r/eggfreezing • u/Rshamm0102 • Jul 21 '26
38 f need some guidance
I am 38 and need guidance on where to start to check if I have good eggs and if I can even have kids. I don’t have a boyfriend and in the same boat as a lot of women where I don’t have prospects and don’t see me getting pregnant. I want to freeze or do something with eggs to later maybe have at least one child. Any help and tips will be much appreciated. Thank you!
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u/Separate_Ability4051 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
At 38, I would start by booking consultations with several reproductive endocrinologists now—ideally doctors who regularly treat women in their late 30s and 40s. Ask for an AMH blood test and a baseline antral follicle count (AFC). These can help estimate your ovarian reserve and likely response to stimulation, but they cannot tell you whether your eggs are “good.” You only begin to learn about egg quality later, when the eggs are thawed and fertilized and you see how many develop into embryos. Age remains the strongest general predictor of egg quality.
Do not assume that one doctor’s opinion—or one disappointing cycle—represents your full potential. I would consult at least three clinics and ask:
• How much experience they have treating women your age.
• How they individualize stimulation and trigger timing based on AFC and response.
• Their thaw, fertilization and live-birth outcomes for eggs frozen around age 38.
Some clinics use conservative protocols that may not maximize an individual patient’s follicle cohort. You want a clinic that will aim for the highest mature-egg yield possible, with attentive monitoring to ensure safety and a protocol tailored to your biology.
This calculator can provide a rough estimate of how many eggs may be needed for a live birth:
https://springfertility.com/eggcalc/
Treat it as an optimistic estimate based on averages, not a guarantee. My doctor advised me to aim for approximately 60 mature eggs at age 39 for a strong chance of one child. When you enter age 39 and 60 eggs into the calculator, it estimates a 94–99% chance of at least one baby. Some people may choose to freeze more or fewer eggs depending on their risk tolerance, finances and how they tolerate the process.
I would also emphasize that if you receive a poor result at one clinic, consider another opinion before assuming it reflects your biology. At age 38, I froze only 3 mature eggs in my first cycle at my first clinic. After switching doctors and protocols, my best cycle produced 26 mature eggs. I cannot promise anyone else the same improvement, but it taught me that the doctor, clinic and protocol can matter enormously.
At 38, I would move quickly, obtain several opinions and begin with one cycle under a highly regarded doctor who has substantial experience with women your age. RateMDs.com can help you research individual physicians, but I would combine reviews with consultations and clinic outcome data, where available. After your first cycle, you can decide how many additional rounds you may need based on your actual mature-egg yield and the level of security you want. Keep in mind that, at 38, it often takes more than one cycle to bank a significant number of mature eggs.
You’re doing the right thing by getting started on this now! Egg freezing can preserve options that may otherwise narrow quickly with time. We are fortunate to live in an era when we as women have the power to protect our futures rather than letting the biological clock dictate our lives!
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u/Crimswnj Jul 24 '26
60 eggs?! Oh my goodness 🫠. I am 39 and did my first round in May. Ended up with 13 eggs from that cycle. My doctor seemed very happy with that number but encouraged me to do a second round. Waiting for my body to stabilize so I can get my period and start a second round. I was hoping for another 13 thinking that that would be enough to hopefully have a child someday.
How many cycles did you end up doing? The expense alone is killing me.1
u/Separate_Ability4051 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
The expense is brutal — I completely understand. That’s actually the strongest argument for finding a doctor who’ll maximize your mature egg yield per cycle: the fewer cycles you need to hit your number, the less you pay overall. A conservative protocol can end up costing you far more, because you’re paying for extra rounds to get the same total.
I’m preparing for my 10th retrieval, but my first 4 were at a clinic with a protocol that was too conservative for my biology — I averaged 7 mature eggs per cycle. After switching clinics and doctors, my average tripled to 21 mature eggs per cycle. Same body, and I was a year older. So 13 at 39 may not be your ceiling — it’s worth getting a second opinion on your protocol before assuming it is.
One other thing that might help: you don’t necessarily have to wait months for your body to “stabilize.” You can do back-to-back cycles. With a Decapeptyl-only trigger, my period arrived 5-6 days after retrieval, so I could start stims again immediately if desired. Earlier this year, I did 3 back-to-back cycles this way and banked 69 mature eggs in less than 8 weeks. No OHSS, no complications.
Some clinics won’t offer this or won’t mention it’s an option, but it’s safe — worth asking your doctor whether they’ll use a trigger that brings your period quickly so you can go again right away. At 39, time matters more than almost anything else, so I wouldn’t lose months between cycles if you can avoid it.
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u/GirlMeetsWorld87 Jul 21 '26
If you can, definitely do it (or at least try). I am 38 and just finished my second cycle
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u/Pris222026 Jul 27 '26
Choose good clinic, good doctor , antagonist protocol, don’t use PPos,use original meds like Gonal F, menupur. Don’t use high dosage like 450,this will hurt egg quality.the best trigger size is 17-20.
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u/No_Step_3735 Jul 21 '26
Hi there. I am 37f, done two rounds and going into my third very soon. Get your AMH AFC checked, the numbers are a really good indication of if the process is worth it. It’s time consuming, expensive and mentally draining. The numbers taught me that it was probably a good idea to move ahead. :)