The actress and model Molly Sims recently opened up on herYouTube channel about her fertility journey, freezing her eggs and starting a family later in life.
And we're here for it.
Why?
Here's 6 Reasons why Molly Sims is talking the ELANZA language:
1. Because she's educating younger women
"I want people to know there's an option to freeze," she told Shape magazine.
"I believe that young girls should freeze their eggs so they can live their life...get that insurance policy so you don't miss out."
While doctors don't encourage the term "insurance policy" (it's really more of a back-up plan as there are no guarantees when it comes to egg freezing) we love Molly's empowering message to younger women.
Freezing earlier means better success rates (which you can read more about here: What Are the Success Rates of Egg Freezing?)
2. Because she's encouraging clear thinking
"I wanted some sort of insurance policy knowing that it took a few years to have a baby, and I didn't know if my fertility would be good or bad."
The default position seems to be...assume everything is good with fertility until you discover otherwise. OR until it's too late. Instead, she's inspiring women to be their own health advocates, to seek out information and advice on their reproductive health and take decisive action.
In many cases, the first step is to get fertility testing with your ObGyn or a specialist fertility doctor at a clinic, which involves a scan and some blood tests, and that can give you some more data points about your fertility and your options. (Read more about Fertility Testing.)
3. Because she shows freezing doesn't mean you're "over the hill"
We're often fed the narrative of settle down by thirty, have kids...or that's it.
Molly says she's encouraging young women to check out freezing their eggs because "if they want to start in their forties, great, you know what I mean?"
Being open to different journeys, choices and paths is part of a fulfilling life.
In fact, shortly after Molly decided to go through with freezing her eggs, she got together with her now-husband, producer Scott Stuber. Proving that egg freezing doesn't put you firmly in the "crazy cat lady" basket.
4. Because she shows that later motherhood can happen
Molly went through two rounds of IVF which were unsuccessful, but then...funnily enough she conceived naturally with her daughter Scarlett.
Her son, Gray, also came along as a happy surprise.
Molly describes finding out she was pregnant as "definitely a shocking moment."
Fertility doesn't fall off a cliff at 35 as some scaremongers suggest. Instead, it's a steady decline throughout our twenties and thirties, with some women conceiving in their late thirties and early forties.
The chances are lower, that's true. But they're not non-existent.
5. Because she's opening up the conversation
Molly says she felt there was a greater stigma around egg freezing when she did it, and she didn't feel like she had a lot of people to talk to about it.
Raising awareness around the isolation some people can feel when they're having fertility treatment is super important, and we love that she's sharing her story to break down some of the taboos.
(To join in the conversation, check out the ELANZA Wellness community of like-minded women on our Fertility Fit™ app)
6. Because she's all about no regrets!
Despite the fact that she ended up getting pregnant naturally, Molly says she doesn't regret her decision to freeze her eggs.
"If there is one day that I wake up and I'm 47 years old and want another baby, I can have that insurance policy," she says.
"Even if I never use the embryos, I'm still happy that I did it."