The Big Freeze, page 49
egg cells
degrading and dying of, 29
development of, 28
freezing (see egg freezing)
oocytes, 29, 68, 149, 153, 172
oogonia, 28
size of, 28
egg donors, 45, 132n, 149, 170–71, 192, 203, 204, 221–24, 307, 308
egg freezing, xvi–xviii, 3, 8–9, 14, 126, 131–33, 164
advertising and, 15, 53, 89, 178, 192, 258, 277
age at, 45, 231–32
attrition rates, 173–85
cancer patients and, 49, 50, 93–94, 169, 193
celebrities and, 15, 53
cost of, 4, 5, 51, 53, 182–85, 188–93, 198, 249, 255, 258, 259, 271, 278, 280, 303, 307n, 311, 314, 333, 338, 342, 343
Covid-19 pandemic and, 311–13, 315
custody rights and, 298
decrease in stigma of, 15, 314
disposition decisions, 233n, 297–300
embryo freezing compared to, 231, 232, 234, 248
experimental designation for, 49–51, 258n
failures, 285–94, 295n, 297, 301, 303–9, 304–8, 314, 318
financing, 190–92, 197, 198, 231
flash-frozen eggs, 48–49
growth of, xvi, 14–15, 52, 168, 311
history of, 46–48
hormone injections, 15, 34, 62, 64, 67, 81–83, 88, 90–91, 135–36, 151, 161–63, 172, 187, 189, 212–21, 223–26, 244–45, 248, 249, 259, 264, 278, 338, 342
immature eggs and, 153n, 162
insurance and, 32, 53, 203–5
long-term harm and, 220, 222–26
marketing, 15, 183, 185, 256–59, 314
mix-ups, 292
multiple cycles of, 150, 176, 189, 222, 223, 259, 343
new storage options, 315–20, 343
for non-medical reasons, 32
outcomes for children born from, 300–301
ovarian reserve testing and, 129–30
overseas, 197
oversight and regulation, 294–97, 328
planned, 32–33n
procedure, 34–35
pros and cons of, 54–55
psychological benefits of, 269–71
quality of, 232
reasons for, 45, 84–105
retrieval, 34, 35, 44–45, 64, 88, 91–95, 135n, 151, 153, 161, 189, 213, 217, 218, 222, 223, 245, 264–69, 271, 311, 326
social media and, 51–53, 57, 89
success rates, 45, 47–49, 97n, 151, 167–77, 182, 222, 231, 256, 258, 259, 269, 273, 278, 309, 313
tank failures and, 285–94, 295n, 297, 301, 303, 309, 318
technique, 151–54
terms used to describe, 32–33n
unused eggs, 169–70, 172, 176–78
vitrification, 47–49, 151, 153, 169, 170, 171n, 186, 189, 231
vs. embryo freezing, 231, 232, 234, 248
#EggFreezing, 15
egg freezing registry, 301
egg retrieval, 34, 35, 44–45, 64, 88, 91–95, 135n, 151, 153, 161, 189, 213, 217, 218, 222, 223, 245, 264–69, 271, 311, 326
Eggsurance blog, 304
Eig, Jonathan, 38, 44
ejaculation, 22
elective egg freezing, 32n
Elle, 187
embryo attrition rates, 46, 231, 269
embryo destruction, 199–201, 296
embryo freezing, 44, 46, 90, 94, 173–74, 182
cost of, 232
custody rights and, 298–99
disposition decisions, 232–33, 297–300
excess embryos, 233
first baby, 252
genetic testing of, 325–27
growth of, 175, 233, 311
mix-ups, 318
new storage options, 316–18
ownership issues, 234
procedure, 231
success rates, 244
tank failures, 285–94
vs. egg freezing, 231, 232, 234, 248
embryo research, 294
embryos, 35, 45, 47 (see also embryo freezing; in vitro fertilization)
personhood status of, 200
employer-sponsored insurance plans (group plans), 193, 195, 277, 312, 344
“End of Babies, The” (Sussman), 276
End of Sex and the Future of Reproduction, The (Greely), 328
endometriosis, 12, 15, 93, 118, 219, 302
endometrium, 40, 70
Enovid, 39n, 74
erections, 22
estradiol (E2), 68–69, 125
estriol, 68
estrogen, 68–69, 74, 81, 125, 218n, 220, 265, 324
synthetic, 75, 76
estrone, 68
ethinyl estradiol, 75
eugenic selection, 327
eugenics movement, 37n
exercise, 92, 264
Extend Fertility, 151–54, 173n, 188
F
Fabbri, Raffaella, 46–49, 330–31, 333
Facebook, 51–53, 57, 121, 195
Fairfax Egg Bank, 254
fallopian tubes, 7, 8, 22, 79, 93, 111, 326
blockages to, 132, 252
Family Life Education (FLE), 22
FAMs/FABMs (see fertility awareness-based methods of birth control)
Faris, Anna, 15
Farnsworth, T. J., 190
Fast Company, 187
FDA (see Food and Drug Administration)
female (internal) condoms, 20, 80
female orgasm, 25
femtech, 116–23, 127, 183–208
fentanyl, 65
fertile windows, 111, 117–19, 121, 148
fertility-and-period-tracking apps, 106, 108, 113, 115–23
Fertility and Sterility journal, 171, 259
Fertility Authority, 183
fertility awareness-based methods of birth control (FAMs/FABMs), 79, 106, 108, 109, 111–13, 117–19
fertility clinics, 52, 90, 135n, 171, 176, 178, 180, 184, 190–92, 195, 200, 254–59, 285–97, 302, 309, 311, 317–19, 328
choice of, 232n, 343
fertility doctors, choice of, 309, 343
Fertility Drug Calculator, 254
fertility drugs (see hormone injections)
Fertility IQ, 178–82, 195n, 242, 269, 293, 309n, 314, 343
fertility medications (see hormone injections)
fertility-monitoring devices, 116
fertilization, 46–48, 69, 70, 106, 111, 153, 172, 173, 189, 200, 201, 231, 245, 326, 332
fetus, 28, 47
fibroids, 12, 203n, 219
financial insecurities, 275–77
flash-frozen eggs, 48–49
FLE (see Family Life Education)
Flo period tracker, 123
follicles, 28–30, 35, 63, 65, 68–70, 72–77, 91n, 93, 95, 125, 126, 128–30, 135, 163, 320, 333, 341
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), 75, 125, 128, 129n, 130–31, 215, 216
follicular cysts, 73
FOLX Health, 206
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 30, 219, 295
Forbes, 187, 190
fragile X syndrome, 144
France, 204
fraternal twins, 28n
free thyroxine (fT4), 126
“freeze with friends” deals, 191–92
Freezing Fertility (Wiel), 255
FSH (see follicle-stimulating hormone)
functional ovarian cysts, 72, 73, 77
Future Family, 191
G
gametes (see egg cells; egg freezing; sperm cells)
Gameto, 323
Gateway Law, 23
gender pay gap, 42
gender transitions, 205
gene-editing techniques, 327
genetic disorders, 232
genetic testing, 232, 234, 255, 262, 306n, 325–29
genitals, 22, 25
gestational carriers, 149
gestational diabetes, 173n
Ghana, 10–11
#girlboss, 165
Glow, 116
gonads (sex glands), 28n
Gonal-F, 136, 215–16
gonorrhea, 24
Good Start Genetics, 254
Google, 121, 179, 195, 198, 225, 331
Google Ventures, 315
granulosa cells, 68
Great Depression, 39
Greely, Henry, 16, 328, 329
Gundy, Robert T., Jr., 321
Gurtin, Zeynep, 182
H
Halsey, 15
Hammarberg, Karin, 178
Harper’s Magazine, 302
Harvard Medical School, 174
Haslam, Bill, 23
Hawaii, fertility treatment insurance coverage in, 194
hCG (see human chorionic gonadotropin)
headaches, 76, 81, 118, 217
Health and Human Services, Department of, 27, 223
Health in Her HUE, 206
health insurance, 32, 53, 127, 141n, 183, 193–97, 203–6, 277, 312, 323, 344
Herrod, Cathi, 298n, 299n
Herzberg, Susan, 191
Hickman, Timothy, 309
HIPAA, 122
Hispanic women
maternal and reproductive health of, 204
salaries of, 42
HIV (see human immunodeficiency virus)
Holmes, Elizabeth, 186
homosexuality, 23, 24
hormonal contraceptives (see contraception)
hormone imbalances, 126, 132
hormone injections, 34, 35, 62, 64, 67, 81–83, 88, 90–91, 135–36, 151, 172, 187, 189, 212–21, 223–26, 244–45, 248, 249, 259, 264, 278, 338, 342
trigger shots, 64–66, 91, 161–63, 217–18, 264, 265, 280
hormones, 5, 12, 29, 34–35, 67
estrogen, 68–69, 74–76, 81, 125, 218n, 220, 265, 324
excessive, 213
progesterone, 68, 69, 72–76, 110–11
synthetic, 74–76
hormone tests, 116, 125–28, 133–34
Houston, Texas, 209–10
Houston IVF, 211
HPV (see human papillomavirus)
Hudson, Cynthia, 315–17
human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), 68, 91, 124, 217
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, 294n
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 22, 26n
human papillomavirus (HPV), 141
Human Reproduction journal, 169, 174, 178
hyperstimulation, 213–14, 217–18, 220, 223
hypothalamus, 69
hysterectomy, 287
I
ice crystals, 47, 48
ICSI (see introcytoplasmic sperm injection)
Idaho, abortion access in, 201n
identical twins, 28n
“Illegal Days, The” (Paley), 137
immunoassays, 124n
infertility risk factors, age-related fertility decline as, 17, 27, 30–31, 43, 96, 147–48, 178, 305, 306n, 322
informed consent, 50, 224, 302, 307, 309
inhibin B, 130
