I have had breast cancer and had surgery that goes along with that, as well as ovary/tube removal at a later date based on the recommendation of my onoclogist due to the potential relationship between breast and ovarian cancers. I am not BRAC positive (though still continue to be tested as new gene sequences are discovered), but I was having a hyst so they wanted them out while in there.
(Not fun due to surgical menopause which hits hard and fast, as opposed to natural menopause.)
I also underwent IVF years prior to all that. It wasn’t as awful a process for us as it is for some, as we were fortunate to become pregnant on the first try, and were blessed with twins, however it was a long process getting to that point (several years) and did involve lots of testing, appointments, procedures, and surgery, and was an emotional rollercoaster at the same time.
We had embryos still frozen that we were not going to use, and struggled with what to do with them. The options they gave us were to destroy, donate to research, or donate anonymously. I didn’t like any of those options, and it kept me awake at night. Thankfully I was able to research on my own and found an option for private donation, and children were born from those embryos to a family of our choosing. It’s easy to think of “embyos” as clumps of cells, but we should keep in mind that these are humans that haven’t been born yet. Both my own children and these children were born from these frozen embryos, so it really hit home for me. Btw, it might help to talk to someone spiritually or professionally if there are questions or concerns. I spoke to someone myself and it helped with my decision-making.
When I was undergoing these procedures, embryos could be frozen, and sperm could be frozen, but the process for egg freezing still hadn’t been perfected yet, as I recall.
It looks like it has been now, though. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it as a young person if I were either undergoing chemotherapy or ovary removal, to preserve the option for fertilization down the road. I don’t see a downside, really (and just to clarify, these are eggs and not fertilized embryos). Storage fees will be minimal, and worth it. A woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have, whereas a man makes sperm continuously. An egg is released each month and if not fertilized, it disappears.
I also agree with you, Luvs, that in MA, I doubt there is any danger of laws changing surrounding frozen embryos. And other positives with MA is that places like Boston IVF do a really good job (literally all of our embryos survived the thaw, even after many years, and had a high rate of successful pregnancies), and IVF is covered under insurance when medically necessary. Good luck with this decision for you and others contemplating such an endeavor.
