My Egg Freezing Journey - Empowering Future Choices

00:00Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask for you to do is if you could leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else. But let me tell you guys, the emotional side of this journey is freaking wild.

00:30From the moment that I decided to pursue my egg freezing, I experienced a plethora of emotions. There was obviously anxiety about the process, the fear of the unknown. I had no idea what to anticipate, and I like to be in control. There's some things I can control, but there's other things I cannot control. Somewhat of which kind of sparked my reaction to the team that I just shared with you today. Like, this next couple of days is, like, entirely out of my control.

01:02Oh man, guys. What is going on? You know, if you could, if you're watching this on video, you can see how I look right now, and it really matches how I feel. I'm going to just take a second to fix the way that I look here. If you're listening through audio, you are, you missed out on the way that I look. But I will explain it. I look frazzled. I look tired. I look drained. And welcome to today's episode. A little bit different of an opening.

01:33But today, guys, what I'm going to do, it's episode 178. And I'm going to just meet y'all where I'm at. Today, I'm going to share with you guys a deeply personal and transformative journey with you. And that is the egg freezing journey and my experience of which I am literally in the midst of. I actually just got off the phone with my, like, team that I work closely with at the facility of which I freeze my eggs at. And I, like, went in with some pitbull energy because it's 430 in the afternoon.

02:08And typically, I hear back from my team at, like, noon, 1 o'clock. And I didn't hear back from them. And it's 430 and I still didn't hear back from them. So I had to give them a call. And I'm in, like, the last couple of these days where hormones are high. I'm injecting myself three times a day with medicine. And I was frustrated that I didn't hear anybody. And I didn't have any protocol for what my steps were to move forward tonight. So, you know, you guys are just getting real raw, honest Nikki here right now.

02:40I then apologized, though, to my team member who called. Apparently, my nurse, my normal nurse, was out today. And the other, the doctor was in procedures. And I then proceeded to say, I am so sorry for my energy. But I am hormonal. I am very tired. And I'm in the homestretch of getting these eggs retrieved. So forgive me. And then we all laughed. It was a good time. And she clarified everything. And she reassured me that my feelings were valid.

03:12And things were good moving forward. But anyway, what I want to talk to you guys today is, honestly, you guys are meeting me where I'm at right now. I am, again, in the homestretch. I have been injecting medicine on a daily basis in the morning and at night for the last two and a half weeks. My ovaries are the size. So when you first start the journey, everybody's normal ovary size is like the size of peas. Like the peas that you eat.

03:43Mine are the size of grapefruits right now. And I can't put the grapefruits down. I am carrying them on a daily basis. And then inside of them, there's about 14 cherry balls. Maybe they're a little bit bigger than cherries. But anyway, this may be a little bit of a gist of how the rest of this conversation is going to go on this episode that I'm bringing to you guys today. I'm kind of all over the place. I'm not going to lie. Like, as I said, I'm tired. I'm hormonal. Oh, my estrogen, too, by the way, you guys.

04:14She just let me know that it is 1,700. And that's a lot. That's pretty freaking high. I'm experiencing all of the effects of it. Emotional instability, mood swings, not being able to sleep, sleep disturbances, not being hungry. You know, I'm just, I'm here. And I just want to be open and transparent with you guys and share with you guys this experience, the process of it, why I decided to do it, some of the benefits of it.

04:45And then if you guys are ever thinking about this down the road, maybe for yourself, maybe there's one listener that's out there that's considering this or has maybe done. A lot of you guys actually reached out to me on Instagram because I have a whole, like, highlight story on this. Just saying that, like, this is pretty much, like, what I do for the egg freezing process is very similar to the first step of the IVF process. And a lot of you guys have reached out to me on Instagram, which thank you so much. It's reassuring that there's people in my corner that have done this before and have, you know, shared their journey, too, as well.

05:17So it's very similar to that. But deciding to freeze my eggs overall was not a decision that I made lightly. There were several factors that influenced my choice in doing this. That's what I wanted to share with you guys today. I mean, for many women, freezing eggs is, like, it's about taking control of the reproductive future. And that was no different for me, you know, point in blank. I realized that what I'm doing, worry me, my career, my personal goals were so freaking important. And I wanted to have the option to start a family when the time felt right for me.

05:48Look, this is my personal opinion. Some people are out there being like, oh, you know, there's no perfect time to start a family. There's no perfect time to have kids. I am grateful for where I am at in my life and having the resources and ability to have the option to start my family when I do feel like it's right for me. And not really on the terms of, like, my biological clock being dictated. So, actually, like, this is my second process of freezing eggs.

06:20Last year, I started the first process of doing the egg freezing journey. So, this is, like, this is a second go at it. My goal, actually, I'll say, I'll share all this in the podcast. But the more and more that I researched, like, the whole egg freezing idea and concept, the more that I understood, like, the actual benefits and the possibilities that this could offer me. And the benefits included, like, extending my fertility window. It also reduced my anxiety about future planning and the pressure of what that brings and giving myself more time to find the right partner and achieve some personal milestones that I have for myself.

07:02So, that's, like, more of, like, the once I researched and dove into the things. Those were some of the benefits and the possibilities that I saw that were of an option for me. But let me tell you guys, the emotional side of this journey is freaking wild. From the moment that I decided to pursue my egg freezing, I experienced a plethora of emotions. There was, obviously, anxiety about the process, the fear of the unknown.

07:32I had no idea what to anticipate. And I like to be in control. And I didn't know what, there was no way, there's some things I can control, but there's other things I cannot control. So, somewhat of which kind of sparked my reaction to the team that I just shared with you today. Like, this next couple of days is, like, entirely out of my control. There's no ability to be able to control when the right day is for them to retrieve my eggs. I'm at the whim right now of the way these follicles inside of me and my ovaries are growing. And it's all dictated by my blood work and the medication I give myself on a daily basis.

08:08And then not hearing from the team. And then I just, it spirals me. It spiraled me, not being in control of the fear of the unknown. Of course, like, with that, there's also, like, the hope for the future, right? Like, I am excited at the fact that these eggs that I am freezing, I can use them up until the age of 51. Like, that's huge to, like, take into consideration because a lot of women go through, you know, premenopause, postmenopause.

08:38But most importantly, the reason why I decided to do this was more so that after the age of 35, the quantity and the quality of our eggs decreases drastically. When I was doing all this research, and I'm going to talk about the process of, you know, consulting and doing all the testing at the beginning. But my doctor basically showed me a graph and she was like, dude, it's like, you know, you're 35 and you're like, there's a lot of peaking up here. 20s or high peak of all the eggs that are in your body. But after 35, the quantity decreases on the amount of eggs that you produce.

09:12And the quality of them gets worse. So, you know, I just wanted to be like, there's so much that was hopeful, but also there's so much anxiety that came along with this process. And I just want to be honest with you guys, there was times where I felt and still feel completely overwhelmed. Like, the thought of undergoing the procedure when I did that last year, I was crying the day before because I had, you have to be put under for the procedure. Now, granted, it's only 15 minutes, but, you know, being put under is scary in general. And then dealing with the hormonal changes, holy moly, like, from feeling like you're on high because you're pretty much stuck in like the ovulation phase.

09:52And ovulation is just a creative zone for a lot of women to be in. And it's a very sought out, like, when you're on your ovulation, you feel on top of the world. But then, like, it gets to the point where estrogen is so increased and all these other markers are changing. And then it just becomes extremely uncomfortable. And you're feeling the emotional weight of anything that could come into your space you're just triggered by. And then not to mention, like, you have to, I'm grateful for my ability in this, but some people have to manage, like, the costs that are played out.

10:26Like, right, you have to figure out how you're going to make this work for you. But at the same time, on top of, like, all of these, as I'm sharing with you guys of being overwhelmed and the hormonal changes and, like, the ups and downs, I feel like a huge sense of empowerment. Like, I was, I am taking and making a proactive choice about my future. And that personally gives me so much freaking strength. So that's overall a little bit about, like, the benefits, the possibilities, and, like, some of the things that I'm feeling personally that made me embark on this journey.

10:57And if you guys want to dive in more on my Instagram, there's a whole highlight on the highlight reel on Instagram that you can click in. And it shows my entire journey last year. Honestly, this year I've been a little bit more quiet as I'm so busy with Warrior Babe. And sharing this on Instagram feels like it's hard for me to do. And at the same time, I am personally struggling in these last couple of days leading up to this retrieval. So...

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12:44That's WarriorBabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. But what I want to do now is kind of talk to you guys about the process itself.

13:23Freezing eggs involves several steps. And I just want to like break it down for those of you guys that may be interested in this concept or, you know, maybe you've done it and you're just resonating with me on this or, you know, maybe your kids are considering this. But first and foremost, the journey begins with like a consultation with a fertility specialist. So one of my good friends did IVF and had a baby through this fertility specialist. They are well known throughout the world. And they conducted various or she and my doctor conducted various tests to assess my like ovarian reserve and my overall health.

14:01And like that concludes you going into doing blood tests and ultrasound and getting like a baseline essentially on where you're at. And overall, everything was really good for me. My ovaries, I like to at the beginning last year when I did this, I was like, man, I'm fertile myrtle. Like I produce a lot of follicles and those follicles, if they get a good size, produce the eggs. So I was really grateful to see that my health overall in this respect was pretty solid. But then basically like what comes of that next is last year.

14:36So I shared this on my Instagram. Last year was a heck of a lot different in terms of the process that I took and the process that I'm doing right now. So basically last year, like you go after all that stuff happens and you have that talk with the fertility specialist and you do those testings. That fertility specialist is basically able to determine what kind of protocol to put you on next to conduct like the stimulation phase. And this is where they this involves like the type of medicine that you were on.

15:08So last year to like to like stimulate the ovaries and to produce the follicles and produce the eggs. So last year in this, it's funny if you watch my Instagram highlight, we I started on cycle day one and started birth control for a week and then started doing the hormone injections for about like 10 to 14. I felt like a long period of time then. And then I felt like it was like way longer than the process is actually right now.

15:43But the way we did that protocol last year overstimulated my ovaries and overcooked some of the eggs. And while I had 18 follicles in my ovaries, they were only able to retrieve 10 of them. And from the 10, they were only able to freeze six because six were mature enough to be frozen. The rest were just overcooked or undercooked. So essentially with that feedback from last round, I went into this round doing like the whole testing again, the blower, the ultrasound, see where I'm at.

16:18But they propose a different plan for this round, which is basically I had my cycle and then I went, I didn't start anything up until, what was it? So we tracked ovulation, the team watched ovulation through blood work. And then I started a drug called Lupron, which helps to make the ovulation process like happen essentially.

16:48So at the same time, that drug was happening. And then I also got my period, which is totally normal. I freaked out at that point. I woke up with having cramps and blood and I was like, what is going on? This isn't supposed to happen because I was so used to the other phase. And so I consulted with the team. They were like, this is completely normal. So the Lupron I've been carrying on to make the ovulation phase just kind of stick. But then at the same time in the morning, I do the Lupron. And at night, I do Gonal F, which is an injection pen. And that basically helps to stimulate the ovaries and produce multiple eggs along with Menopir.

17:22And then at the same time, I'm going every other day to get blood work and ultrasound to track my progress. Like that's the way they track it. Blood tests to see where my estrogen is. Ultrasound to see how many follicles are being developed. And basically, I am like a sticking pad right now because I'm sticking the medicine into me on a daily basis. Three different needles. And then I'm getting blood work drawn onto my arms every other day. And now I'm at the point where I'm going every single day to assess, reassess the medicine,

17:56to make sure that the ovaries are growing and growing in the same realm. So right now, I'm about 14 and they're all above 10 millimeters. And the biggest ones are around 17. They want to get these guys up to like around 20 to 23. But they all want to make sure that they grow together. So that comes down to like fine meticulation of the medicine protocol that I'm on on a daily basis. So this phase, this typically is like 10 to 14 days of stimulating the ovaries, of making them bigger, of making the follicles bigger because the follicles are what hold the egg.

18:30So making the multiple eggs within the with like in all the different follicles, having one of the each of those follicles have an egg. And let me tell you, this is like this is and then this is where the hormones change. And like all of the things are experienced during this during the stimulation phase. I'm coming up. I'm like literally when this is being recorded. This is Tuesday, July 30. I am most likely getting them retrieved the first weekend of August in a couple of days. And this is where they move into the next.

19:01So the first one was consulting and testing. Second one is simulation phase. And then the third one is the egg retrieval. So when the follicles reach the right size, I go undergo an egg retrieval procedure. And it's just a minor surgical procedure. The performed under sedation as I shared. And that's where the eggs, they literally go in with a needle. So I had to like trigger shot right before this happens. Procedure is scheduled and the trigger shot makes so all the eggs are attached to the wall of the follicle. During the after the trigger shot happens, the egg will find its way to the middle.

19:33It'll float into the middle. And then during the procedure, they go in and they suck the egg out of each of the follicles. Pretty freaking crazy. The process only takes about 20, 15, 20 minutes, which is freaking wild. I remember last year, one of the women knew me from social media and all the things. She's like, you're Nikki Stott. And then she's like, oh, I'm gonna have some questions for you when you wake up around diet and workouts. I'm like, cool, great. I wake up to her asking me about like macros. And I'm like, oh, like so like out of it. But it was hilarious.

20:04But yeah, it's like it's so fast. Like I couldn't believe it. And then it's like literally a couple of days post, honestly, is where I felt the like I felt flat as a human because all my hormones are trying to get regulated back. Like I was just I felt like I wasn't even like I felt just flat. Like I wasn't even like having a human experience. If that makes sense. I spent a couple of days crying, like bawling my eyes out more so just because my hormones were completely out of whack. Not like I was upset about anything, but I was just my hormones are just whacked out.

20:36So a couple of days up until like a week until I could really get back into any type of strength training. And during this whole protocol, actually, you guys like I am not working out. I'm walking, getting 10K steps every day, but I'm not physically going in for strength training because during the stimulation phase, you are required to not twist, to not bend because that can cause an ovarian torsion essentially. So yeah, I haven't been working out. Can you guys imagine that? Like a lot of you guys find sanity in working out, right?

21:07You guys find sanity in moving your body. And so do I. And my estrogen levels being through the roof and me experiencing hormonal fluctuations on a daily basis. The only thing I want to do right now is release my sanity and go work out, but I can't. So post retrieval, the day, usually typically the day of the procedure, I'm kind of out. I'm kind of just laying low, relaxing. The day after, I will get up and try and move and, you know, do my best to get outside and walk. But there's a lot of pressure. It's a little bit uncomfortable to do that.

21:40But then, you know, a couple of days after it starts, you start to heal and you start to get better. So all of that to say, then essentially after the retrieval, the mature eggs, you know, they get frozen. They involve like, you know, going in and preserving them for future use. And they're sitting inside of like, I can't even imagine like this, like storage unit, essentially with all of the other eggs that are frozen there. But I have six now. I want 20. So that's what I wanted to share with you guys at the beginning. I want 20.

22:11And so I signed up for like an Assure 20 program that they can assure me 20 eggs. So I'm hoping with this next round that I get like 12 to 15 being able to be retrieved because the six wasn't, it wasn't the right, the protocol of medicine wasn't ideal. This seems to be the best protocol that we've been on. Um, so I'm hoping to pull as many as frequently humanly possible so that I can get closer to the 20 mark. But anyway, so, you know, like I said, this, this journey has its challenges.

22:42The hormone injections are physical, are physically and emotionally taxing. Like sticking myself is painful. Last night I bruised myself because I guess I went a little bit out of it. I don't, I'm not sure. Actually, I started bleeding more than I typically would. Um, and so I, uh, got a little concerned on that, but I ended up bruising myself from that. And so like, it's like, you're left off to your own vices of like you, you're sticking yourself. And this is just emotionally taxing. Like there's days where I'm moody. I'm tired.

23:12I'm so tired right now. Um, I feel extremely bloated. Uh, and the only thing I can do is like, just kind of manage the logistics of the frequent clinical visits and maintaining my regular routine as much as I possibly can in terms of trying to eat good, which my, my heart, my appetite has been super decreased. Um, I'm not sleeping well. So that makes sense. You know, all through it all though, I'm reminding myself of why I'm doing this. Um, you know, leaning on, thank God for my family, my, my friends, my team, like leaning

23:44on them for the support. And I'm just overall, like as much as I shared, like the struggles of this, I am super grateful for this experience. And egg freezing can give me a peace of mind that opened up possibilities for my future that I hadn't really considered before, uh, navigating the journey and researching on this journey. It's truly a journey of self-discovery and also empowerment at the same time. And the benefits as I touched on are truly profound and allows women to like extend their fertility window, provide more flexibility in family planning, reduce the pressure and the anxiety around like our biological clock.

24:17If any of you guys can feel that or understand where I'm coming from with that, I'll never forget when my grandfather was like 31 and he was like, Oh, you get married anytime soon? No, your biological clock is running out. And I was like, cool, Gramps. That's what I call him. Thanks for that reminder, right? That's pressure. That's anxiety that a lot of people put on us and our families. I don't even know they're doing it, but they do it. And we're the ones that experienced that. Um, so this really gave me the freedom to focus on like my career, on my personal growth and finding the right partner. So, you know, additionally, it offers a form of reproductive insurance, essentially, essentially,

24:52right? Giving me more options. Um, if I'm facing any type of challenges later on with fertility as you know, the number of the quantity, all those things decline. So there's one thing that I want to leave you guys with. Like, it's this, your reproductive choices are deeply personal and it's essential to make decisions that align with your personal values and your goals. And to kind of remove all of like the outside factors and environment that may put that pressure or anxiety on, or, you know, making you feel like you need to do something at a certain

25:25time. Like it's ultimately comes down to you and that all the things that align with your values, your goals, and you as a human. So whether you choose to like freeze your eggs or explore other options, know that you have the, you have the right to take control of your future. And I just hope that that empowers you to make any type of those future decisions that maybe one of you guys are considering, um, or even your kids are considering, right? So for any of you guys that may be considering it, there's a few pieces of advice that I would share from my personal experience. Number one, do your research, learn as much as you possibly can about the process, the costs,

25:59what to expect, like knowledge is power in this aspect. Like going in, when I first consulted with a fertility specialist, I asked a ton of questions. Every single day when I talked to the nurse, I asked a ton of questions because it gives me knowledge on this experience personally for myself. Then, you know, another thing I would do is obviously consult with a fertility specialist to understand your options and get personalized advice. Like this entire experience is entirely personalized. Um, another thing I would say is prepare emotionally.

26:29If you do move forward doing this and you're considering this, understand this journey is very emotionally challenging. Okay. And make sure that you have the right people in place to support you along the way. And lastly, like take care of yourself, focus on your, your physical, your mental health throughout the process. Like self-care is so crucial and knowing how to express your needs and express your wants and express what you're looking for so that you feel the best you possibly can from those that are around you, giving you the support and how you are, you know, um, feeling like

27:01feeling for personally for yourself along this entire process. So anyway, guys, I hope that maybe this resonated with some of y'all. Maybe you guys were intrigued by the journey I'm on. Let me tell you, I appreciate those of you guys that reached out through DMs on Instagram and you're just like, Hey, I've been through this IBF journey. And, you know, or I've done what you're doing and I, I understand what you're going through and I'll hear for any like support or questions like this stuff means the world to me. Thank you so much. And thank you guys for just tuning into this special episode of The WarriorBabe Show. I feel like it's, you know, sharing my egg freezing journey has been an emotional, but

27:32empowering experience. I hope that it provides as much insight and inspiration for anyone considering their reproductive options moving forward. So bless up guys. Thank you guys for listening and I'll see you in the next one. Hey guys, real quick. If you're interested in taking your body to the next level, lose body fat, build more muscle, feel more confident. Do it alongside one of our 30 plus professional coaches. Work one-on-one with her to eliminate all of the guesswork that you may have. And all you need to do is just do the work that she tells you to do to get to those goals

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This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.