1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,119 Speaker 1: Welcome to Katie's Crib, a production of Shonda Land Audio 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: in partnership with I Heart Radio. When Idea first started, 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,120 Speaker 1: we didn't have medications to make more than one eggro 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: at a time, so we followed somebody's natural ovulation, trying 5 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: to watch the one egg get mature. And then you 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: don't have this minimally invasive ego trivial Katie. They would 7 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: go like a surgery, a real life surgery through the 8 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: abdomen into yeah, yes, and they would stick a needle 9 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: into that one little follicle. You get one little shot 10 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: at it, but you have to be like general anesthesia 11 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: all the way asleep. Wow, you guys, this has come 12 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: so far. Information provided by Dr Crawford during this podcast 13 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: is for general education purposes and should not be relied 14 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: upon as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for any individual. 15 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: Hello everybody, Hello, Hello, Welcome back to Katie's Crib. We've 16 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: got a real fancy, impressive doctor in the house today, 17 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: which I love. I'm very excited to have this conversation. 18 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: This is a conversation that I have with my girlfriends 19 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 1: constantly on all coasts, all cities. It is a hot 20 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: topic and this is what Dr Natalie Crawford does all day, 21 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: all night. Dr Natalie Crawford is a fertility physician in Austin, Texas, 22 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: and she's the co founder of a boutique fertility practice 23 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: called for Fertility. She's also the host of the as 24 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: a Woman podcast and her YouTube channel, Natalie Crawford m D. 25 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: Dr Crawford's work focuses on empowering women and promoting fertility 26 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: awareness and education. She's married to Austin Native Jason Crawford 27 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: and they have two young children. Welcome to Katie's crib. 28 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: Dr Crawford, you must be busy, Katie. Thank you so 29 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: much for having me. I am so I am busy. 30 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: People are finally talking about fertility or not putting it 31 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: away in the closet or having as much stigma as 32 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: their husband in the past. And I really feel like 33 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: this is an area or even very educated, very successful 34 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: women do not understand a lot about their own fertility, 35 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: in their own body. And there's huge room for improvement 36 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: for making sure that we can all know how our 37 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: body works and how it's supposed to work. Because if 38 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: we don't know the basics, how do we know when 39 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: something's wrong or how do we know to get help. 40 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: That's a percent. I can remember the first time, just 41 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: trying to get pregnant and going to like an acupunctures 42 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: and she was like, what's your ovulation juices? And I 43 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: was like, I don't know? And she was like, you 44 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,239 Speaker 1: don't know about your body and when what days happen 45 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 1: and when things get egg white versus clear, versus stretchy 46 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: versus thick. And I was like, I'm so mortified about 47 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: my own not know it, just not knowing about what 48 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:51,959 Speaker 1: my body does and when it does it and why 49 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: it does it. And it's so cool that you know 50 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: all about that stuff. We've heard about the egg retrieval process. 51 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: We've actually done episode about the egg retrieval process from 52 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: two of my best friend Stephanie Black and Lindsay Craft. 53 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: But I would love to hear about the egg retrieval 54 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: experience from an expert's perspective. Yes, I'm excited for you 55 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: to explain blastocyst stage. Just take me through like the 56 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: big sweeping things about egg retrieval process. Let's do it. 57 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: Let's rewind, because I think to understand the agg retrieval 58 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: process real quick, we got to understand what happens on 59 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: a month to month basis, so you can understand what 60 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: we're going to do, and then I'll talk quickly about 61 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: egg retrieval, and then what happens after what is a blasts. 62 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: The reality is most of us think in our brain 63 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: we lose one egg per month. That's the egg that 64 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: you ovulate, and that's not really how the human body works. 65 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: I like to use this terrible analogy, but if you 66 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: can imagine inside your ovary, if there's a little vault 67 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: and that's where all your eggs are kept. So when 68 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: you're born, you're vault is full. You lose eggs out 69 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: of the vault. When the vault is empty, you go 70 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: in him in a pause. What actually happens every month 71 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: is that a group of eggs is released from the vault. 72 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: At one time, one of these is chosen to ovulate, 73 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: the rest of them die, and the next month another 74 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: group comes out. And you can't change this process. Meaning 75 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: when you're pregnant, it happens, when you're on birth control pills, 76 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: it happens. We're always losing eggs out of that vault. 77 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: But the number of eggs that come out of the 78 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: vault is correlated to the number that is inside the vault, 79 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: meaning when you're vults really full, you release more every month, 80 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: and when you're about to go into menopause you only 81 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: release a couple. This is a fact I've never known 82 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: any of this. I'm already mind blown. Okay, okay, we're 83 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: about to blow your mind. So when you do I 84 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 1: v F for egg freezing, like real big picture. All 85 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: I'm trying to do is get the eggs that have 86 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: come out of the vault for this one month to grow, 87 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: and then I'm going to take those eggs out of 88 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: your body. So instead of, for example, having twenty eggs 89 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: come out of the vault, one ovulates and nineteen die, 90 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: I'm trying to say, hey this month, hey, March of two, 91 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,040 Speaker 1: I want to get all twenty eggs to grow. So 92 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:01,920 Speaker 1: I'm gonna give you hormone chots to get all those 93 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: eggs to grow, and then I'm going to take them 94 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: all out of your body at one time. So that's 95 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: what the egg retrieval is. So Number one, understanding how 96 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: many eggs you might have is really helpful because it 97 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 1: changes how we get them all to grow. But also 98 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: set your expectations appropriately, and that's one thing that all 99 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: women can handle this process, but we're really bad. Just 100 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,280 Speaker 1: as a whole of walking blindly through a forest when 101 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: you have no idea what's coming, everything is going to 102 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: be harder. But if you have somebody who tells you, hey, 103 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: you have less than average for your age, and that's 104 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: why you're going to get fewer than your best friend 105 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: when she goes through this process, it helps you set 106 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: parameters for expectations. So we can see how many eggs 107 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: are outside the vault by ultrasound and a blood test 108 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: called a m H. So those things help us quantify 109 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: number of eggs. Are they always correct? They give us 110 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,160 Speaker 1: categories like average for your age, above average, below average, 111 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 1: because your body is setting an actual number every month. 112 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: So if I say average for a thirty year old 113 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: is going to be twenty eggs out of the vault 114 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:05,600 Speaker 1: one month, and maybe twenty and then eighteen and the 115 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: nineteen and so there's some variation. But the other thing 116 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: that happens is that, and we all peripher a Y 117 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 1: know this. The quality of eggs starts to decrease as 118 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: we get older. Genetic stability inside the eggs decreases. I 119 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:23,719 Speaker 1: like to think about those eggs inside the vault taking 120 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: the wear and tear of your life. They're breaking down. 121 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,719 Speaker 1: The proteins are breaking down, and just like our joints 122 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: get sore as we get older and we get wrinkles 123 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: on our face, the same thing starts to happen inside 124 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: our eggs. So at age thirty, the number that's like 125 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: brandished in our brain as women, approximately half your eggs 126 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 1: are going to be normal and half of them are not. 127 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: And this is why we start talking about doing IVF 128 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: or egg freezing. Understanding how many eggs you have helps, 129 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: but also understanding expectations for how many maybe genetically normal, 130 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 1: sets the road of expectations. So it's kind of the basis. 131 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: So we're gonna do IVF for egg freezing, I want 132 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: to understand how old are you? How many eggs am 133 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,479 Speaker 1: I expecting to get. You're gonna take hormone shots for 134 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks, which are going to get the 135 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: eggs to grow, and then you're gonna come in for 136 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: the egg retrieval procedure. People are the most nervous or 137 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: anxious about that procedure because it's like the big moment 138 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: for egg freezing. It's really a minimally invasive procedure. There's 139 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: no knives, there's one needle. Very simple compared to a 140 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: lot of other procedures. It is done typically under a 141 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: light anesthesia I think colonoscopy, so you're breathing on your own, 142 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: no intubation, no breathing machine, none of that stuff. We 143 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: don't want you to feel it. We do attach a 144 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: really long y'all can't see me. My hands are very 145 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 1: long right now, very long needle to the vaginal ultrasound 146 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: and you can see it. It's a little bright white 147 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: line on ultrasound. And we enter vaginally into the ovaries 148 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: while we watch with the ultrasound, and you see these 149 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: follicles that have grown, these small fluid filled structures. Each 150 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: one house is an egg. It will enter into a 151 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: little follical. The little follical drains and collapses and you 152 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 1: get test tubes follow all that folicular fluid and eggs. 153 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: When did this egg freezing procedure first exist? So the 154 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: oldest IVF baby is like forty one, So that's the 155 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: oldest person who's been born from IVF. When ivy A 156 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: first started, we didn't have medications to make more than 157 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: one eggrow at a time, so we followed somebody's natural ovulation, 158 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: trying to watch the one egg get mature. Oh my god, 159 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: what a pain in the ass. And then you don't 160 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: have this minimally invasive ego trievill Katie. They would go 161 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: like a surgery, a real life surgery through the abdomen 162 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 1: into yeah, yeah, and they would sack a needle into 163 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 1: that one little follicle. You get one little shot at it, 164 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,080 Speaker 1: but you have to be like general anesthesia all the 165 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: way asleep. Wow, you guys, this has come so far. 166 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: Ain't that crazy? And you know it was so stigmatized. 167 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 1: These women would go and they would have to spend 168 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks, like at the hotel outside the 169 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: fertility clinic, because it's real sur tree. You don't want 170 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: to miss that one egg window, one egg, it's all. 171 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: I'd imagine you're waiting on this one moment to maybe 172 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,959 Speaker 1: have surgery the next day for your IVF, and if 173 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,199 Speaker 1: you miss it and you ovulate, then you gotta wait 174 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: a whole another month to get it. I v F 175 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 1: has changed so far, and sometimes we take for granted 176 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: how great that is that we can improve these odds 177 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: so amazing by having these medications, did it used to 178 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: be even more expensive. They did, and because it was 179 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: so much less successful, you have to do it multiple times, 180 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 1: and there wasn't just the availability to do that because 181 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: there were you know, women and couples who wanted to 182 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,679 Speaker 1: do this, and if you could only cycle one patient, 183 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: you're watching them so closely. There's no way to scale. 184 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,199 Speaker 1: And there was originally one clinic in the US that 185 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: didn't and now there's tons of great fertility clinics and 186 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: good places you can go. So when the day we 187 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: get the eggs out of the egg retri bo, we 188 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: consider ovulation day, so that's day zero, so that would 189 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 1: be equating it to natural cons option. The day that 190 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:04,319 Speaker 1: an egg is released from the ovary. We then if 191 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:08,560 Speaker 1: we were doing IVF and going to make embryos, we 192 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: get a sperm, example that same day as day zero, 193 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: and then we fertilize the eggs with the sperm. Does 194 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: it have to happen on day zero? It does if 195 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: you're gonna make embryos, it does. Otherwise the eggs have 196 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: to be frozen. They only live for twenty four hours 197 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 1: that's in the body or out, meaning if you don't 198 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: get them fertilized at just the right time, they are 199 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 1: going to seal off and be they cannot be penetrated 200 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: by sperm. This is so stressful. So the egg is 201 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: this tiny little window. So in an IVF cycle, luckily 202 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: we know exactly what it is. We just took the 203 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: egg out of the body. Most places are now doing 204 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: a type of fertilization called X which means you take 205 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 1: up a little sperm and a little pipette and you 206 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:51,680 Speaker 1: crack open the egg and you put the sperm inside. 207 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: That's the newest and gives us the highest fertilization rates. 208 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,560 Speaker 1: These embryologists are amazing. These are the people who train 209 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: years to be able to these micro manipulation techniques under 210 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: the microscope, so they Number one is the first thing, 211 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: you have an actual embryo, meaning the egg is either 212 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:09,520 Speaker 1: accepted the sperm and divided or it has not, So 213 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:13,320 Speaker 1: that's when you have. However, many fertilized that normally happens 214 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: in the fallopian tube. So for going back to natural conception, 215 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,200 Speaker 1: embryos fertilized in the fallopian tube. They then have to 216 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: grow and develop from that little to cell embryo into 217 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: about a three hundred cell blast asist over the next 218 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 1: five to six days. That is where the embryo is 219 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: separated into what will become the placinta and the baby. 220 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,719 Speaker 1: And essentially that is the implantation stage embryo. That's when 221 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 1: an embryo could grow into the uterus. So normally that 222 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: process takes five or six days from the fallopian tube 223 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,440 Speaker 1: to get in the uterus. And that's what's happening in 224 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: the IVF lab, Meaning that's the environment where we're watching 225 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:54,560 Speaker 1: these little embryos growing culture. And I always say, not 226 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: like our body, but the I v F flab is 227 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,240 Speaker 1: the perfect temperature and pH and there's no inflammation shan 228 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: or toxins or others things. So it's this ideal environment. However, 229 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:08,679 Speaker 1: even in that ideal environment, not every egg will be fertilized. 230 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:12,200 Speaker 1: Not every fertilized egg will make it to a blast assist. 231 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: Not every blast assist will be genetically normal. That's based 232 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 1: on your age, and not every genetically normal blast assists 233 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: will implant and become a baby. Is there a client's 234 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,559 Speaker 1: story that you can walk us through for a scenario example, 235 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: think of someone you've worked with of how many eggs 236 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: you lost through the process all the way to the 237 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:35,440 Speaker 1: birthing process. Let's pretend you're an average thirty two year old. 238 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:37,679 Speaker 1: You have about twenty eggs. Our goal is to try 239 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: to get them all to maturity at the same pace. 240 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: The body's goal is to not let that to happen, 241 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:45,439 Speaker 1: because your body doesn't want to have twenty babies at 242 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,320 Speaker 1: one time, so the ovary is going to resist that. 243 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: We are typically unable to get every egg mature that 244 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: we can, but we usually do a really good job. 245 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 1: So most of the time you're going to see around 246 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 1: eighty maturity. So let's say if we have twenty eggs, 247 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: we go through the process, and let's say we get 248 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,320 Speaker 1: eighteen of the mature. Fantastic, they're frozen. We love it. 249 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: About eighty five to nine of eggs survived. The freeese 250 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 1: thought that's not a hundred. So you need to in 251 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 1: your brain or have your doctor roll with you. Okay, 252 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna lose a couple of eggs just from normal process. 253 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: That number, just for comparison ten years ago was forty survival, 254 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 1: So I just have ent survival, so way better. But 255 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 1: so if I have eighteen eggs, okay, now in my brain, 256 00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: I lost two and that freeze thought process now I 257 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 1: have sixteen six. Typical fertilization rates with sperm are going 258 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 1: to be about seventy. So let's say of the sixteen, 259 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: twelve of them have now fertilized. From there, about half 260 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:48,559 Speaker 1: of them will make it through to that blastess of stage. 261 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 1: So now we're at six and then based on age, 262 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 1: we would expect fifty to sixty percent normal, and so 263 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: that would be okay, let's say conservatively three and then 264 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: each of those is going to have approximately a sixty 265 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,440 Speaker 1: chance of a live birth. So in the math equation, 266 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 1: we usually like having two embryos, and the equation for 267 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 1: every baby you want to have. So in this one, 268 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: you had eighteen mature eggs frozen. That's the number that's 269 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: in your brain. I'm rolling around, I have eight team 270 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: at your eggs. Wonderful. That makes us feel good for 271 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: a baby and maybe a chance for a second baby. 272 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: But if you are dead set I need two kids 273 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 1: because my sister is my world and I would never 274 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 1: want to have an only child, we're going to want 275 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: to hire number than eighteen. And this is even in 276 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 1: your early thirties, and so somebody should be working that 277 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: equation for you. On the flip end. That should not 278 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 1: scare anybody, right, don is the Hey, I'm trying to 279 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:49,520 Speaker 1: optimize this, and I want to put the numbers in 280 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: my camp. I've had somebody go through and get three eggs. 281 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: She had bad in demetriosis. She was thirty five. That's 282 00:14:57,280 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: what we could get. She could only afford you the 283 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: process once. When we went to thaw them, two of 284 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: them fertilized, one of them grew out. It was normal. 285 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: It is a living child now. So these numbers give 286 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: us perspective, but it's also not everything. It is not everything, 287 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:13,840 Speaker 1: and it doesn't mean that if you have a low 288 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: number it's not worth it. As you mentioned on your 289 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,120 Speaker 1: As a Woman podcast, it's important that you can view 290 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 1: what you have as the assurance that it may or 291 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 1: may not be. Why should we get our eggs harvested 292 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 1: when there's such a low percentage that the eggs will 293 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:41,600 Speaker 1: even survive. That's a really good question. I always tell 294 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: people just to think about their goals overall, and when 295 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: we should start thinking about egg freezing is if we 296 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:52,200 Speaker 1: are in our early thirties or later and we're not 297 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: ready to have a family. However, we know that is 298 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: a goal. We don't want to let pass us by 299 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,640 Speaker 1: because we don't know if you are going to run 300 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: out of eggs early, and what if you have missed 301 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: your window of opportunity. This come about because we'll see 302 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 1: women walk in the office at thirty nine and suddenly 303 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: they have a very low account and they need IVF 304 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: for whatever reason. But they're looking at multiple cycles, thousands 305 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: and thousands of dollars. And if we had had a 306 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: cohort of eggs that had a higher percentage genetically normal, 307 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: and we had more of them, you just keep doors open. 308 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 1: One thing I don't love is that people will often 309 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 1: equate egg freezing to an insurance policy on their fertility, 310 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: Like I'm insuring my fertility, And I always say, an 311 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: insurance policy is a guarantee. Right if your house burns 312 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: down and you have house insurance, you're going to get 313 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 1: money for a new house. This is an investment. This 314 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,760 Speaker 1: is like the stock market. The return on that investment 315 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: depends on the environment of which you're going to go 316 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: cash it in on, meaning what's the sperm going to be, 317 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: what is your medical condition? Other factors that we may 318 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: be able to know right now do influence some of 319 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 1: that progression through culture, and what your outcomes look like. However, 320 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: investing your money is a good thing, and making smart 321 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: financial investments are good, and so investing in yourself and 322 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: your future. Fertility is something that has shown in studies 323 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: even if you never go and use your eggs later, 324 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:23,399 Speaker 1: that it's giving you happiness along the process because it 325 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,120 Speaker 1: allows you to explore other relationships without feeling the pressure 326 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 1: of that biological clock. Oh yeah, I've never had so 327 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 1: many friends do a thing that has brought them peace 328 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: of mind. I've had many friends who didn't even use them, 329 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:41,359 Speaker 1: and then I've had friends use them and both the same, 330 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 1: Just very relieved and happy that the option was there 331 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:48,480 Speaker 1: and that they did it. For family planning, one thing 332 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: we don't always think about is is not just about 333 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 1: baby one or when you start your family. The good 334 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: thing about having frozen eggs that are good quality and 335 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 1: from when you were younger is that if you meet 336 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: that life partner or you're ready to get pregnant with 337 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 1: a sperm donor and be a single mom, whatever the 338 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 1: situation is, how old are you going to be if 339 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: you want to add a sibling to that? Right? How 340 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:10,360 Speaker 1: many years are going to pass before you're ready? And 341 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: we know that those fertility rates, the egg number go down, 342 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: the quality of the eggs becomes worse. So having those 343 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: eggs expands what you might be able to have as 344 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,879 Speaker 1: far as a total family size, and that's important to 345 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: people too. We often get really tunnel vision focused on 346 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 1: that baby one. I see people come to me thirty 347 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:31,320 Speaker 1: eight or thirty nine. They're starting their family, but they 348 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:33,680 Speaker 1: really want to have three or four kids because they 349 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:36,439 Speaker 1: grew up with siblings, or they really want a big family. 350 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: That's just part of this dream. And I'm I said 351 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:40,880 Speaker 1: here and say look at the math. If you got 352 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,320 Speaker 1: pregnant tomorrow, where are we more trying for baby two 353 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: and three? And so very often if we're in those 354 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 1: more advanced reproductive ages, we are looking at IVF and 355 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:56,159 Speaker 1: saving embryos for what we call embryo banking, maybe family 356 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,520 Speaker 1: planning goals. Hey, I'm for seeing that I want to 357 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:00,960 Speaker 1: have a kid in my four reason that may be tough, 358 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,320 Speaker 1: So I'm going to have some normal embryos right now 359 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,399 Speaker 1: when they're easier to get in fine, so I can 360 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: achieve that goal. And that's why I think about the 361 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,199 Speaker 1: big picture, or not just the right now goal. But 362 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 1: maybe your big picture goal, at least in your ideal world. 363 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,959 Speaker 1: We all know goals change and we feel different as 364 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,920 Speaker 1: time goes on. But if you can do something that's 365 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:21,359 Speaker 1: going to keep doors open or get you closer to 366 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: achieving that reproductive goal, we shouldn't just ignore it, like 367 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 1: you know so many of us did for so long, 368 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 1: just because there there was no other option. The reality is, 369 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: when I was the right age to freeze my eggs, 370 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 1: I couldn't. There's nowhere that would have done it. It 371 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 1: wasn't a thing that was offered because the technology wasn't 372 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 1: as good. So, just as we talked about how the 373 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: ivy of technology has gotten better, an egg is a 374 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 1: single cell. A blast assist is three D cells, So 375 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:50,359 Speaker 1: freezing an embryo it is much stronger and sturdier, and 376 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,639 Speaker 1: they survive very well. A single cell mostly of water. 377 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,440 Speaker 1: I now need to freeze it, preserve its genetic integrity, 378 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: and be able to thaw it with accuracy so that 379 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: it can function and accept a sperm and become an embryo. 380 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,400 Speaker 1: That's pretty amazing when you think about what is happening, 381 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: and so that technology changed from and the success rate 382 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: of freezing and throwing eggs went up dramatically. That's when 383 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: we started seeing this offered people getting trained in the 384 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,480 Speaker 1: new technology, and that's why now you have to wait 385 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: till enough people get trained enough clinics. This does feel commonplace, 386 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:28,280 Speaker 1: and it does feel like you can walk in to 387 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:30,639 Speaker 1: any fertility clinic can get your eggs frozen. But ten 388 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 1: years ago you definitely could not. That was not an option. Wow, 389 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:37,679 Speaker 1: I'm so relieved this has come so far. It's comes 390 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,479 Speaker 1: so far, and I think sometimes people carry these just ideas. 391 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:45,119 Speaker 1: Are that these misconceptions, which I completely understand. What are 392 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: the biggest misconceptions when it comes to egg freezing. The 393 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:50,880 Speaker 1: biggest one that I see is that it's going to work. 394 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: I'm going to do iba for I'm going to freeze 395 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: my eggs and that will work for me. It has 396 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: the highest chance of working. It's the only thing that 397 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:03,359 Speaker 1: exceeds natural conception. I mean, I have no other technology clothes, 398 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:08,400 Speaker 1: but it's not a guarantee. And that's really it's hard personally. 399 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: It makes my job hard, but it's also hard for 400 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 1: patients because it is financially very expensive. The other kind 401 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: of thing is that patients often think they have to 402 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 1: be in the clinic every day forever and ever, and 403 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 1: it's going to be this huge time set of their life. 404 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 1: And it's really not at most clinics. It's definitely not 405 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: at ours, because we've perfected the process to know when 406 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,919 Speaker 1: we need to see you, to be efficient with your time, 407 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 1: and really most my patients are only taking that day 408 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:37,919 Speaker 1: off of work for the actual egg retrieval. I'm getting 409 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: anesthesia process, and so I think though people like I 410 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,440 Speaker 1: can't take two weeks off, I can't be driving here 411 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,439 Speaker 1: every day for a month, like exactly, if that's not 412 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 1: how you have to do. You take the medications on 413 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:50,920 Speaker 1: your own at home. We'll come in when we need 414 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: to see you, but it's not going to be every day. 415 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,159 Speaker 1: And we're pretty good at ball parking. This is the 416 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,119 Speaker 1: week your retrieval is going to be. So I always say, 417 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,640 Speaker 1: don't have your big work meeting, your best friend's wedding. 418 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 1: We're going to plan around those things because you have 419 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: to keep having your life while you go through this process. 420 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: I know that one of the most common questions that 421 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: you receive has got to be what is the best 422 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:17,120 Speaker 1: age to freeze your eggs? What other things impact egg 423 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: freezing out than age? Age is still the number one 424 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 1: predictor of success across the board for any fertility treatments, 425 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: including egg freezing. Studies that have evaluated this are evaluating 426 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 1: usually the cost effectiveness of the procedure, and so that's 427 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 1: typically age thirty two to thirty three for the average person. 428 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:37,479 Speaker 1: If you're not ready to be trying for a family 429 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:39,679 Speaker 1: at that age, that's when you're still going to have 430 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: a really high number of eggs and high quality of 431 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,199 Speaker 1: eggs for the average person. Of course, everybody is different, 432 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 1: So I usually say the moment you're considering, it's the 433 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,439 Speaker 1: right moment because we don't know, we don't know what 434 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: your future will hold, we don't know what happens. You 435 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 1: can always go and get that ovarian reserve, meaning the 436 00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: ultrasound of the blood work, see your egg count. Because 437 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,440 Speaker 1: I have certainly had year old who are having a 438 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: lower account than they should and they're very happy they 439 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: started this process a little bit earlier so that they 440 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 1: don't run into that situation on the flip in thirty six, 441 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:15,880 Speaker 1: thirty eight, any eggs that those ages are better than 442 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 1: zero eggs, so is they're too old. Not necessarily, with 443 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 1: proper counseling, it does start to become a much harder 444 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: when you're forty and older. At age forty about of 445 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 1: your eggs are going to be normal. At age forty 446 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,479 Speaker 1: two and above, it will be ten percent. We counsel 447 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:34,919 Speaker 1: really detailed about how many eggs do you have and 448 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:39,200 Speaker 1: what are these personages mean. We do think lifestyle variables matter, 449 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 1: meaning let's use smoking cigarettes, so we know if somebody 450 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 1: smokes cigarettes, they're going to have a higher percentage of 451 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:49,000 Speaker 1: genetically abnormal eggs than somebody who is should be their age, 452 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,359 Speaker 1: and they're going to have fewer eggs. It gets in 453 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:54,240 Speaker 1: not to think of it like kills the eggs inside 454 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: the vault. There are things and toxins in the world, 455 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: a lot of them. We are just star to understand. 456 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 1: The United States isn't a very consumer friendly place when 457 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,199 Speaker 1: it comes to toxins in your products and foods and 458 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:09,359 Speaker 1: those type of things. So I feel like that evidence 459 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: is emerging. But we do see that the things you 460 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:15,639 Speaker 1: put in and on your body impact your fertility and 461 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,120 Speaker 1: appear to impact the quality of your eggs. So that's 462 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:22,160 Speaker 1: where we want to do what we can to be healthy, 463 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: especially if we're going through the process and be mindful 464 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 1: of some of those variables, What are some ways to 465 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 1: cope with the roller coaster that this egg freezing process entails. 466 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: It's very emotional and triggering and ups and downs. And 467 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: I got a good number, I got a low number. 468 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:43,159 Speaker 1: Number one is set your boundaries, So think about it 469 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,159 Speaker 1: ahead of time. Set boundaries of who you're going to 470 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 1: tell and what kind of support. And I hear this 471 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,280 Speaker 1: from a friend all the time. My friends going through 472 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: egg freezing and I don't know what to do to 473 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:55,399 Speaker 1: help them, but I want to help them. Are my 474 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,400 Speaker 1: friends going through in fertility? If you're the person going 475 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,600 Speaker 1: through it, it is very health to say, Hey, I'm 476 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: going through kind of calls event and I really don't 477 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:05,879 Speaker 1: want to hear what other friends have had. I just 478 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 1: want to be a say space. So I'd love if 479 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 1: you had any free time to drive me or help 480 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: with shots, or do this thing, or watch this video, 481 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,119 Speaker 1: or come with me to this visit so I can 482 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,120 Speaker 1: have extra eyes and ears. And if you're a friend, 483 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:19,119 Speaker 1: you can suggest some of those things. Hey, do you 484 00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 1: want somebody? I can drive you to that appointment, or 485 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,120 Speaker 1: I can come with you and just hear what your 486 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 1: doctor is saying, because I know you you know have 487 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,080 Speaker 1: a lot going on right now. Those acts are very 488 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:32,439 Speaker 1: kind and very meaningful. I do think knowing where you 489 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:35,240 Speaker 1: get your support from. Maybe it's your real life friends, 490 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 1: and maybe it's not. Maybe it's a therapist, maybe it 491 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 1: is an online group. But leaning on somebody for support 492 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: is very helpful because it is an emotionally draining process. 493 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:51,160 Speaker 1: If we think about it, your estrogen rises, you're gonna 494 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:53,920 Speaker 1: get bloated, you're gonna gain weight, You're gonna have pressure. 495 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:57,439 Speaker 1: You can't work out like you normally can't, you can't drink. 496 00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,119 Speaker 1: I just took away a lot of people stress for 497 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 1: leaving mechanisms. You're uncomfortable, you don't sleep well, and then 498 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: after the egg retrieval, we think it's all going to 499 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 1: be better. You your pain shouldn't be terrible. It usually 500 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,879 Speaker 1: feels really crampy, like a bad period. But then you 501 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:17,560 Speaker 1: have this huge hormonal drop. Right each egg made estrogen, 502 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 1: you just group twenty of them. You normally grow one. 503 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,480 Speaker 1: Your estrogen is now twenty times what it should be, 504 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: and now it's going to fall off a plateau. So 505 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: it's like p MS on steroids. You know you're not 506 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:30,560 Speaker 1: gonna feel like yourself and be able to do your 507 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 1: normal things, and if nobody knows, you just get into 508 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,679 Speaker 1: this place where you're very isolated. So doing what you 509 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 1: can to set yourself up for success and to not 510 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:42,880 Speaker 1: be isolated, whether it's that one friend or the online 511 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: group or your therapist, that's really helpful. My kids were 512 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:49,680 Speaker 1: pregnancies five and six, so there were a lot of 513 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:53,640 Speaker 1: miscarriages along the way. And this was a while ago, 514 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:57,199 Speaker 1: six and seven years old. But I didn't tell anybody, 515 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 1: and I had a lot of stigma. I mean, being 516 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:02,760 Speaker 1: a physician, being in any getting pregnant means you're going 517 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,360 Speaker 1: to be out of commission, other people going to work 518 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,240 Speaker 1: for you. There's a lot that goes into it. And 519 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:10,880 Speaker 1: I didn't tell anybody, and so then I got into 520 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: this situation. How do you How do you tell somebody 521 00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:17,360 Speaker 1: you're miscaring and you need help if they never knew 522 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:21,000 Speaker 1: you were pregnant. Now you feel like I didn't tell you. Yeah, 523 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,200 Speaker 1: I didn't tell you this moment now, but let me 524 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: tell you now that I need. It's just it really 525 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:28,120 Speaker 1: started to separate me from some people who I know 526 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,239 Speaker 1: would have really supported me. So the thing that I 527 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 1: often tell people is against that old advice of don't 528 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,560 Speaker 1: tell anybody you're pregnant until you're out of the first trimester. 529 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,080 Speaker 1: It's who is your core and if something is going 530 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 1: really wrong, who's going to show up? Who are you 531 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:48,920 Speaker 1: going to rely on? And try to let those people in, Hey, 532 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 1: we're having a hard time. Okay. That helps them know 533 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,640 Speaker 1: that if they are pregnant, not to just blurt all 534 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,880 Speaker 1: over the place and to handle that moment with care. Oh, 535 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,360 Speaker 1: tell them when you get the pregnancy test. That way, 536 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 1: if something goes wrong, you can call and say that 537 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: pregnancy didn't work out, and they're there for you, because 538 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:09,360 Speaker 1: those moments are so much harder to tolerate alone. Tell 539 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 1: them you're going through in fertility. Tell them you're going 540 00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:13,240 Speaker 1: through IVF. Tell them when you get the positive tests. 541 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:17,040 Speaker 1: Have them there to also know, Okay, it's early, we're anxious, 542 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 1: but I'm going through this with you. We're cautiously optimistics. 543 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: But I always say, like, if people will tell me 544 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: when they're early on and no one else knows, and 545 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:26,280 Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm not saying a word of anything, We're 546 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:30,919 Speaker 1: just saying we're cautiously optimistic, And yeah, I totally I 547 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:32,680 Speaker 1: love that you say that. It's like my favorite way 548 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 1: to phrase that, because there's no reason not to be optimistic, 549 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: but we're cautious. We don't know what's going to happen, 550 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 1: and so I think that as a whole, the more 551 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:43,400 Speaker 1: we can talk about it with each other and we 552 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 1: normalize that conversation, the more support we give. And there 553 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: are people in everybody's life who a thousand percent would 554 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: show up to support you, but you got to give 555 00:28:52,120 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 1: them the chance. How long do eggs last after they're frozen? 556 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 1: So eggs don't get freezer burned, so right now they 557 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: don't like that. Um, we have much more data on 558 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 1: embryos because again, egg freezing still newer. But if we 559 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,719 Speaker 1: equate this to embryos, the longest in embryo was frozen 560 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 1: and became a baby was twenty seven years. Holy craps 561 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:29,320 Speaker 1: in that crazy insane. So they don't get freezer burned. 562 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: So we don't know. The technology is still on the 563 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,960 Speaker 1: new ish side. So might that change in the future. Maybe, 564 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: but it does not appear to me. Neither does not 565 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,720 Speaker 1: appear to be an expiration date on eggs, and in fact, 566 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 1: many people are saving eggs an extended amount of time. 567 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,240 Speaker 1: So I have fertility doctor friends who have eggs frozen 568 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: who are planning to keep them in case their daughter 569 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 1: needs eggs or something. So that's what people in the 570 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:59,040 Speaker 1: field are doing. So we do not see or have 571 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:01,520 Speaker 1: data that they're going to be bad next year if 572 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 1: you don't use them or anything like that. God forbid, 573 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:08,200 Speaker 1: something got messed up and they like d thought or 574 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 1: something like at the egg freezing place. Is that like 575 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: a thing? So that is a thing, and it happened, 576 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: I guess. In twenty eighteen, two different clinics across the country, 577 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: owned by different people, both had failures in their tanks. 578 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: So they were different, but essentially one was like a 579 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,040 Speaker 1: generator based issue lost power. Generator didn't turn on, and 580 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:41,320 Speaker 1: one was a like I don't know, door, didn't clothes 581 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: and somebody didn't get notified. Okay, so this is all 582 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 1: speaking towards why things cost money that we don't understand, right, 583 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: because the things that we've got to put into these 584 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:54,239 Speaker 1: embryology labs as far as one bajillion generator. So if 585 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:56,760 Speaker 1: you lose power, all the energies going where it needs 586 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 1: to go, alarm systems to have a chain of command, 587 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:02,720 Speaker 1: I'll you from ours. If power goes out if a 588 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:06,440 Speaker 1: door is left open, it starts robo calling certain people 589 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: and it does not stop until this problem is corrected. 590 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: Because some of these things have somebody been notified soon 591 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 1: enough wouldn't have been a big deal, but it's the 592 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: extent of time that went on. Also, things that have 593 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: happened are transferring the wrong samples. They really are terrifying 594 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:28,760 Speaker 1: if you're a fertility patient to think about. Most of 595 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 1: these circumstances have on uncovered revealed lack of staffine, doing 596 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:38,360 Speaker 1: too many cycles for how many people are there, overall, 597 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:44,160 Speaker 1: not good protocols and cheaper price points. I'm just shaking 598 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:47,000 Speaker 1: my head like is this real? Yeah, so I think 599 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: I think it's good to ask, and I tell everybody 600 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 1: what process and procedures do you have to keep my 601 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:55,600 Speaker 1: sample safe? Like how do you know what's going and 602 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: how do you keep it safe? Your doctor? Should one 603 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:01,960 Speaker 1: know what is happening in their lab and they are 604 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,440 Speaker 1: your representative to use that lab? I can tell you 605 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:08,520 Speaker 1: right now, Like, Okay, the embryos when they're growing, they're 606 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,280 Speaker 1: kept in different tanks at different stages of development. Each 607 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:13,120 Speaker 1: one is labeled with a different color and has your 608 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,000 Speaker 1: name and your data birth and this is how those 609 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,640 Speaker 1: are labeled. Two people have to check it all the time. 610 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 1: That means if you follow up with how many people 611 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 1: work in the lab, there needs to be more than 612 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:23,720 Speaker 1: just one or two people, because if two people have 613 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:26,200 Speaker 1: to check it all the time, two people aren't always 614 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 1: one thousand percent going to be there. And so then 615 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: what generators do you have? What alarmed systems do you have? 616 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:34,080 Speaker 1: You don't have to know what the right answer is. 617 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:37,840 Speaker 1: But if your doctor says, oh, I don't know, or 618 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 1: let me find out, I'm not sure what are they doing? 619 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:43,280 Speaker 1: This is one of the most important things that we 620 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:49,960 Speaker 1: do is protect people's reprotective samples. Nothing's perfect, but again 621 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:52,880 Speaker 1: I think it goes to like, really do your research 622 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,600 Speaker 1: and your due diligence when you're meeting with fertility claimics 623 00:32:55,640 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: and which doctor you're going to trust. Let's talk about price, 624 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:03,280 Speaker 1: because I know this is a big one for people. 625 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: According to NPR, without insurance, egg freezing can range anywhere 626 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: from ten thous What is the most affordable yet impactful 627 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: way to undergo such a process? This is a good 628 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:18,360 Speaker 1: question and there's a lot to unpack when we think 629 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 1: about it. We are relying on people to freeze a 630 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: single cell using the highest technology. We have to rely 631 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 1: that that can be thought and be able to become 632 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: an embryo later. The procedure does take anesthesia, has to 633 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,240 Speaker 1: be done in a certain type of room. You've got 634 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:35,560 Speaker 1: to go under the stuff. The medications cost a lot 635 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:37,920 Speaker 1: of money too, So when you put all of those 636 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 1: pieces together, that number is relatively accurate, meaning most people 637 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 1: will probably spend from about twelve ten let's say, twelve 638 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:50,320 Speaker 1: tho dollars for the process. Twenty is unusually high for 639 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:54,480 Speaker 1: egg freezing. Potentially somebody's doing multiple cycles that definitely could 640 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:57,720 Speaker 1: get to that number very easily. There are places that 641 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:02,120 Speaker 1: do egg freezing much cheese peper, and we just have 642 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:05,480 Speaker 1: to look in context about how are they accomplishing that. 643 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:08,520 Speaker 1: Are they advertising on a cheap price, but then the 644 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,520 Speaker 1: medications make up the difference and other prices are not. 645 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:15,040 Speaker 1: Are they cutting corners somewhere or like? How are they 646 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,960 Speaker 1: doing it so much cheaper than other places? Are they 647 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:21,360 Speaker 1: staffed appropriately with the number of embryologists. Are they trying 648 00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:24,319 Speaker 1: to to do more cases with one right? How are 649 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: some clinics operating up much much lower costs than others? 650 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:31,239 Speaker 1: And I always think that's just an interesting question and 651 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 1: a little red flag if you are getting a price 652 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 1: point that's much lower than that ten thousand. Why is 653 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:42,600 Speaker 1: that some states have mandated fertility coverage and they will 654 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:45,200 Speaker 1: cover a freezing or IVA for certain number of cycles, 655 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:47,839 Speaker 1: while other states do not. So you will see people 656 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,319 Speaker 1: who live in Illinois or Massachusetts they are automatically going 657 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:53,400 Speaker 1: to have coverage benefits. People who have here in Texas 658 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:56,359 Speaker 1: with me, they are not. We are luckily seeing a 659 00:34:56,480 --> 00:35:01,360 Speaker 1: huge trend in the employer based sector where employers of 660 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: especially tech based companies, are covering it, and they're using 661 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:09,040 Speaker 1: that as a benefit to offer people to make them 662 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:11,560 Speaker 1: happy with their job, because studies have shown that if 663 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:15,800 Speaker 1: your place of employment is supporting your family building dreams, 664 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:19,040 Speaker 1: you're happier with them overall. And so I am hopeful 665 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: that that trend continues because that is not like traditional insurance. 666 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:27,320 Speaker 1: It's a fertility specific option. There's a lot of different 667 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: ways employers are doing it, but it is opening the 668 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: doors for so many to do egg freezing and to 669 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:37,000 Speaker 1: do it without restrictions. One thing to think about, let's 670 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,400 Speaker 1: use I won't name them by name, but a common 671 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:43,480 Speaker 1: insurance you may have an insurance card for in your wallet. 672 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:45,719 Speaker 1: If you want to come freeze your eggs, your plan 673 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:48,640 Speaker 1: says has fertility benefits, but if I call them, you 674 00:35:48,719 --> 00:35:51,960 Speaker 1: have to be trying to get pregnant for twelve months 675 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,719 Speaker 1: to tap into any of your fertility benefits. So if 676 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:56,680 Speaker 1: you are single and want to freeze your eggs, if 677 00:35:56,719 --> 00:36:01,160 Speaker 1: you're a lesbian and you haven't been trying with intercourse 678 00:36:01,239 --> 00:36:04,279 Speaker 1: heater or sexually like they define it, it's so too 679 00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:07,120 Speaker 1: Then suddenly you want to have this huge amount that 680 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:10,640 Speaker 1: your insurance covers for fertility, but you don't get to 681 00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:13,320 Speaker 1: qualify for any of it. I think it's very discriminating 682 00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:18,480 Speaker 1: and very frustrating. I can't believe that exists. Cheez, What 683 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:21,360 Speaker 1: can you do if you can't afford egg freezing but 684 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 1: you want to do it so badly? I mean, I 685 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:25,640 Speaker 1: know friends who have asked for loans from their parents, 686 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:27,919 Speaker 1: you know, put it all on credit card and paid 687 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:30,960 Speaker 1: it off over time. Those are the most common things 688 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:34,840 Speaker 1: are personal loans from family members, small loans from banks, 689 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,640 Speaker 1: or getting a credit card that has no interest for 690 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:39,759 Speaker 1: a year and then you essentially are paying it off 691 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:44,680 Speaker 1: to yourself. Some clinics do have payment plan options. Or 692 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:47,920 Speaker 1: they're able to pay it off over a different timeline. 693 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,359 Speaker 1: So it's always helpful to inquire if your clinic can 694 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:54,480 Speaker 1: offer that or not. There are grant based programs that 695 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:57,560 Speaker 1: will cover egg freezing. A lot of grants have certain 696 00:36:57,719 --> 00:37:00,800 Speaker 1: restrictions also as far as you have to married, or 697 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 1: certain religion or these other annoying factors. But I'm on 698 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:07,240 Speaker 1: the board of a great grant program called baby Quest 699 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,480 Speaker 1: and they accept anybody who wants to better their fertility. 700 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:15,160 Speaker 1: For there are some resources you gotta put in the 701 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:17,160 Speaker 1: dirty work of trying to figure out what they are. 702 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 1: So it's an amazing process of what we're able to 703 00:37:19,719 --> 00:37:23,680 Speaker 1: accomplish with egg freezing. And it sucks that it's expensive, 704 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,680 Speaker 1: But at the same point, of course it's expensive. What 705 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:29,520 Speaker 1: can we do to encourage society to add egg freezing 706 00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 1: into all health care policies in general? We need a 707 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:37,480 Speaker 1: lot more fertility advocacy across the board, even when we 708 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:41,760 Speaker 1: see advocacy that seems to make sense. So, for example, 709 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:45,360 Speaker 1: I went to advocate that I'm in Texas here to 710 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:49,440 Speaker 1: get egg freezing coverage for cancer patients because we know 711 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:52,759 Speaker 1: that chemotherapy often decreases your account and you may not 712 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:54,360 Speaker 1: be able to have children for that. To me, that 713 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:58,560 Speaker 1: seems like a bipartisan support, like, you have cancer, let's 714 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:01,000 Speaker 1: help you have a baby later and we can do it. 715 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:04,120 Speaker 1: But you have to decide. It's such a hot moment 716 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 1: for patients with cancer because they have to decide immediately. 717 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: You're deciding twenty things at once. You're like deciding about 718 00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:13,920 Speaker 1: your cancer and your chemo or your surgery. And if 719 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:15,960 Speaker 1: you want to do egg freezing, and it takes two weeks, 720 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:20,799 Speaker 1: you gotta start today, today, today, and it does cost money. 721 00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: There are luckily some organizations that help with patients with cancer. 722 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,680 Speaker 1: But we've tried to say, hey, across the board, we 723 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:29,040 Speaker 1: feel like patients and Texas should be able to have 724 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:31,799 Speaker 1: this covered by the state if they have cancer, trying 725 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,319 Speaker 1: to make it mandated coverage, and some states have accomplished that, 726 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:37,440 Speaker 1: but we've not here. Really, if we could get mandated 727 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:41,200 Speaker 1: fertility coverage, that would be a huge step at leveling 728 00:38:41,239 --> 00:38:44,399 Speaker 1: the playing field for everybody. Oh my god, it would 729 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:50,240 Speaker 1: be insane. Is there any other sort of condition that 730 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:55,000 Speaker 1: someone could have where they should consider egg freezing? Oh? 731 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:59,840 Speaker 1: Probably some end Oh yes, yes, so endometriosis certainly is, 732 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:03,319 Speaker 1: especially if you get diagnosed young. It is just a 733 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:06,960 Speaker 1: destructive disease by nature, and we do often see people 734 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:12,320 Speaker 1: progress to ovarian destruction low accounts these ovarian cysts of 735 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:16,399 Speaker 1: endometriosis and much much higher rates of infertility. So if 736 00:39:16,480 --> 00:39:19,560 Speaker 1: you have endometriosis and you have the option to freeze 737 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:22,799 Speaker 1: your eggs, your employer covers it, or your parents will 738 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:25,480 Speaker 1: pay for it, or you've saved up some money worth it, 739 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:29,920 Speaker 1: a d worth it. There's some other medical conditions, autoimmune 740 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:33,080 Speaker 1: conditions specifically, especially if they're going to need very strong 741 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:38,120 Speaker 1: medications to mitigate them, you um might want to consider 742 00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:43,000 Speaker 1: because some of those medications are very chemotherapeutic or they overlap. 743 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:45,440 Speaker 1: I know my really good friend who I also had 744 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:50,439 Speaker 1: on this podcast, Becky Ofteniser, she has lupus and that 745 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:54,840 Speaker 1: was a huge part of her fertility journey, the medications 746 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:56,640 Speaker 1: she'd been on for a long time and having to 747 00:39:56,880 --> 00:39:59,759 Speaker 1: do a retrieval. So it really seems if you have 748 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:04,279 Speaker 1: struggling with any kind of endometriosis, cancer, autoimmune diseases, these 749 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:07,600 Speaker 1: are all things to be speaking with your obi fertility 750 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:13,719 Speaker 1: doctor closely monitoring. Is there any other advice you would 751 00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:17,680 Speaker 1: give to other women who are considering egg freezing. Overall, 752 00:40:17,719 --> 00:40:20,319 Speaker 1: if you're considering egg freezing, now is the time to 753 00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 1: consider it, meaning take at least the next up, schedule 754 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:26,359 Speaker 1: an appointment with a fertility doctor. Hear them give you 755 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:30,279 Speaker 1: some personalized data, get your ovaries looked at, find out 756 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:34,080 Speaker 1: what your odds. Maybe nobody is committing you from that 757 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:37,839 Speaker 1: moment to doing the procedure, but that is education and 758 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:41,799 Speaker 1: that information may change your mind. You may feel really 759 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:45,320 Speaker 1: differently once you find some of these numbers. You may say, gosh, 760 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:47,560 Speaker 1: I want to save up and do this, or that's 761 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:49,440 Speaker 1: not for me and I feel good with it. Go 762 00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:53,080 Speaker 1: get an evaluation. Next up, they swear we're nice, and 763 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,800 Speaker 1: if you see somebody who's a meani, go to somebody 764 00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:58,040 Speaker 1: else like we're nice. Where We do this job because 765 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,120 Speaker 1: we want to help you, and it's a very personal job. 766 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:03,200 Speaker 1: I don't think there's any reason not to do that 767 00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 1: step like that step do it. Last question that we 768 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:13,239 Speaker 1: ask every guest on Katie's Crib, Parenthood is hard. I 769 00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:16,680 Speaker 1: mean probably what everybody says. I love being a mom. 770 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:20,279 Speaker 1: You know, working mom is an extra level as I 771 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:23,840 Speaker 1: think most people who are working parents know My kids 772 00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:26,839 Speaker 1: equally complain when I don't go to the school thing 773 00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:28,600 Speaker 1: or I don't drop them off in the morning. But 774 00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:33,440 Speaker 1: they're also really proud of what I do and I 775 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:36,880 Speaker 1: love watching them take ownership of Mommy's a doctor, and 776 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:40,200 Speaker 1: so it's great. But yeah, they're interesting, right, six and 777 00:41:40,239 --> 00:41:42,359 Speaker 1: seven there were twenty in two ages where you know 778 00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:44,880 Speaker 1: they have their own personalities, their own likes and dislikes, 779 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:48,200 Speaker 1: their own attitudes, and trying to help shape them into 780 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:52,480 Speaker 1: the best little versions of themselves. You're ahead of me. 781 00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: I'm terrified. I have four and one six, So they're 782 00:41:57,640 --> 00:42:00,319 Speaker 1: crashing into things and bringing their heads and and go 783 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:02,719 Speaker 1: back to one for anything. I love their people and 784 00:42:02,719 --> 00:42:05,960 Speaker 1: they have these interests and it's fun, but there's hard 785 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:08,839 Speaker 1: moments about how do you teach them some of these 786 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:14,000 Speaker 1: life lessons? How do you raise them to be good humans? 787 00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:17,960 Speaker 1: Good humans? Right? And that's why we've got the Katie's 788 00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:20,959 Speaker 1: Cribit community to make us feel less alone and laugh 789 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:22,600 Speaker 1: and learn it a little bit more. And that's why 790 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:27,440 Speaker 1: we have your incredible Fertility Clinic. The name is for fertility. 791 00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:30,319 Speaker 1: You have been such an incredible guest, such a wealth 792 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:33,239 Speaker 1: of knowledge. If I was egg freezing, you would be 793 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:37,759 Speaker 1: my top choice. Of just you've made me feel really informed, empowered, 794 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:51,799 Speaker 1: safe and excited. Thank you so You're so fun. Thank 795 00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:54,000 Speaker 1: you guys so much for listening to today's episode. I 796 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:58,480 Speaker 1: want to hear from you. Let's chat questions, comments, concerns. 797 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,080 Speaker 1: Let me know you can always I Me at Katie's 798 00:43:01,080 --> 00:43:06,920 Speaker 1: Crib at shondaland dot com. Katie's Crib is a production 799 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:10,000 Speaker 1: of Shondaland Audio in partnership with I heart Radio. For 800 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:13,040 Speaker 1: more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, visit the i heart Radio app, 801 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:15,800 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.