I want to freeze my Eggs

Dear Dr Mitchell,

I am 35 and recently ended a long-term relationship. I have a seven-year-old child and would like to have other children. I am dating, but not in a serious relationship yet. I understand that my biological clock is ticking, but would like to be married before I have more children. Is there any way to freeze my eggs in Jamaica so when I am in a position to have children I can do so naturally? I really would like to have several more children.

It is true that a woman’s biological clock does start ticking once she reaches 35. This means that your fertility starts to decline. By the age of 40 years the number of eggs that you are born with starts to decline rapidly and ovulation tends to become somewhat irregular in some women.

The best time to have your children is in your mid-twenties. As you get older and certainly by the time you are 40 and beyond, the risk of chronic medical conditions tends to increase. This includes diabetes mellitus, hypertension and some cancers. It becomes more difficult to conceive because ovulation tends to occur less frequently. Pregnancy could be potentially dangerous because of the increased risk for complications due to diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

The risk for abnormalities in the foetus also increases because there are more chances of the foetus developing chromosomal abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome. The risk for abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord and heart in the foetus also increases. Women over 35 and certainly over 40 are also at increased risk for premature births and for operative deliveries (Caesarean section). The outcome is usually good, however, because access to good health care is available here in Jamaica. We are now training more doctors and nurses, and so we have the proper expertise available for monitoring.

It is now common for women to delay childbearing until middle age while they strive to make themselves financially independent by advancing themselves academically. The health sector has a lot of experience dealing with pregnant women in their forties and the outcome is very good.

The Hugh Wynter Fertility Unit located at the University Hospital of the West Indies is a state-of-the-art institution headed by Professor Joseph Frederick. They do offer a wide range of services for women who have special fertility needs. In vitro fertilisation, intrauterine insemination using donor sperm or sperm from your spouse and other forms of treatment are available with very good outcomes. The unit also has facilities for freezing eggs from women who need to preserve their eggs until fertility is desired at a later stage. They also have an egg-sharing service where young women with good eggs can donate eggs to older women who have poor quality eggs, and this allows the younger women to get a generous discount towards their own fertility treatment.

You should contact the unit and you will provided with details about the procedure to freeze your eggs if you decide to finally undertake this option.

Best wishes.

Dr Sharmaine Mitchell is an obstetrician and gynaecologist. Send questions via e-mail to allwoman@jamaicaobserver. com; write to All Woman, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Ave, Kingston 5; or fax to 968-2025. Dr Mitchell cannot provide personal responses.