Why It Costs $15,000 To Freeze Your Eggs | Refinery29
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video, we explore the industry and medical world of egg freezing. From speaking with professionals, to following one woman's journey to freezing her eggs, we are looking to uncover what these new procedures actually mean for women.
This video was originally published on Broadly and is being repurposed by Refinery29.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Scary Reality Of Sex Education In Alabama
• The Scary Reality Of S...
I'm 30 & I Embalm Dead Bodies For A Living
• I'm 30 & I Embalm Dead...
Why People Risk Their Lives To Bleach Their Skin
• Why People Risk Their ...
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: / refinery29
Follow Somos on Instagram: / r29somos
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: / r29unbothered
What are your views on this? Share your thoughts respectfully below!
Excellent documentary and I had actually been asking myself questions about egg-freezing as a young woman who has chosen a very arduous and time-consuming career. I am still on the fence but this was very informative.
Can you do a video about the discrimination out of dismissiveness that the infertile face?
Here a link to a good source. Discrimination out of dismissiveness: the case on infertility
ilj.law.indiana.edu/articles/85/85_1_Orentlicher.pdf
I was a frozen egg... doing perfectly fine and a 4.0 gpa in high school. do what u wanna do.
This video was posted by Vice's Broadly in 2015. th-cam.com/video/2erhhIupZF4/w-d-xo.html
I don’t think medical procedures should be performed without all the data collected. The CEO of egg banks couldn’t tell her what the statistics were on rate of success... She probably knows and is a shady ass business woman. Awful awful awful. Google tells people whatever they want to know.
Or the government could start supporting mothers more? That way younger women would not have to choose between career and motherhood. They should be allowed both.
I definitely agree. I wish that the U.S could be like other countries and give people basic needs like free healthcare and support for women who want to have a family and a job
@@blacklungsanji3 It's funny how Conservatives say basic needs like healthcare and equal oppurtunity are communist, yet literally everyone else realizes how ridiculous that is. When you think about it Conservatives are actually some of the most Anti-American people out there.
i read the labour in usa can cost like 3000-4000$? 😳
Absolutely!
@@rose191991 Yes, you heard right.
"We're not selling our consumers anything".
"Aren't they patients?"
"Yeah, they are patients. Patients, cunsumers, same thing "
Oooh! 😬 that was great!
Yes !! 😒
Yep interviewer really called her out
Right! That ladies voice is so full of shit
I would love to see women on the other side of the egg freezing process, who have decided they're ready to start trying to have kids. How that process works and how they're dealing with it.
watch channon rose. She has 1 child born from IVF and another on the way:)
Check out Desi Perkins channel and journey. She just had her baby boy this past week
Egg freezing most of the time it doesn't work, I know because I've read thousands of articles about this
Sounds like to doesn't really work that great long term...
@@julianastefanile5402 IVF isn't necessarily the same as freezing
“Consumer-patient , same thing” that’s worrying gurl 😳
As a woman who is now 34 and struggled to conceive from 22-32, here's my take- care about your wellbeing. Family planning is also healthcare planning. I felt like a failure for years, but since we have been in lockdown, I have realized I have had a fantastic career, traveled the world (by myself), experienced, and dated a lot of people who in turn helped me understand who I am and what I want. I'm 34. I have no kids right now. I plan to adopt when I'm 37 or 40 to have more time to SAVE and ultimately have what I need for that child. Parenting is not one dimensional. However you plan on becoming a parent isn't important. What is- is how we emotionally support and provide for the little people who can't. You are all doing a great job. There's no time clock on being a parent. I will not be freezing my eggs, and whatever happens, will happen. Good luck, everyone.
+jenniferestrada Thank you so much for bravely sharing your journey with us!!
I identify with what you say. I’ve never wanted to be a mom but maybe in the future I would and adoption would def be in my radar.
"There's no clock on being a parent." I love that so much!
Thanks for sharing, it was beautiful....never give up even after you adopt and may you have exactly what you plan. ❤️
It's so important for women to be able speak about these issues openly and with out shame, thank you for sharing your story.
We always talk about women choosing to delay childbearing but a lot of women are simply forced to. The reality is that 1) raising a kid is more expensive than it used to be, 2) when a woman gets pregnant her career takes a hit, and 3) a lot of men don’t want to have a child in their 20s and early 30s, which is the exact age that women have to have a child, so it’s hard for women to find a partner who’s ready for that unless they go for an older man
Very true. I'm 23, and I'm obsessed with babies, toddlers, and family. I've always crushed on men in their 30s!
Yup absolutely true
You don't have to have anything at a certain age*
@@viceb7 did you not watch the video? Unless you have a spare $15k you're on a biological clock lol that's definitely a certain time.
@@peps1943 you are so right! I have never dated a man in his 20s or even 30s who was looking to have kids and start a family, this subject usually scares them and you are not even allowed to mention it because God forbid, you will scare him off!!! poor little babies! And then it is our fault of course for not having the kids when we should have done, biologically speaking..Women are put in a very bad situation its like loose loose, not win win.. And of course men can decide to have those kids whenever they want and being over 50 doesnt scare them one bit! I wish it was more normalized to have open conversation with men about planning a family very early on and they would be more understanding and intelligent about the subject.
I froze my eggs in June of this year. My employer paid for it. I had chemo as a kid and can make me go into early menopause. I feel so much relief that I have them in the bank. I am so grateful to my employer for paying for them. I thankfully had no last side effects to the procedure. For anyone in a similar position to me I strongly suggest it!
Did you watch the video??
The way they turned birth into a busniess🤮
that American capitalism baby
channel break So you don’t have a uterus, gotcha
channel break oh so like teenagers with cancer that can’t have kids because they didn’t plan???
channel break and just because you don’t have money to spend that doesn’t mean other people dont
Have you ever seen a new mother’s hospital bills after giving birth? Lmao
As a young woman in her mid-twenties, there is really a whole lot more to the issues whether or not one should have children and if to have them when is a good time to start. For many people and myself, we are struggling just to get good jobs that will allow us to be more financially independent. So having thought about whether or not an individual wants to have a kid is greatly overlooked when you are in your mid-twenties and can't afford your own place to live with how current real estate is on a simple apartment or home is so expensive. Most people have to look to push back the option of parenthood because society tells us too rather than it being the person's actual choice.
Im not even 20 yet and im scared of my future, im not optimistic about family or anything because i was raised to fullfill my mother's motherhood not raised as a person who will be independent one day. Im raised not with values but convenience and situations. I cant be confident that i wont continue the cycle and it is fear that made me click this video.
"Patients, consumers, same thing".. Words from a non medical professional who is selling medical advice and services
Women pay all this money and still have to do all the shots at home...😐
I’m 23, and I had to go through this a couple of weeks ago because my fertility is about a quarter of what it should be. In NZ it cost me $9,500, plus $300 per year to keep them frozen. I’m lucky I had savings, otherwise I would be rushing to have kids now. The process was bloody awful, but this at least gives me a chance of having a family in about 5 years or so. Marketing to healthy women is insane. It’s not a nice procedure, the hormones suck and the egg retrieval process was pretty awful. If my fertility was normal for my age- there’s no way I would have done this willingly.
Sorry you had to go through that. Knowledge is power-and you now have options. Wishing you well x
Fertility is in its prime from years 20 to 30 of age.From then on there's higher chances of birth defects and complications.
I am 25 and I froze my eggs at 23 too, I was lucky enough that my parents paid for it, it was about $5000 USD and the annual fee is about $250, at first this was my mom's idea, since I was 15 I was diagnosed with PCOS, and all my life they told me I would have trouble getting pregnant so at at that age I was pretty settle of being as successful as I could be and kind of made my mind of not having kids, so a few years later me being at law school my mom suggest I did it, i didn't wanted because I couldn't afford it, my mom suggested to be my grad present (funny right) and I did it, it was awful the process the shots, the drugs everything especially because I was alone in my campus shooting myself hormones and trying not to be ungrateful but you are an emotion wreck, now and really glad I made it, even as painful and rough it was, but I am so lucky, to have good, young eggs that I can use, I am so glad that now I can have kids when I feel I am financially comfortable to raise them, and have the time to spend with them, freezing your eggs gives you a freedom or a least to me it give me to work as hard an be as successful as I want to be, not caring about the timing.
Hope everything you want works in your favor
I also froze my eggs and didn’t feel anything at all. My process went pretty smoothly
Childcare is grossly underpaid. Your attention has to be on the kid/kids pretty much 24/7. Parents claim their kids are the most important part of their lives. Our culture claims the protection and care for children is significant. Yet we pay childcare workers min wage most of the time here in Canada... or like a dollar over min wage.
Modern families look like this: both parents working long hours, and sending their kids to be looked after by someone underpaid. Doesn't sound like "having it all" to me. Now during COVID, parents are faced with what it ACTUALLY takes to spend large amounts of time with their kids. And its driving them nuts
I'm in USA. My friends pay about 900 a month for 2 kids for daycare. House rent averages 1300 a month here.
@@whisperedgoodbye9985 what the parents pay vs what a childcare worker gets paid is VERY different,
THANK YOU. After Covid parents/people should be more recognizing to the work that ECEs do. We should get paid JUST as much as teachers in schools. Im from Canada too.
@@Mandapuggo_ omg that's criminal !!!!
Join the trades if you want the big bucks. I agree with you deserving more $, but your asking too much from our stupid society. Women join those trades of care, they know that, so they arent going to raise the pay anytime soon. Doesnt affect the masses that "matter". Its mainly women who work as ECE teachers, social work, child care, ect. So they wont be in a rush to give you the money yall deserve ): . Hopefully if we kept pushing for better money & better care standards, we will see change one day soon..
“I’m glad that she’s doing this” ...yeah you’re getting paid
Yeah that’s what I thought too haha
i rolled my eyes too
Ok it cost millions , it’s not approved by the FDA , and plus suppose you empowing woman on chiding alternations of biology 🧪!
I’m just saying better think about this well before doing it !
A lot of people are saying they would rather adopt. Adoption is a choice to grow a family but by no means is it an easy path. It can take years and as much money as IVF or more to finalize an adoption.
There are tax breaks for adoption and if you do it through the state it is relatively low. It seems absurd to me to create more humans when there are already ones out there who need help. Family support is the number one reason for inequity in the world, so if you want more equity and justice in the world, why not adopt? Every cent spent on a child you chose to reproduce is at the expense of a suffering child who already exists. Why make a child cry themselves to sleep every night because they don't have a forever home when they see your big, happy biological family? Besides, with adoption you can avoid permanently hurting your body as well as avoid getting a child with needs that extend beyond your ability to care for.
@@graceg3250 I couldn't agree more.
Well and some people (like me) want to be pregnant and have that feeling of having your genetics on your child. Adoption is a great possibility too but I froze my eggs just in case
Any company that ends with a double xx doesn’t seem credible.
The CEO sounds like politicians round about answers....
it's no coincidence that the usa doesnt have a federal paid maternity/family leave and encourages profits in the medical world :(
I hope it becomes cheaper, safer and more effective in the future
in the States...never LOL. Try Canada or Europe.
It's cheaper to get your eggs frozen abroad. Czech republic
I’ll just adopt a kid if my clock runs out thanks 😂
Lol as have kid is that important
that’s also expensive tho and ur not always accepted to adopt
I agree. I am looking into opinion
@@wowverycoolthanks5521 Fertility treatments are also expensive and not guaranteed to produce a child
Adoption is significantly more expensive than fertility treatments. It’s a beautiful thing. But the way people have marketed and profited off people’s desires (or desperations) for a child is kind of gross. I did IUI. Thank god it worked on my third go around
I’d love to see a video on the struggle for women to get sterilized or tubal ligation operarions
I researched the hell out of my fertility specialist. I had questions about my fertility since I was 28. If I hadn’t of asked questions or spoke to a specialist, I would not have the option any longer to have children of my own. I was diagnosed with premature ovary aging. My ovaries are that of a 40+ yr old woman and I was diagnosed at 31. I’m now 33 and have 8 HEALTHY eggs that are currently frozen. Some ppl have poor experiences with the medications, I did not. People need to understand that you’re accelerating the rate at which your antral follicles grow. I only had a possibility of 4 eggs because I only had 4 follicles at such a young age when I should’ve had at least 15 total. I was also very lucky to have great insurance. And a lot of places offer coverage for fertility treatments through job insurance even part time at Starbucks. There’s also very affordable clinics EVERYWHERE with amazing results. Join some fertility groups and read some stories. It’s not all doom and gloom.
"What was I doing?" GIRL SAME.
Omg same -_-
The presenter/interviewer/journalist- did an excellent job in this video, the voices of experts was varied and it was highly informative
+fransinia. Thanks for taking the time to watch!!
This is the best take on this I've seen. I loved the people who were interviewed.... the fact that we HAVE to put it off so long is a problem.
Anecdotally, I also think there is an issue that is not addressed: the lack of suitable male partners for successful, educated women.
Exactly! Everyone blames women and say we are delaying nature, but where are the good men?
Refinery producing the BEST content on the platform while also educating people we stan
+andysimon Thanks for being here!!
I’m 26. I applied for a postgraduate program and the admissions office advised me to say that ”I’m single and living with my parents” because otherwise I wouldn't be accepted.
I’m 26 and I’m being pressured by my parents to have children because ”time goes by so fast”.
I’m 26 and my ex-boyfriend broke up with me to pursue his career because he was not ready to have a family.
I’m 26. I want to continue my studies. I want to work. I want to have a family and have children. I want my parents to meet their grandchildren. But most of all, I want to be able to do this without paying 15k. Is it too much to ask?
You can do it! It's not impossible! You can make so much changes in just 1 year. Find a good man. Invest in a dating site that does the background work. And continue with your studies. Having kids does not stop life. You can have kids and still grow in your career.
check with your ob/gyne. if you actually need to freeze your eggs, you more than likely do not. although ob/gyne can sometimes be money driven too, im happy mine isn't. im 27 and she's going by the assumption ill want kids in the future. never suggested freezing eggs.
Stacy Levchuk the fact that the first suggestion was “find a good man” :(
@@nicolegurley628 in my opinion it is a little easier to live life within a partnership.
Grandsons?
I'm surprised at the actual failure numbers.. To go through the process of IVF a majority of women do several times, to go through all of that and not have a child at the end! Heartbreaking. And the fear culture of women thinking there options are limited.
It’s not fear culture for every woman. It’s actual fear for women like myself who might go into early menopause. I had chemo at 10 years old that might cause this. I decided to freeze my eggs and I would do it again.
I was very suprised about the number of failures too. I was thinking about doing it. In the Czech republic, where I live, It costs a fraction of the usa price. I'm in my early 30ties and to be honest a very little chance is better than no chance.
LittleDormouse completely understand, and what kind a great bonus that it’s cheaper where you are. If you go forward with that I wish you the very best. The best of health, and hope you get the results you hope for x
@@VeeLondon1449 Thank you very much❤️
@@sarahfunes3802 I'm so glad that you where able to attain the opportunity to do that for yourself. Sorry to hear of your ill health, Wishing you phenomenal physical & mental health hope everything you plan for in this life is better than you can ever hope or realise take care x
Mmm.. I choose adoption.
Also expensive, could take forever, and you might just end up rejected :/
@@bgj8608 or just foster
Really appreciated this episode and people participating in it. What those scholars said is really thought provoking to me. Personally I've always thought freezing eggs is an option or at least compromise for women in current situation. But it is in a way transferring a whole system and social problem to women themselves, financially, physically and mentally. Hope there will be louder voice on the lack of data and potential risk of the whole process.
+yishan Thanks so much for taking the time to watch & for leaving this thoughtful comment!
It’s insane how expensive it is in the US; my clinic was £5550, roughly $7000 with two years storage free and then $350 storage per year after that. How do they justify that extra (double!) cost?
Greed
All the work women go through, while guys can just have a kid at any age they want. While women are stuck on this timer. Guys really Just don’t understand.
@dArkqueenXX Yea but still the fact that woman have to fit career, kids, marriage and education in 40 years. Woman are on a timer, yet men can just decide to have a kid at 75 and they would be just fine.😭😤
@dArkqueenXX I honestly don't think we should reproduce even more. Humans are reproducing at such a fact rate the economy and the planet itself is getting ruined. There are well over 400.000 orphans, we should focus on them being adopted and having loving homes rather than reproducing. Also a good thing about adoption is, you can adopt exactly when you are ready. You don't have to worry about a clock.
Guys have a timer too, the babies end up with birth defects because of old sperm
men’s fertility declines as well, usually starts at 40
A lot of women are not choosing careers, most just haven’t met someone they could start a family with or someone who wants to settle.
Those women in the Egg party all looked like CEOs or business women, so it is exclusive and not for everyone in a way
This is coming from someone with infertility issues. Im in my early 30's. Unfortunately woman's natural body is not forgiving with time. You are born with so many eggs and you can't get them back. If you can afford freezing eggs, do it. You can't get that time or good quality back like when you are young.
I appreciate your honesty
Childfree squad here- I am so happy I don’t have to think about any of the crushing pressure that is so common for women to experience. It sounds awful to be running up against the biological clock like that- I truly do feel bad for these women.
How old are you?
Heck yea! The pressure to have it all is too much for me. My friends with professional jobs and kids are barely scraping by during COVID. Scrambling to find child care. Fighting with their partners due to all the stress of "having it all". Fuck thhhaaaattt. I know a lot of couples are now discussing whether or not its worth someone taking a leave of absence to homeschool their kids because they are scared to send their kids to school. So glad I don't have to deal w that shit.
DJ Papzin 34. I’ve dealt with variations of “you’ll change your mind when your’re older” for a solid decade, but, nope- have never wanted them:-)
+chelseawisotzkey Thank you for sharing with us!
@@chelsea7229 Same! I'm 35 and I have zero desire to have kids. If I do get to a point where I want one, I will adopt before going through expensive and risky fertility treatments. Also, I'd rather have dogs around me than kids.
Did she just say 19-26?!?!?
Yes, she did
Who came after the notification
I have a younger brother, 10 years younger.... 25 and he is 15. my mother had him at 42 with zero problems and got pregnant without trouble. we need to find more women who are having babies later in life and not make it seem like a completely bad thing- like no shit it comes with higher risks but if you can or want to try it out- you should. it's your life anyway!
The problem is not just women worrying about the psychosocial aspect of having babies older but whether or not these women can get pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy at all. It’s great that your mother was able to do it without issues but the reality and the data shows that fertility declines dramatically starting at age 35 and definitely after age 40. Do these women want to wait until then to learn than their egg count is almost zero or egg quality is so poor that they can’t get pregnant? That is why some women are thinking ahead and trying to freeze their eggs now so that when they are older, let’s say 38 or 40, they can still try to have a baby and raise them. They are not afraid to get pregnant or the risks that come with it at an older age, they are worried they won’t even have that option if they don’t think ahead now. Unlike what you said, because they are doing egg freezing, it shows that they do not “think it’s bad” to get pregnant at an older age.
My mother had her last child when she was 36 and was a great pregnancy
@@jubileetran6105 Susan Radford had her 16th baby at age 36, and her 23rd one April 2020. She turned 45 on March 22nd! All her children were naturally conceived too.
Did you just suggest to "try it out"
A child!? Try out a human being?? 😂 Wtf lol. It's not exactly something you can return haha. Why would you put a child at risk like that? Risks for mom and child are so much higher with age. A life isn't exactly something to gamble on when you know the odds aren't in your favor.
I wouldn't freeze my eggs only because I do not trust anyone with that. God only knows what could happen.
Same
That’s true
Las farmacéuticas dan miedo. No han estudiado los efectos secundarios ni lo harán, quieren vender hormonas. Ganancias caiga quien caiga.
I freezed my eggs due to chemotherapy at the age of 18. It cost me 5000€ and 1000€ every 5 years to keep them frozen. The German health system nearly pays everything, but not a single cent for this procedure unfortunately.
En España, en tu situación, todo gratuito, incluso "ponerte" los óvulos congelados. Sólo por razones médicas, tu caso.
Thanks Refinery29 for putting this together! And especially a big thanks to the participants for letting us in on their journey. Really insightful and good to see so thank you!
+wanderingwithyan Thanks for taking the time to watch!
Wow. I learned so much from this. Great coverage of the topic
+macyharrell Thanks for taking the time to watch!
Thanks so much for this video. Love the coverage, public opinions and different views of this topic. Really useful for women who need this blessing
I would never freeze my eggs because I don't want to be in my 50's, 60's, and 70's raising children.
SAME
Babeee u justt copied me😂
@@leaisf7601 😂 nope
@Paisley Moon
Yes you have copied me😌😌😌😌😂
Ema Sultana she didn’t copy you ...
EXCELLENT documentary!!! Very informative and fascinating ❤️
I’m 26 and will go through this in a couple of months. I get how they say this shouldn’t be marketed to healthy women, but what about women like me? Who, for medical reasons (I am not nearly as fertile as I should be for my age) have to do this? Just in order to even have the hope of having a child in about 5 years or so.
The whole system is messed up. I am really lucky my parents offered to pay for most of it as I just finished my masters and started working about 1 and a half years ago.
It is really good that this is an option for people like me, or in similar situations, however, the pressure we as women have to deal with is immense. We have to basically choose career or family, and if you choose family most of the time you end up financially depending on your partner, which is not a freeing situation. And if you choose career you then have to delay family or not have it at all.
Wasn’t expecting to need to do this. It made me realize there is a thinking clock inside of me. If I want kids, which I do, I now have to make sure a have a stable relationship, the economic means and everything to be able to unfreeze my eggs, get IVF and hopefully, have a child.
Lol seeing that spinning, clicky shot pen thing brought back memories...
My wife and I have been doing IVF treatments for the past 2-3 years or so, due to infertility. Insurance thankfully covers everything (except for annual storage fees), otherwise we'd NEVER be able to afford it. We only did one round of retrievals and got 20 eggs, and then, after fertilization, wound up with only 10 viable embryos. So even your number of eggs could drop significantly at that stage, if any succeed in fertilization at all.
So far, after 4 1st-term miscarriages and one devastating 2nd-term one, we're down to only 4 embryos left, with one currently 22-week pregnancy. He'll definitely be born premature, and we had to get a cerclage put in to hopefully keep him in for at least two more weeks to even have a single chance at life. But we're hoping and praying for success.
Wishing you lots of luck, I hope you ended up with the child you were both wanting so dearly!
I wanted to froze 9 eggs. In the end of the shots I had 20 ready to go and my doctor strongly suggested to froze them all (I have to pay more). I’m glad I took her suggestion!
You and your wife are selfish child abusers. You are willing to produce a sick child who will be bearing all the pain simply because of your selfish greed
17:51 consumers?!
lol right?! and then she had the nerve to say that consumers and patients are the same thing like no...
@@sergcolin she only cares about the money
@@sergcolin they are the same. the term is different between a doctor and the admin/investor running the hospital with absolutely no medical knowledge.
FOMO... fear of missing out. That hit me pretty hard.
Very insightful video and lot of point or views I did not know before . Great topic chosen. 👍
+mchaajed Thanks for being here!
Great educative content loved this well done researched and presented piece
This is such an interesting documentary
How interesting, loved this so much
+yus Thanks for watching!!
Consumer/ Patient, same thing?! Lol
just dineros, really.
Great video, and I certainly am inclined to agree with the two women speaking about how this cannot or should not be a go-to answer for women's fertility concerns. However, I think the issue is more complicated than the career-family trade-off implies. Addressing social expectations, policies, etc., is a great way to fix part of the problem that is making women feel like they need to put off having children, but another part is that over the past decades something has happened in our minds and cultures that makes women increasingly feel like even in their mid-20s and early 30s they are not emotionally/mentally in a place to have children. I'm 24 and I can't imagine having a baby right now, even if you put the career concerns off to the side. I just feel way too young; but statistically speaking I only have about a year and a half of 'peak fertility' left, and even now my fertility is already beginning to drop. So, social change is all well and good but I'm just not sure what the answer would be for women who don't feel ready for reasons other than career or education...
The age restrictions on fertility certainly put pressure on women (real, imagined, or otherwise)- and by 30 the pressure is on.
Cierto. Pero tampoco se puede hacer cualquier cosa para ir contra la naturaleza sin saber cuáles pueden ser los riesgos para la salud.
It's sad how women are having to choose between career and being a mother. Why can't this society provide us with both?
Wow, I'm going to be 31 in December and, due to my career over the past almost 13-years, I was considering this option too! It's crazy I've known all the POSITIVE numbers that are published everywhere but, I really haven't seen these negative numbers at all. I hope Amy was one in a million, she seems like a positive-spirit in the midst of going through everything!
I don't really think it's fair to say that egg freezing is bad, because society should make having a family when you're younger easier. Well, yeah, that would've been amazing, but I didn't have that choice. I couldn't change society, but I could freeze my eggs. I could only use the options I already had in my own hands.
@25:30 she said exactly what I’d been thinking this entire time.
I just got an ad about Fertility
So thought provoking!!
Yes wanted to know about this
1 egg = maybe 2-12% 👶 baby. 🍼 *That’s not even a risk/gamble. It’s a serious loss* and I empathize with all ladies that want kids and those that want to have some control of their timelines.
Y cada vez que no haya embarazo, a volver a pagar, así sucesivamente. Una estafa. Las consecuencias de la hiperestimulacion ovárica a corto o largo plazo, para madre e hijo, no se han estudiado.
I just started watching so I haven't seen everything the documentary has to say about this but the comment section doesn't leave me feeling optimistic. It isn't just a choice between career vs having kids - not everyone has a life partner they are ready to raise kids with at 25 years old and optimally fertile!
I started the process of investigating freezing my eggs about a year ago at 30 when I was without a partner because I wanted to pursue options including having a child on my own. In the process I was received a confirmed diagnosis of sub fertility and have learned how unlikely it is that I will be able to conceive on my own.
Many commenters make it seem like this is entirely unnecessary but for many people it's the only way to pursue having a biological child. There are also a plethora of health considerations (for both the mother and potential child) that I'm not convinced this documentary will cover well based on the comments. I have encouraged many of my friends who want to have children to discuss fertility consultation with their doctor.
For the record, my Obgyn was not some money hungry capitalist - they were actively pursuing signatures on a petition to convince the government to fund fertility treatments. Furthermore, he actually told me that freezing my eggs wasn't my only option and that I was still young and might find the right person and end up conceiving naturally anyway!
A year later I have found my life partner (we met shortly after my consultation) and he and I have chosen together to pursue freezing my eggs because it will allow us to enjoy some time just us without feeling the pressure to start trying to conceive while still ensuring the best chance at health for our future children.
Just wanted to add another perspective since so many commenters seem so against this option.
Just want to ask if the shots left you with any permanent side effects?
@@fridakahlo4225 I am just leading up to retrieval now. Covid has really put a stopper in things!
@@kslm89 thanks for your respond, I wish you the best!
@@fridakahlo4225 No se han hecho estudios clínicos.
wow that’s so cool, I generally thought that fertility lasted longer but I never realised the struggle and how some women feel like time is running out and that makes them worry . very informing, even though I’m to young for kids it’s good to know 👍
I just froze my eggs two weeks ago and my process cost me $5000 including all expenses. My process went pretty smoothly, I didn’t feel anything at all. I was even concerned at some point thinking “am I doing this correctly?!” The final procedure took only 30min and felt nothing afterwards. Keeping them frozen will cost me $300/year. I don’t regret having it done at all. I froze 20eggs
hi! was this in the US? which state?
@@amanibethea9369 this was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
@@KOK-sc8ez this was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Check clinica origen
That walking intro tho! Nailed it
Women wouldn't be so stress out about their professional achievements and having children if paid maternal (and paternal) leave was offered. At least 6 months and some more to share between the parents.
I think hyper-focusing on the financial aspect of childbearing kinda misses what is to me the largest benefit. Freedom. Children cost more than just money, they also significantly change your lifestyle, and generally require a lot of time and effort. Even leaving a career and money aside, maybe some women just don't want to deal with that when they are in their twenties? Or maybe they only want kids with the right partner and haven't found that person yet? Even in some kind of utopian post-scarcity society where nobody worries about money, the limited fertility window women have would pose problems.
i dont have 40k for this, most middle class women do not. when the rate of success is 2% to 10%. nope. so yeah, women with the finance to do this can have that "freedom".
It's really sad that these women feel they are getting peace of mind, when five or ten years down the line, the eggs may not be viable. They still may not have a baby and the assurance they thought they had was a lie.
Very informative love the new content ,i would like for refinery29 to do an IVF documentary , not a lot of people talk about that or even know about it
But many older women utilize it including Michelle Obama.
I've never related so much to someone until I saw that lady share her story of how she got to where she is unmarried and not a mother. I made the decision early in my 20s to wait off on kids to focus on my career to have financial freedom and now I'm there and I'm concerned that motherhood may not be in my future
Great subject to discuss woman need to know the truth about their options without feeling pressured to do anything out of fear
As a 39yr old single woman on the IVF journey my heart goes out to the ladies in this video. I think society does a disservice to women. We're condition to think of career over family but when you get to be my age you wish things were the opposite. Yes, it's our choice but we can ignore nature and time.
I’m about your age and I’m still pursuing career. I’ve been poor and hungry, so I’d rather have financial freedom.
😞 it’s pretty sad how business look us as their toys and how they use us as their experiments. I know humanity’s became what it is now because the sacrifice of other people but we should have more laws that protects our integrity or at least all the information to proceed for our decisions 😟 My best wishes to the women that are dealing with this procedures 😔 you deserve the best in life!!
I would love it if this video actually addressed some of the "societal issues" it mentions more explicitly, rather than using such an implicit narrative with the sound bites from critics of egg freezing. The way it's edited, it feels like too much of a 2-sided argument, where one side is medical capitalism/corporate feminism promoting a risky and ineffective fad procedure for career women, with the other side promoting people having biological children younger, which I don't think is the primary intent of the people interviewed. This framing overlooks gender dynamics in how and when people normalize wanting to parent, destigmatizing options like adoption and fostering, reasons besides a career that women may not want to have children young, and most importantly capitalism manipulating and underlying every facet of this issue. Some factors that needed addressing (for me at least) include:
A. Capitalism as a whole pushing a self-worth/success narrative based on career, labor and individual wealth as inherently unethical, not just in opposition to a biological clock
B. Capitalism being the root cause of these deficiencies in accessible child care, parental leave, high quality schooling, financial insecurity, privatized medical care, housing insecurity, etc. that place this immense pressure to provide as a parent on individual wealth
C. The possibility that some women don't give a shit about a career but just want to enjoy a few decades of their lives without the burden of motherhood
D. The number of people who have their eggs frozen because they are undergoing chemotherapy, have other health issues, plan to medically transition, have other reasoning besides putting their career first or not finding the right man (which seems to be the dominant narrative of the video)
And E. The major piece of the puzzle that is cis het men being socialized not to envision themselves as invested parents or caregivers, nor even think about that possibility until their mid 30s, 40s, or 50s in many cases, because they have the privilege to procrastinate.
In conclusion, end capitalism, end capitalism in health care even sooner, normalize non-biological parenthood, and raise boys and men to take parenthood more seriously earlier in their lives (slash at all). Then let's reexamine the types of reproductive pressure women are facing.
I was thinking about why no one in the comments brought up point C you made - on average, we have longer life expectancy now, why not delay parenthood? We have plenty of time.
Excellent points
OKAY, Karl.
TBH for me, having kids was never about the stigma at work places or the lack of maternity leave. Discounting the fact that I just never wanted to birth children and only ever wanted to adopt, my biggest qualm was the whole "giving up my best years" deal for children. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if your workplace cares or you get good maternity leave. It's more affording GOOD childcare while you work and having a partner that actually helps you take care of your children 50/50. Women are definitely still expected to be the primary childcare givers and it's gross. Of course, there are definitely relationships where that's what is wanted but no one should simply be expected to follow those norms. I think making freezing eggs more accessible helps those of us who maybe want to have kids but not until we're older or those of us who maybe are experiencing health concerns and are concerned we won't be able to produce a baby later in life, etc. But it's America. We will likely never see any of this become accessible to those who aren't extremely wealthy. ^_^ (That's a sarcastic emote.)
I have a friend who is pressured by her parents to have kids, she will be 40 soon, she is also catholic and I don’t think she has even dated,p. She wants kids to show of to her parents, she is jealous of her brothers children. She asked me about ways to secretly save eggs or other without her parents knowing. So much I could tell her...
I’d never do this, if I couldn’t have children I rather adopt in case I really wanted to become a mom
i was interested. now not o much. this was a great watch.
What if you never end up using your frozen eggs?
A very good documentary! Are you willing to buy hope/peace of mind despite laborious procedure and low birth rate?! Will you regret not having your own biological children, experiencing motherhood and growth?!
Very interesting documentary I can see both sides of the argument I personally think egg freezing is one of the most fascinating modern method for women’s fertility while it’s quite unfortunate that at the end women have to hold the burden but we’re the ones that carry the children after all right😬? I personally think this is great especially for those who have went through diseases that may affect their fertility health, it’s also great to give a chance for women to decide to have a child later on, not everybody wants to have kids early, some may change their mind later, and yes everything comes with risks but as long as they’re aware with it, I’m currently 21 I don’t really think about getting married or having kids I’m personally focused on the present, college, My hobby, my family, But for one thing sure I don’t want kids, & motherhood isn’t really something that interests me
When was this filmed? The numbers of success seem terribly out of date and misleading. That’s why they freeze as many eggs as possible - because 1/20 eggs may have a low success rate - but looking at 20/20 the rate of success is more like 80%. Misleading portrayal of this procedure in my opinion.
I think the age of woman having their eggs frozen is decreasing due to increased awareness so the success rates are starting to climb.
No thank you I’ll adopt
what..
There is something about that male doctor that I do not like!
Great video! I appreciate the neutral stance this video provided
That kiwi woman was very well spoken and considered.
sooo, what happens to the frozen eggs if you die before you use them?...
People can donate them to science or other couples or despose of them. I know because I just went through this in June.
@@sarahfunes3802 oh I see. do they ask which option you would prefer (while you're still alive) or do they they just decide themselves what they'll do with them (after you've passed)?
Rheima Charisma you are asked before you start taking hormones so months before the actual procedure.
@@sarahfunes3802 okay that makes better sense. thanks for the insight
Rheima Charisma of course no problem! I hope to make a video on this topic soon so please subscribe to my channel to hear about my experience.
when I was in college I froze my eggs in my country is relative cheaper it cost around $5,000. USD and an anual fee of $250 for keeping at the bank, I was lucky and priviliged enough that my parents pay for it and it was their idea, at 23 studying law I couldnt care less about babies, but my mom knows me so well and she always knew, that I wasnt a girl that wanted to marry and have kids young, I wanted to be a successful lawyer and that would take years, her OBGYN who was the one who delivered me, explain that biologically in my 20's my eggs were the best quality I could ask for, and it was the smartest to freeze them and get pregunant with my eggs from my 20 year old self than my 30 something or 40 eggs, I am so gald I did it, but the process was rough, is painful all the drugs and shot you have to take, but do it, if you can afford it, do it.
Oh what country is that?
What country?
I agree that people shouldn't see it as bad if someone takes maternity leave. It's better in Europe, but we still need way more.
fuck it i’ll just have a family at 24 i’d rather have a family young then miss out
I can see why it’s so popular. I’m 22 with a bachelors degree struggling to find a job because they want 5 years experience, but how do I get experience when no one is hiring? So i go back to school because more degrees you have better chances & more money you get. But then you gotta get established in your career so you can provide for your family if you want one in the future. So by the time you really get going you are in your mid 30’s & I believe anything over age 35 is high risk and struggle to get pregnant. But like they said: it’s not guaranteed you’d get a child. I just the doctors who do this do it because they believe in it & not just money
My mom started having kids at 33 and in the next 5 years she had 4 so it's not always a dire as it seems.
it's really very sad the emotional toll that how being an older single woman places on some women to race to either have a child or freeze an egg, just in order to do it...
I'm a doctor and a woman. I know the rates of success, the rates of failure, the rates of malformations, and miscarriages, and chromosomal abnormalities. I wish it would work, but it probably won't. Even if you have good eggs (and at 38 you don't, it's biology), it doesn't mean you will be able to carry a pregnancy to term. It's different if you already had children and have another one later in life, your body is different. Freezing eggs at 38 means that you'll use when you are 40+, it is insane. your body is probably starting perimenopause, non thinking of having babies. Nowadays is harder for women to have children early, but you have to understand that even with all our tech, we cannot beat biology. Not yet at least.
I'm not a doctor but as an Australian my basic high school sex education has taught me that yes 16-25 is our fertile time then after 30 it starts dropping off. So sad watching that 38 year old woman trying to freeze her eggs. I was wishing she would just start trying to have a baby!
My friend is 39 and successfully froze 24 eggs from first time, not to mention she had a healthy kid before the procedure at the age of 36! My other friend got a healthy two kids one at 40 and the other at 42!! I’m sorry doctor but I’m primitive to health knowledge and telling real experiences
I have pcos so there’s already some infertility stuff there and getting 13 or so eggs from me at 20, that’s no guarantee any one of them will take in 7-10 years >_>