for women to freeze eggs on non-medical grounds. Amendments to the Biotechnology Act in 2020 make this possible. This means that for those who have not found the right one or for other reasons do not want to get pregnant right now, can freeze eggs and thus prolong their childbearing age. Egg freezing is an offer more and more women and couples are resorting to.
Clinic Hausken has received inquiries from many women regarding the new offer, and there is increasing demand. Egg freezing and fertility in general is a current topic of the day and constantly discussed in the media. Bergens Tidende had a interesting article in BT Magazine Friday, April 30, where the reader gets an insight into Antje Sandven's experience with egg freezing, so-called “social freezing”, at Klinikk Hausken.
We find the article and Antje's story relevant and certainly useful for those who are curious about what egg freezing really is, and how it is experienced by the patient.
Why did Antje (36) choose to freeze eggs - so-called social freezing?
The situation of Antje (36), as the article tells, is that she has already had her first child but due to poor egg reserves, her fertility thus decreases rapidly. Since she is not in a permanent relationship right now and does not want child number two as a single, she chooses to freeze eggs. As she herself says, she buys herself some time.
Antje had to go through a hormone stimulation with daily injections for about two weeks. Before the egg retrieval, she had an ultrasound examination at Klinikk Hausken in Bergen. There she met, among others, gynecologist Kirsten Øvergaard Hope and nurse Synnøve Flotve. For the actual egg retrieval and freezing, she traveled to the clinic in Haugesund. At Klinikk Hausken in Haugesund, she received the help of gynecologist Arne Schwennicke, nurse Elise Amundsen and embryologist Shabana Sayed.
There are many reasons why women freeze eggs.
We have received many inquiries from women and couples who want social freezing. Klinikk Hausken expects demand to increase as more people become aware of the supply and what it entails. Antje's story that Bergens Tidende shares with its readers shows that each patient has their own unique background and reason for making the choice. At the same time, we see that there are some things that often happen again. Let's look at some of these.
Cause of egg freezing: women are older when they have children.
Over the past 20 years in Norway, the average age of first-time births has increased by 3 years. Now the average age is about 30 years. This means that first-time births are at the age when egg quality begins to decline sharply. It is one of the main reasons why we are seeing a growing problem of couples and singles not getting pregnant. For more and more people, egg freezing is becoming a way to buy themselves some time. First of all, it is the quality of the eggs that determines the chances of getting pregnant with egg freezing. Egg quality decreases as one gets older. A healthy woman under the age of 35 who freezes her eggs has a 90% chance of having at least one child if she freezes 20 mature eggs.
Reason for egg freezing: women and couples do not think about child number two until it starts to rush very much.
Antje's story is quite typical in the sense that it concerns child number two. If you are in your 20s, you may not think that you are in a hurry to have children. So maybe you'll be 30 before you start seriously considering it. But at the same time as you reach your 30s, the quality of eggs decreases and the woman's natural fertility decreases. Then the chance of getting pregnant quickly becomes less - many feel they are fighting against time. As Antje tells us, the big questions had to be up and forth pretty early on in a relationship or dating. For Antje, the solution was to buy himself a little more time with the egg freezer.
Cause of egg freezing: many women feel that everything should flap before having children.
Today we study longer than in the past and for many, the focus is on career accordingly. This kind of thing with kids gets a little in the background until you're in your late 20s or late thirties. But even then, there is a lot to discuss in terms of partner, living situation, health and much more. The fact that the average age has increased by three years does not sound so dramatic, but when everything is going to flail, time often passes. And as we know, the natural fertility of women decreases rapidly after they reach the age of thirty.
Cause of egg freezing: by disease or treatment.
Women who have to undergo treatment for a disease that can cause infertility have had the opportunity to freeze eggs for many years. This offer will continue, and perhaps even more women are taking advantage of the offer as there is an increased focus on the topic of egg freezing.
How much does it cost to freeze eggs at Klinikk Hausken?
To date, it costs NOK 29,900 to freeze eggs at Klinikk Hausken (including one year of storage). Please see the price list for any time updated price. The offer of egg freezing (social freezing) is currently only available at Klinikk Hausken in Haugesund, but the egg freezing offer will soon be available at Hausken's clinics in Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger. For the time being, one can have pretreatment and ultrasound on whichever of the wards is closest.
Too many people arrive too late to the fertility clinic for egg freezing or other fertility treatment.
Many women and couples arrive at the fertility clinic too late. This is something you often hear if you talk to doctors, nurses and professionals who deal with fertility on a daily basis. Increasing age of first-time births combined with the naturally declining fertility rate of women in their 30s is causing many to race against time and may not get their dream of children fulfilled. Don't wait too long - that's the advice many professionals repeat.
Plan well in advance with the Fertility Check at Klinikk Hausken.
For most people, egg freezing is a decision that sits deep inside. In the article in Bergens Tidene Klinikk Hauskens Dr. Arne Schwennicke advises women to think about how they can combine children and family with careers, rather than having their careers as a priority and thinking that family will work out afterwards. Another good advice is to check your fertility well in advance.
At Klinikk Hausken, both singles and couples are offered the opportunity to survey their fertility status. We call it the Fertility Check. The survey is adapted for women, couples and men in different situations. It is also the first point for those who want to freeze eggs. A fertility check gives you an overview of your fertility and it can make it easier for you to plan or simply be able to manage.
Spesialist i gynekologi og obstetrikk.
