Freezing Time

In a special bonus episode, I try to imagine going through the egg freezing process only to give them away at the end of it. To explore the ethics and motivations behind egg donation, I speak to donor expert Dr Meenakshi Choudhary who tells me about her experiences with egg donors at the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life, as well as her futuristic work on mitochondrial donation, or 'three person babies'. I also chat to Elaine Chong, who decided to donate her eggs to a stranger after hearing about how few ethnically Chinese donors there are in the UK. She tells me about how she made the decision to donate, whether she would do it again and how she felt on hearing that one of her eggs had brought a baby boy into the world.

*This podcast is not to replace medical advice. Always speak to your doctor if you have any concerns about your fertility or treatment*

Freezing Time is written and produced by Hannah Varrall and Sophia Money-Coutts, and created by OffScript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the days after my operation, I bloat like a water balloon and recover on my mum’s sofa while waiting for what turns out to be a mega-period (that’s the technical term, right?) I tell poor producer Hannah all about my recovery, and we head back to The Lister for a debrief with Dr James about what happened during my collection and immediately afterwards. We’re also given a very special tour around the lab, and see the very tank which is storing my eggs, which makes me think about what happens next…

*This podcast is not to replace medical advice. Always speak to your doctor if you have any concerns about your fertility or treatment*

Freezing Time is written and produced by Hannah Varrall and Sophia Money-Coutts, and created by OffScript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The big day’s here as, after a month of drugs, I head to the Lister to have my eggs collected. After much discussion over the hospital’s lunch menu, I’m wheeled into theatre and finally discover how many eggs I've got. There’s then a slight post-operation crisis and a LOT of tears before I’m taken home by the world’s loveliest Uber driver. I also chat to Sally Nabanja about her traumatic experience post-egg collection, discuss Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome, and keep producer Hannah up to date with how I feel in the days following the operation. Plus, a chat with Rachel Crute, who froze her eggs ahead of radiotherapy and now has a very sweet three-year-old who makes a cameo appearance…

*This podcast is not to replace medical advice. Always speak to your doctor if you have any concerns about your fertility or treatment*

Freezing Time is written and produced by Hannah Varrall and Sophia Money-Coutts, and created by OffScript.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.