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Can I Train for a Marathon and Freeze My Eggs?
Why Am I Starting Birth Control Before Egg Freezing?
Mariana Fernández, a yoga and running instructor at Peloton, sits down with Dr. Jason Kofinas, the Director of IVF & Research at Kofinas Fertility Group and a double board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist. In this segment they discuss why some patients may start birth control prior to an egg retrieval cycle.
Mariana
I have had an IUD the past five years. I didn't know once I started the egg freezing process what it would entail. I told some friends that I had an IUD, and my doctor didn't remove it- and that I was also put on birth control. My friends were confused. How do you decide what the process is for each patient? So why are some patients put on birth control- what does that do? And is it safe to have an IUD during your egg retrieval process?
Dr Kofinas
Every doctor has a general way they do things. There are different types of IUDs, such as hormonal and non-hormonal. Because the hormones are local, there's some absorption, but this doesn’t really interfere with the stimulation, creating follicles, and the egg retrieval process. So we have no problem doing egg retrievals with IUDs in place.
In terms of birth control, it’s more of a scheduling technique. I don't use birth control often. It helps time the egg retrieval process so that we know two weeks from now, we can start your retrieval process 3 to 4 days after you stop the birth control. Without using birth control, you start your egg retrieval process when you get your period, which could happen at any point. So the use of birth control depends on the clinic and what kind of capacity they have regarding scheduling.
Even though it's short term birth control, it shouldn't be a problem. We know that long term birth control pill use can actually suppress the follicles, and the ovarian reserve can sometimes show that it is lower than what it truly is. So if you've been on birth control for a long time, and you're going to go through the egg freezing process, you might go for an ultrasound and be told that your follicles seem smaller than expected. In this case, you may need to stop the birth control and then repeat the testing 2 to 3 months later to see what your ovaries are really doing. If you go in for your initial visit with your doctor, you're on birth control, and your ovaries look great, then it's not a problem. So every patient's different.
Watch the Interview
Watch Mariana and Dr. Kofinas discuss why some patients may start birth control prior to an egg retrieval cycle.
