Founder, Kayla, here.

I’m going to keep it real. One of the most disappointing experiences of my cancer diagnosis was being thrust into conversations about fertility, or rather, being told that I may not be able to have children with no real context.

I was 24 years old, and this notion came as a real shock to me, because I always knew I wanted kids but never considered the physical requirements or complexities of that desire.

Having kids is a choice, yes, but it is also about what your body will allow you to do—something you don’t necessarily have control over in the case of being diagnosed with a uterine health condition.

Infertility is often mentioned as a symptom or side effect of all of the conditions we talk about here at Uterine Care Collaborative, but real and nuanced conversations are not being had in a way that is relevant or relatable for Black women specifically.

I want to share the journey I took to freeze my eggs one year after being diagnosed with uterine cancer and then discuss what it might look like for you to weigh the options for yourself.

Egg freezing has gained popularity in recent years, but it is still not widely referred to Black women by providers nor do many of us actually know women personally that have done it. There are a number of reasons you might consider it, but before I get into the process, I must note that you should always have a conversation with your provider about what is recommended specifically for you.

Infertility and Black Women

According to a report published in 2013 by the CDC, Black women are twice as likely to suffer infertility than white women. A 2022 study published by the National Library of Medicine affirmed that Black women have higher rates of infertility than White women, and despite the higher rate of infertility, are less likely to use in vitro fertilization.

We know many factors play a role in this, such as access to healthcare and financial resources, but there’s also a social aspect. Like me, most women assume that when they decide to have children, they will be able to do so naturally and easily.

Personally, I did not know anyone who struggled with or was diagnosed with a uterine health condition or infertility, and everyone I knew that had children never openly discussed any issues conceiving.

This societal conditioning never makes us think what if I can’t?

So when we are personally faced with the idea that conception can be much more complex than we’ve seen or been told, it can be a harsh reality to reckon with.

When I was diagnosed with uterine cancer, I suddenly had a primary care physician, an oncologist, an OB/GYN, and a genetic counselor. I was receiving information, resources, and next steps from all of them, but freezing my eggs never came up. My consideration for the process came out of my own research, which I then took to my team for advice and recommendations. I read fertility clinic blog articles and personal stories about in vitro that helped me get an understanding of the process, which led me to schedule a consultation with the most recommended fertility specialist in my area who would become a new addition to my care team.

What I learned is that egg freezing, or cryopreservation, can be a valuable option for Black women who are facing infertility or may be at risk of losing their fertility due to health conditions. Before I explain the process and my experience, I want to offer a few important notes:

Consider fertility consultation immediately: If you want to have children at some point, seek the help of a fertility specialist as soon as you are diagnosed with a uterine condition. Even if you have not been diagnosed with a condition, it might be worth a consideration. When I visited the fertility clinic for the first time, my advisor shared that I would be shocked at how many people come to them when it’s too late.
Find a great care team and loop all of them in: As I mentioned, I have a primary care physician, an oncologist, an OB/GYN, and a fertility specialist, and I’ve been to two different genetic counselors. I still see most of them five years later, and they do a great job of passing along relevant information to each other so that it’s in all of my files.
Know your body and make sure existing conditions are being treated: Before I began fertility treatment, the clinic needed to know that my cancer was being controlled, and it was. Over years of struggling with PCOS and uterine cancer, I have learned to pay attention to my body really well. This is what saved my life and prompted me to seek a second opinion before my cancer diagnosis. This is especially important for Black women, as we often have to go the extra mile to advocate for ourselves. You must know first when your body feels different or something has changed in order for you to communicate that with your team.

How Does Egg Freezing Work?

Egg freezing is a multi-step process that typically involves:

Hormone Stimulation: Taking hormone medications over a period of time to stimulate ovaries to produce multiple eggs.
Egg Retrieval: A minor surgical procedure is performed to retrieve the eggs from the ovaries.
Freezing: The eggs are frozen using a technique called vitrification, which involves rapidly freezing them to prevent ice crystal formation.

*The chart above outlines the general timeline that was provided to me in my consultation*

Before you get to the injections and retrieval, they complete a full evaluation, including blood work and even genetic testing, which can be helpful to learning what you could potentially pass on to future offspring or indicate signs of anything currently affecting you that you may not be aware of.

I was also monitored during weekly appointments where they took blood samples, checked my blood pressure, checked my pulse, and did ultrasounds to make sure everything was okay to proceed.

Weighing Egg Freezing: The Pros and Cons

For such a heavy and impactful decision, I always find it helpful to weigh the pros and cons, so I want to do that here with you:

Pros

Peace of Mind: Before I made the decision to freeze my eggs, I mentioned earlier that I read about it quite a bit online. One of my biggest takeaways from that research was that I felt I would have peace of mind about my fertility in the future. After the idea of infertility was mentioned to me, I had a gnawing feeling in my stomach that I knew I would need to quell by finding some sense of control. This was it. I may not be able to make my body function normally, but I could be proactive about securing my reproductive future through the egg freezing process.

Flexibility: Freezing your eggs buys you time in terms of having children. Along with peace of mind, this process reduces urgency, as you know that once the eggs are frozen, they are always there for you to fertilize when you get ready.

Option for Single Parenthood: Women can have children without a partner. Let’s just get that straight. You can plan for a child and give them a loving home without a partner. In fact, I think this level of planning shows a great level of intention and thoughtfulness about when and how you bring children into the world. I would also add that I went through the egg freezing process completely alone, and it was one of the moments I felt most powerful in my body.

Potential for Future Fertility Treatment: One of the best conversations I had with my fertility specialist was about a personalized plan. This discussion was born out of my desire to try on my own first before I use my frozen eggs. He assured me that we could start with that and he would even monitor my natural conception. If we find that I can’t conceive naturally, then the frozen eggs can be used in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create embryos or I could use a surrogate. All of this to say that freezing your eggs gives you several paths to parenthood that you may not find on your own.

Cons

Cost: Egg freezing can be expensive, often requiring significant out-of-pocket expenses for the retrieval process and ongoing storage fees. According to research, this is one of the many reasons that Black women specifically don’t go this route, or if they do, they don’t complete the process. You might consider reviewing your insurance or job benefits to see if any portion can be covered by another party.

Temporary Physical Effects: Hormone stimulation can cause side effects such as bloating, mood swings, and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Bloating was the only side effect I experienced and only at the very end of the process after the egg retrieval. It subsided in about a week.

No Guarantee of Success: While egg freezing has a high success rate, there's no guarantee that frozen eggs will result in a healthy pregnancy. This can create some hesitancy, and understandably so, but for me, I reasoned that I would rather know that I tried everything possible than to feel like I left an option on the table.

General Risk: Of course, there are associated risks with any medical procedure, but the image below shows the information I was provided at the start of my process.

Interestingly, after a roughly two month journey I found that I was actually very fertile, as they harvest 47 eggs from my body. I currently have 30 eggs frozen in cryostorage.

My fertility is not something I ever would have thought to explore without a uterine cancer diagnosis, but I can honestly say that I don’t regret it in any way. I’m not here to tell you to freeze your eggs or not to freeze them—I’m here to give you the context and perspective I didn’t have when I was diagnosed with uterine cancer.

The operative question was “What if I can’t have children?”

What I want most is for you to reflect on that question and then take time to consult with a provider to create personalized plan that works for you, your body, and your fertility preservation.