10/08/2026
I never thought I could put a needle in my own body. I'm the person who turns her eyes away during a blood test. But this year, in my 30s, I did egg freezing 🥚
I won't sugarcoat it. The stimulation phase pushed my body harder than I expected, and I ended up with OHSS. My belly felt swollen and tight, I was uncomfortable lying down, and there were a few days where I genuinely wondered if I'd overestimated how much I could handleđź« . Nervous doesn't even cover how I felt walking into the surgery.
But I got through it. And when the results came back as expected, the relief hit me in a way I wasn't prepared for.
Going through this made me want to say something to every woman who has done or is doing egg retrieval, for whatever reason: you are so brave. So brave. Not in a "you'll be fine" kind of way, but in the real sense of choosing to walk toward something uncertain and uncomfortable because it matters to you.
This experience shifted how I think about fertility. About decision making. About what people are quietly carrying while they smile through their daily lives and never mention what their body is going through behind closed doors.
As a dietitian who works with women's health every day, this journey gave me something I didn't have before, a felt sense of it. Not just the science, but the fear before, the waiting, the physical toll, the strange mix of pride and exhaustion after.
I hope this is one small way I can help other women suffer a little less through this process and feel more prepared for whatever their version of this goal looks like.
If you've done this too, I see you. 🧡
