Married couples, including many single women, dream of “wanting to have children” but lack of readiness is the main reason they cannot fulfill this dream. With careers that are just taking off or some waiting to have higher income and more stable jobs, these things require time. Dr. Yaowapa Jongbunsuklert, Head of the Infertility Treatment Center and Women’s Health Center at Phyathai 3 Hospital, says that increasing age becomes a limitation on egg quality… because when you are ready, your eggs may not be.
Unlocking the age limitation… with “Egg Freezing”
Dr. Yaowapa explains that as women age, their ovaries produce fewer eggs, which is one cause of infertility. Due to career limitations, financial status, and other readiness factors, women may not be able to conceive during the time their bodies are ready. But waiting without knowing when you will be ready means that by the time you realize it, you may not be able to conceive because of fewer and less viable eggs. This makes “egg freezing” an option for modern families to preserve healthy eggs for pregnancy when the time is right.
“Single women” can also freeze their eggs
Single women who have not yet found a life partner and worry that if they meet the right person at an older age with less viable eggs, can express their desire to the doctor to freeze their eggs. The doctor will take a medical history and discuss the details of egg freezing, the egg retrieval process, and the use of ovarian stimulation drugs to accelerate egg production by daily injections for 8-10 days. After that, the doctor will monitor the response. When the eggs are ready and mature enough, the doctor will schedule egg retrieval. Then the eggs will be preserved to maintain their quality and age. When ready for pregnancy, the eggs will be fertilized.
Want to conceive when? Couples can decide themselves
In cases where couples are not yet ready to conceive but still want children, “embryo freezing” may be the answer for future family planning. The doctor will fertilize the eggs and sperm to create embryos and then freeze them. When the couple is ready, the embryos can be transferred to the uterus at the appropriate time. This method is suitable for couples concerned about birth defects as the mother ages but is not ready to conceive now. They can undergo this treatment and transfer the embryos back into the uterus when desired.
Is it expensive?
Egg freezing is a process with relatively high costs compared to natural conception. But remember that egg preservation is like stopping time to wait for readiness and the right moment. Because as we age, no matter how much money we have, we cannot turn back time to have eggs as healthy as before.
Dr. Yaowapa Jongbunsuklert
Head of the Infertility Treatment Center and Women’s Health Center
Phyathai 3 Hospital: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Tel. 1772 or 0-2467-1111 ext. 3266, 3267
