In a teaser clip for Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kris Jenner tells her daughter, Khloe Kardashian, 35, that she needs to get her eggs frozen. Khloe's response is: “If I want to, I will one day. I just don’t care to. I’m not worried about it." Kris Jenner clearly has concerns about age-related fertility decline, whereas Khloe thinks it's nothing pressing to worry about at age 35.
So, who's right?
We spoke to California-based fertility doctor Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh to figure out if she's Team Kris or Team Khloe when it comes to this debate...
If a patient in Khloe’s situation came into your clinic, what would you advise her?
"I would tell her if she's thinking about having more kids, she should consider egg freezing," says Dr. Aimee.
Dr. Aimee says that's because although completely preventing infertility isn't possible, there are things you can do however to secure future options for yourself when options have run out.
"Most women over the age of 37 have a hard time getting pregnant. And the majority of women over 40 have an even harder time, with the miscarriage rate being the most heartbreaking thing we see our patients going through as fertility patients."
So is Khloe Kardashian "wrong" to promote a relaxed message about declining fertility? What can she - and any woman - expect from 35 years old onwards?
"I don't want women to be worried," says Dr. Aimee. "I want them to be knowledgeable and educated about their fertility health. I imagine she [Khloe Kardashian] isn't worried because she knows that there's no emergency here, because she knows her fertility levels. She can make a decision to take action in the next year without feeling pressure."
(Read more about fertility level testing)
"Freezing eggs isn't a party. It's a medical procedure that carries risk and some women don't want to go through that. We should honor and respect women for making decisions that are right for them."
Would the fact Khloe already has a child change the advice given, or any course of treatment suggested?
"I tell men: previous paternity doesn't mean current fertility," says Dr. Aimee. "Same goes for women. Age is the #1 reason why a woman has a difficult time conceiving."
"If you think about egg freezing/embryo freezing and choose not to do it then you're doing something that's right for you and you will not have future regret. If you don't at least think about it, then there's a potential for you to get angry and mad that you weren't offered something that could have helped you."
"Egg freezing is far from perfect because nothing is 100% guaranteed when it comes to human reproduction. There are plenty of women who freeze their eggs to later find out that they didn't work. At the same time there are women out there who benefitted from freezing their eggs when they were ready to use them."
If someone is single, but does want another child soon, what are some options for going it alone?
When 64-year-old "momager," Kris, asks her daughter if she intends on having another baby, Khloe doesn't suggest she has no plans for another child, instead replies: “Not now."
The egg freezing conversation came about after Kris asked if Khloe was dating again after a painful split from Tristan Thompson in January 2019. Khloe reveals she’s not even thinking about dating.
According to Dr. Aimee, for anyone wanting to pursue solo motherhood, "Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is a great option - a single woman can still do IVF."
She also advises that "embryo donation is also an excellent option for a woman who needs both an egg and sperm donor, and adoption certainly is an excellent option too."
READ MORE: What Actually IS Egg Freezing?
Dr. Aimee graduated from UCLA School of Medicine and completed her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Harvard Medical School. She also completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility and holds a Masters in Public Health Management and Policy from the University of Michigan.
For more doctor-approved and evidence led stories and advice on egg freezing, get the book Everything Egg Freezing: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Doing it Right.
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