What women should know about freezing their eggs in Malaysia

“All women should be able to know their number of eggs, or their ovarian reserve,” he remarks. “A simple scan or blood test will tell you that number. So why are we not encouraging all women in their 20s to do that? Doing a test doesn’t mean you’ll have to do egg freezing. But every woman should know her true potential at a younger age, so she can empower herself with that information.”

“Additionally, women who suffer from gynaecological diseases like endometriosis–one of the most debilitating diseases for women that affects their fertility potential at a very young age–when armed with this knowledge, can plan their fertility ahead of time before these diseases affect them. If you’re 30 years old and you take a test that tells you your ovarian reserve is reassuring, you can go through your early 30s without having to rush or pause your career to start a family. Why should women go through social norms to settle down sooner than later, for fear that they'll not be able to have a baby later on in life? Social norms tend to be against women, not men. Fertility, too, is always measured by women’s age, and not men’s,” adds Arasu.

Below, Arasu and Marina debunk the biggest misconceptions surrounding the egg freezing process, also explaining the common side effects to expect and other important details to know about this medical procedure. 

What are some common misconceptions that you hear about egg freezing? 

Dr Mathi Arasu (MA): The myth I always hear is ‘If I do multiple egg-freezing procedures, I’ll go in to menopause sooner than later.’ Or women ask, ‘Am I going to loose eggs sooner if you take out my eggs now?’ The answer to that is no. Multiple egg freezing, or taking eggs from the ovary doesn’t make menopause come sooner. It doesn’t change your fertility potential, it just gives you an opportunity to freeze your eggs at a younger age.  

What are some important things that women should know before considering this treatment? 

Dr Khairun Marina (KM): We do caution patients that we are not able to look at the quality of the eggs from a scan alone. We’ll only know the actual quality once we retrieve the eggs, when the embryologist sees whether the eggs are matured or not. So if you have a lower number of eggs, there’s a likelihood that you’ll have to do the procedure again to get an adequate number.

It's important to remember that when you harvest the eggs, not necessarily all will be fertilised, and they won’t all be healthy embryos. For example, if you get 10 eggs, you freeze all 10, and then later you fertilise all 10, you won't necessarily get 10 embryos, but rather you might end up with five or four. So you can see that with having only two eggs, for instance, the success rate is on the lower side.

See also: Malaysia is Now a Pioneer for Menopause Management in Southeast Asia

What are some common symptoms women may experience as a result of the injections? 

KM: Egg freezing is basically the first half of the IVF cycle. Patients who go for IVF will experience some of the same symptoms. Before you start, we’ll do blood tests to make sure you’re healthy and that there’s nothing to be concerned about. We give injections to increase hormone levels, so some patients may experience symptoms like nausea, bloating, occasionally mood swings, which are common. These symptoms will disappear once they're off the injections. 

MA: Patients will go through hormonal changes throughout those 10 days of injections. Mainly, that includes a bit of water retention, so they'll feel bloated and heavier than usual. It’s a temporary effect. The moment the egg collection is done, a week later the bloating disappears because the hormones will go back to baseline. You won't have any permanent physical changes as a result of it.

What's an important message you'd like to share with the public about egg freezing?

KM: On top of educating yourself about the procedure and the opportunities it offers, see a fertility specialist for clarification. Ultimately, it’s an option for women to consider, and a choice that's available to them. The aim for most people doing this is to have a child eventually. So I think it’s important for people to know there are other options out there to achieve this goal.

MA: Every woman should be empowered. Everybody should know their true potential at a young age. Egg freezing is expensive, but ultimately, we do not want women to lose out on the opportunity, especially those diagnosed early with cancer or those at risk of having low numbers of eggs and entering menopause in their mid-30s. It's a bit too late for them if they only discover when they’re married and trying for a baby. 

Related: Kim Raymond and More Malaysian Women Open Up About Their Journey To Motherhood With IVF

Coming soon: Tatler Malaysia sits down with fitness coach and wellness entrepreneur Diane Chia on her egg freezing journey. Stay tuned to Front & Female more inspiring women's stories 

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