Elective Egg Freezing vs. Fertility Preservation: What’s the Difference and am I a Candidate?
Egg freezing, sometimes referred to as fertility preservation, has come a long way in the past five years alone. More young women are aware of their family planning options, which can include freezing their eggs now so that the eggs can be used to help grow their families at a later date.
Women have many different reasons for taking this step, and their motivations are what differentiate those seeking elective egg freezing from those seeking fertility preservation. Both processes will be explained further for women interested in future family planning below.
What is elective egg freezing?
Elective egg freezing (social egg freezing) is used when women choose to freeze their eggs for the following reasons:
- They are prioritizing certain goals ahead of having a family, such as their careers, financial independence, travel, or school.
- They have not yet met the right partner to start a family but want to be proactive about family planning in the meantime.
- They are aware that they do not wish to start a family until five, ten, or more years in the future, when their fertility may be impacted by their age
What is fertility preservation?
Fertility preservation (medical egg freezing) is used when women choose to freeze their eggs for the following reasons:
- They are dealing with a cancer diagnosis and their physician has approved egg freezing ahead of treatments that can damage fertility — chemotherapy and/or radiation (oncofertility).
- They have a family history of early menopause and are concerned that they will be affected before they are ready to try for a pregnancy.
- They require surgery that impacts reproduction, potentially putting their ability to conceive at risk.
In short, elective egg freezing is undertaken for reasons that are generally defined as social in motivation. There probably isn’t an immediate need to freeze your eggs, but you want to be proactive and make informed decisions about how your family will grow in the future. In fertility preservation, a medical reason makes family planning decisions a priority, and egg freezing is used to help preserve fertility where it might otherwise be at risk.
If you have questions or are interested in egg freezing with Aspire Fertility, please contact our staff today.
