The co-founders of Galway based yoga and wellness company, Yoga Mara, sisters Rachel and Hannah Healy have taken control of their fertility by going through the process of egg freezing and want to spread awareness to fellow Galwegians about the benefits of the process.
Rachel, the older of the two sisters was the first one to go through the process after it was suggested by her mother during Covid. At first, she said she was hurt by the suggestion, almost offended because at the time, the notion felt like she would be surrendering to the fact that she was single and always would be. A mindset she has now said she looks back on with incredulity.
Rachel, like women all over the world, had envisioned her life in her early 30s to be filled with children and motherhood, but like everything in life, things don't always work out the way we think they do. With the concept of egg freezing sounding more and more appealing, Rachel booked a consultation with a fertility specialist working with the Merrion Clinic in Dublin and said that the information shared with her in that initial consultation was one of the most informative conversations surrounding fertility, that she had ever had.
"I came out of the consultation feeling relaxed, the doctor explained the whole process to me and informed me that the peak time for a woman to go through egg freezing is between the ages of 30 to 35, with a drop in egg reserves after that point. I started to think of it as a back up, or an insurance policy for me and I walked out of there feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
"Something that the consultant kept saying to me was, that it was an insurance policy for myself. It's a backup. As he said, you might never use them or you might be in your 40s and having already previously had two children want another one. In those cases you might use one of the frozen eggs."
Rachel went through the retrieval process on International Womens' Day last year aged 34, and since then her younger sister Hannah has followed suit, going through the process of egg retrieval. When it came to the actual retrieval, Rachel said the process for her, was incredibly smooth, with very little transition or side effects, but she recognises that it can be different for everyone. The process itself takes as long as full period cycle, with life back to normal for those who choose to go down that route the day after the retrieval. Rachel's retrieval was successful, with her eggs now freezing in storage ready for a day when they may be used, a day which may never come.
For Rachel one of the most significant things for her about the whole process was the lack of information she had regarding her own body prior to the consultation. When it comes to egg freezing, the process begins with a consultation and an Anti-Mullerian Hormone Test, also known as an AMH test. An AMH test uses a blood sample to determine the level of egg reserve a person has naturally.
"As much as we all want to chill and relax, being a woman means that your biological clock is there and we have to acknowledge that. The crucial gap is between 30 to 35 and it can be even younger for some women depending on their AMH levels."
Having come through the process now, the amount of knowledge of her own body and fertility she gained through the process has inspired her to spread awareness to other women who might be thinking about choosing egg freezing for themselves.
Spread awareness
"It's not a scary thing to do and if there's even a tiny part of your mind considering this, then go for a consultation with a fertility clinic and get your AMH levels and you can decide around that. I was lucky that my AMH levels were good, but that was because I got there in time, some people get there and they aren't as luck and wish they did it earlier."
On March 29th, Yoga Mara will be launching their online wellness app and website (www.yogamaraescapes.com ), which will contain a bank of yoga meditation and breath-work videos to help with stress and enhance people’s physical and mental well being. People can subscribe to get access to a catalogue of videos to help combat stress and anxiety which have a huge impact on our fertility health.
To celebrate International Women's Day next Wednesday, March 8, Rachel and Hannah will be hosting an Instagram Live with Fertility Expert and Nutritional Therapist, Aisling Fox discussing their personal egg freezing journey. To learn more, visit their Instagram page @yogamaraescapes
