A Day in the Life: EGG FREEZING

So you're doing some research about egg freezing or you're already committed to a cycle but don't know what to expect - this post is for you! Join me today for an example "Day in the Life" of someone freezing their eggs.

For this to be as informative as possible, I'll set the stage for you: I've already had my initial consultation with my fertility doctor. I've completed all of my prescreening tests, which included bloodwork and an ultrasound. I've signed all of my consents and met with my financial counselor (I'm prepared to pay $15k for my cycle and 5k for my fertility medications). I got my period (Day 1 is the first day of full flow) and I went into the clinic for baseline bloodwork and ultrasound on Day 3 - everything looked good so I was cleared to start my stimulation meds that night. I was instructed to return to the office on Day 7 for my first "monitoring" appointment.

It's now Day 7 of my cycle and Day 4 of Stimulation.

6am: Wake up! Drink a glass of water so I'm well hydrated for my appointment (Bloodwork can be hard to obtain when you are dehydrated).

6:15am: Eat a quick breakfast. I'm not normally a breakfast eater, but I need to make sure I eat something so I don't get whoozy when my blood is drawn.

6:30am: Drive to appointment - I always try to get the first appointment of the day because I can usually get in and out of the office in *15 minutes*. This means I don't have to take any time off work since these monitoring appointments are so frequent.

7am: Monitoring Appointment - Bloodwork and Ultrasound. The lab technician takes my blood super quickly, and then I go to the bathroom to empty my bladder before I go into the ultrasound room. A Nurse Practitioner who I haven't met yet does my transvaginal ultrasound (this is normal - I probably won't see MY doctor again in person). A transvaginal ultrasound looks like this. It doesn't hurt, but it's a bit uncomfortable since she has to move it around a bit to count and measure all of my follicles (eggs). She tells me a little bit about what she finds, but that my doctor must be the one to review the results to determine my next steps. She assured me that the doctor will review my ultrasound and bloodwork this afternoon, and then a nurse will call me with the results and instructions for what to do next.

7:15am: Appointment ends and I drive to work.

8:00am: Work :)

2pm: I get a phone call from my nurse, Rebecca. She tells me she is calling with the results of my testing from this morning. I go into a quiet room so I can listen carefully and write down the instructions. She tells me my doctor has reviewed my results and my body is responding well to the stimulation medications; My follicles are growing as they would expect and my blood work is normal! I'm supposed to keep the doses of my two medications the same; 300 IU of Gonal-F and 75 units of Menopur. I should return to the office in 2 days for another monitoring appointment - I make sure to ask for a 7am appointment since it's their first appointment of the day. I put my notepaper with the instructions into my purse so I don't forget it when I leave work.

5pm: Leave work and drive home.

5:30pm: Go for a slow walk outside - I felt like I needed some movement and fresh air. When I'm not freezing my eggs, I normally lift weights or go for a run after work, but during stimulation, it's important that I don't do any high-intensity exercises or increase my heart rate too much. I can't do yoga or any twisting/inversion stretching. Read more about why HERE.

6:00pm: Shower - I make sure to be gentle when cleaning around my abdominal area because I have mild bruising and I'm a bit sore where I previously injected my medications. My nurse said this is normal, but to avoid the bruised areas for my next injections.

6:30pm: Dinnertime. I made an easy and healthy meal.

7:00pm: Medication Time - I give myself my medications at exactly 7pm every night. It's important to be consistent, so I set a recurring alarm for 7pm just to make sure I don't forget! I was nervous to do these injections because I'd never handled a shot before, and since I live alone, I have no choice but to do it myself. Luckily, I found Jess with Fertility Treatment Support, she is a former Fertility RN who FaceTimes me while I give my injections. She walks me through each one, step-by-step. We finish both of the injections in 15 minutes, which only costs me $20!

7:15pm: Watch some TV while I ice the injection sites on my belly. These little ice packs from Amazon are perfect.

8:00pm: I'm feeling a little lonely and overwhelmed, so I FaceTime my sister for a bit to tell her how the egg freezing process is going and how I feel. She offered to come over tomorrow evening and bring dinner so we can have some girl time and I don't have to cook! Unfortunately, we're skipping the wine for this girl's night.. but it's worth it! Although I'm feeling emotional, I'm really excited and proud of myself for taking this step to plan for my future. I'm back to feeling empowered again! (Mood swings are a side effect of my medications).

9:00pm: Read for 30 min. I'm starting to feel a little crampy, so I take a Tylenol to help.

9:30pm: Bedtime!

I hope this example of "A Day in the Life" of someone going through an egg freezing cycle was insightful! Fertility treatments can feel like a full-time job sometimes, so it's helpful to know what to expect before your cycle starts.

*Some clinics may operate a bit differently than the one portrayed in this example. The type of structure used in this post aligns with my past experience as a fertility nurse and what I see most often with my clients.*

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about what a typical day looks like during an egg freezing cycle or if you're interested in working with me - let me know in the comments below or email FertilityTS@gmail.com.