While women’s biology hasn’t changed, the timeline of modern life has. Studies show that female fertility begins to decline in the mid-30s, but many women don’t build a career, become financially stable, or meet the right partner until much later than that.Thanks to modern medicine, women don’t have to be beholden to the biological clock when planning for their future. While most of us know that freezing eggs is an option to preserve fertility, far fewer understand what the process actually entails, what the cost is, and what the outcomes can be.The Washington Post via Getty ImagesAn embryologist, looks at the eggs in the lab of a reproductive clinic. (Photo by Oksana Parafeniuk/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)Thanks to modern medicine, women don’t have to be beholden to the biological clock when planning for their future. While most of us know that freezing eggs is an option to preserve fertility, far fewer understand what the process actually entails, what the cost is, and what the outcomes can be.Natalia Lebedinskaia / Getty Images"I did the whole IVF process at 40 with a donor. I got one embryo, and now I’m a single mother to a 4-year-old. I wish I had done this at 35. My pregnancy was fine, but I gained nothing from 5 years of spinning my wheels on dating, and she would have had more time with my parents. I know it’s expensive, but kids are really, really, really expensive, so it’s sort of a forecast of what’s to come."Natalia Lebedinskaia / Getty Images"As someone who went through IVF and is now pregnant, I'll just say that the egg retrieval is EXTREMELY unpleasant. Despite wanting a child more than anything, I don't think I would do the egg retrieval again if we had gotten a bad result the first time. The symptoms and bloating from the hormone shots are brutal (over the course of 8-10 days, your ovaries go from the size of a walnut to the size of a grapefruit), and then the retrieval itself hurts a lot because they have to pierce through your vaginal walls into your ovaries and then also pierce every egg follicle to get the eggs out."Olga Pankova / Getty Images"My retrieval process wasn't too bad. We got no usable embryos, but we would have tried again if finances allowed. I felt bloated at the end and could tell my ovaries were swollen. My clinic puts you fully under for the retrieval."ugurhan via Getty Images"Egg retrieval is horrendous for a lot of women, but I just want to chime in and say that I had IVF and the retrieval part was no big deal for me at all. Perhaps I was one of the lucky ones in that sense. I had two retrievals. The drugs had very little effect on me mood-wise, physically I just got a bit bloated, the injections were easy and fine, and the actual procedure was painless with no after effects. I, too, had diminished ovarian reserves. I didn’t find out until we started IVF at age 40, after we’d been trying for a decade. It would have given me huge peace of mind to have been able to use eggs from my 33-year-old self, as older eggs carry greater risks for pretty much everything you can think of.""I don’t at all want to undermine those women who had a really tough time with egg retrievals, just to mention that it can be a very easy (if tedious) process for some. It’s luck of the draw, really. Should you choose not to use your eggs, you can also opt to donate them to science. I believe they’re used for training future fertility doctors. Also, being childfree is a right that women are fully entitled to without any need for explanation, just as it’s nobody’s business if you freeze your eggs, or if you don’t." — Right_Technician_676"My sister went through the egg retrieval process. She does not want kids, but recognized that a lot can happen in the next 10 years and considered egg freezing an 'insurance policy.' It's been a few years since she went through with the procedure, and she doesn't have plans for the eggs besides donating them for research after we turn 40. Still, she's happy with her choice, and no one else's opinions should matter. One thing I didn't see you mention is that storage is a separate cost from the procedure itself. I think my sister said it cost her about $1k/year."Iparraguirre Recio / Getty Images"I was 38 when I left my ex-husband. We'd been together for 17 years, and I was decidedly child-free. I had decided he would be an awful partner if we had a child, and would not help at all. I shared memes, joined groups, I was on the 'no kids, ever' train and anyone that questioned me was the enemy. I'm now 42 and about to go through IVF after two pregnancies that didn't result in a child with my new partner, whom I am marrying next year. It's no one's business but mine if and why I changed my mind. If I had frozen eggs, I might be a bit further down this path, and my eggs right now might not be viable (all blood numbers are looking great, but that's not the whole story). You only have to answer yourself, and we're frequently very mean and critical of ourselves. You don't need to tell anyone, and you don't ever need to do anything with them.""I did one round in 2022 at 30, and the medication wasn’t covered by insurance, so it was around $15K. I’m doing a second cycle this summer, at 34, and luckily it’s now covered by insurance because I’m officially infertile (had my fallopian tubes removed in 2024, among other issues). It’s also about $1.2K per year for storage. I view it as an insurance policy. I am only willing to have children if I have a supportive partner. I was raised by a single mother and grandmother, and while I know I would be capable, it’s just not for me. So if I meet the ideal partner, then yes, I’ll absolutely fertilize those suckers. Also, it's important to mention that if it’s not covered by insurance, there are a ton of grants that you can apply for."MoMo Productions / Getty Images"I froze my eggs at 36. It was easy, a bit painful after they were extracted because I bloated a bit. I got quite a few eggs out, I think 24 viable ones. I’m 44 now, married, and don’t want kids. I was single and unsure at the time. I still have the eggs, though, since I’m not 100 percent sure I don't want kids. An important thing to keep in mind is that I pay 'rent' every year to keep them frozen. The rent price is not stabilized (LOL). It has pretty much doubled since I froze them. I guess I could shop around and move them somewhere cheaper, but that seems like a lot of work and complicated."Barmalini / Getty Images/iStockphoto"Freezing my eggs was very clarifying for me. After not getting as many as I hoped and struggling to get the med dosing right and learning I have an additional genetic factor to consider that leads to further egg attrition (balanced translocation), I came to the conclusion that I would never know if I could be a mother unless I tried to, and statistics are just statistics. I chose a donor and am going to try to be a single mother by choice, doing a fresh retrieval and freezing some of my frozen eggs (my fertility specialist and I decided not to freeze all of them in case I need to switch donors). It’s not how I envisioned it, but I’m 37 with fertility issues. It’s too important to give up on the idea of having a family, even if my family is just a kid and me."Elan Irving / Getty Images"I had a very easy and pleasant experience overall, and it made me a vocal advocate to my friends who were on the fence. While the injection actually got a bit more painful towards the end, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. The day of retrieval, I was nervous, but it was quick and painless. Due to whatever was in the anesthesia, I woke up feeling really good. It kicked me out of my seasonal depression. When I got home, I didn’t need to rest at all. I was up and about, with no side effects. Froze 24 eggs a few months ago; this week, 21 thawed properly and were fertilized, and we're waiting a few more days for the embryo count. I’m glad I shared my experience with one friend specifically because it prompted her to get her process started. Fortunately/unfortunately, the doctor found a 4-inch tumor in her ovary. She would not have known if it wasn’t for that."And finally, "I had it easy in the sense that I wasn't in any physical pain. No bloating, no cramps, or side effects. I was a virgin, so I was terrified of getting all these transvaginal ultrasounds, especially since my last pelvic exam was traumatizing, but that ended up being the easiest part. The hardest part was me panicking about some personal issues and struggling with the injections (I hate them), but after everything was said and done, they were able to retrieve and freeze 14 eggs, and it was painless."Patricio Nahuelhual / Getty Images