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by: Sydney Duarte (Instagram: @Traveling_Gypsy)

As I have watched my friends start families of their own over the years, I have gained unique insight into what can happen when women wait too long to try and get pregnant. As some of us are well aware, fertility can decrease with age and other health risks can arise. It’s a scientific truth that puts pressure on women to try and speed up their life timeline, rush into relationships and start families when they aren’t quite ready. If you are a woman who hasn’t started her family or met the right person, you are probably nodding your head in agreement here. It’s just something we have to consider. I, like a lot of women, thought I would have a family of my own by now. But hey, what are you gonna do?

A few years ago, I had a friend use donor eggs to start her family and she expressed “I wish I had known I could freeze my own eggs!” Something clicked with me and I started to consider the process for myself.

So maybe I hadn’t met the right person to begin the next part of my life’s journey with, but I absolutely love my life. I have a great career, I spend time on my health and creative pursuits and can pick up to travel anytime. As I blew out the candles on my 31st birthday cake this past July, I knew that I wanted to take advantage of my current health and vitality and literally freeze it in time.

I learned that the age of the eggs is the most important factor when it comes to a woman’s fertility. And by freezing my eggs at age 31, I could (hypothetically) be 40 years old when getting pregnant and still create my child from 31 year-old eggs. The thought of this immediately took a huge weight off my shoulders. I suddenly had options for my future. I decided I didn’t want to wait any longer.

I am currently undergoing the process of freezing my eggs with Carolinas Fertility Institute (CFI) in Charlotte, NC. The practice has created a program called “Ovest” specifically targeted to women, like me, wanting to pursue fertility preservation. CFI’s Dr. Yalcinkaya was the first doctor in North Carolina to have a live birth from a frozen egg. Pretty incredible! His medical practice outlines a process that is created specifically for YOUR body.

Starting now, I will be documenting the journey on my social media account @traveling_gyspy. By doing so, I hope to educate, encourage and empower others who are interested in preserving their fertility by freezing their eggs.

So far, this experience has been incredibly empowering for me as a woman. I know I will not have to sacrifice having a family or being a mother. And this is something I can do NOW for my future family. The thought of that is absolutely incredible. Today I am taking action to give myself an extended timeline so that I can start a family when the time is right.

I am an open book. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out through my Instagram account or give the staff at Carolinas Fertility Institute a call. http://www.carolinasfertilityinstitute.com / 844-468-6238