💠 Egg Freezing Explained: Fertility, Timelines & Myths with Dr. Maxime Billick 🧬

Welcome back to Episode 5 of the Talk You Never Got podcast! Fertility is one of those topics surrounded by anxiety, myths, and half-truths—especially for people in their 20s and 30s navigating careers, relationships, and the “biological clock.” In this episode, I’m joined by ✨Dr. Maxime Billick✨, infectious disease doctor who froze her eggs, to break down what egg freezing really is, who it’s for, and what the science says about age, fertility, and future choices. She's my classmate at ‪@harvard‬‪@HarvardPublicHealth‬ From the step-by-step process of egg retrieval and freezing, to costs, side effects, and the emotional rollercoaster—you’ll walk away with clarity (and way less panic) about your reproductive options.

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💡 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
• How fertility actually changes with age
• Step-by-step: what really happens during egg freezing (and Max's own experience!)
• How many eggs you should freeze and what affects the odds
• Side effects, hormones, and recovery after egg retrieval (based on Max's own experience)
• Egg freezing myths (expiry dates, guarantees, “insurance policy” thinking)
• Why it is far from perfect, and can sometimes overpromise
• Costs, access, and who egg freezing is (and isn’t) for
• How to talk about fertility without shame or fear

📕 CHAPTERS
00:00 Fertility & the “biological clock” (setting the stage)
00:50 Meet Dr. Max Billick - infectious disease doctor who froze her eggs
4:11 What even is egg freezing?
05:00 When does women’s fertility (fertility for people with uteruses) start to decline?
05:33 Where & how egg freezing happens (labs & clinics)
06:04 Eggs vs embryos: thawing & fertilization (no sperm needed)
06:35 Egg freezing vs IVF—what’s the difference?
07:49 What happens to eggs in the lab (testing)
8:05 Why did Dr. Billick freeze her eggs? What are reasons someone may want to?
09:19 Pros and cons of egg freezing
09:47 Why egg freezing isn’t an “insurance policy”
11:35 How many eggs do you need to freeze and retrieve?
12:32 Can you be too young? What’s the right age?
13:51 Ovarian reserve basics
14:11 What are the side effects of the process of egg freezing? Monitoring, ultrasounds
14:54 How long does it take to retrieve eggs?
15:17 Daily hormone injections (what they feel like)
15:29 Stimulation timeline: ~8–9 days
16:19 The trigger shot 16:28 Egg retrieval day—what to expect
17:07 Does the egg retrieval procedure hurt?
17:37 Recovery: cramps & immediate aftercare
18:46 OHSS - Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome - explained (what it is, what it felt like to Max)
20:43 Total timeline: ~3 weeks start to finish
20:54 Costs & access to egg freezing
23:51 Storage & how long eggs last 26:07 Rapid-fire Q&A

👋 ABOUT ME
I’m Karishma Swarup, a Harvard-trained sexuality educator from India empowering global youth with judgment-free, science-backed sex education—online, anonymous, and mobile-first. Join 60,000+ learners who finally get "The Talk" You Never Got.

🔗 QUICK LINKS
▸ Follow me on Instagram →   / talkyounevergot  ‍ ‍
▸ Explore my website → www.talkyounevergot.com Resources mentioned in the video:
▸ PHAC, Canadian public health website → https://www.canada.ca/en/public-healt...‍ ‍
▸ Cost of Egg Freezing in India, ‪@ProactiveForHer‬ (Not sponsored) → https://proactiveforher.com/blogs/pre...‍ ‍
▸ Cost of Egg Freezing in India, ⁨‪@arvahealth‬ (Not sponsored) → https://www.arva.health/blogs/fertili...‍ ‍

⚠️ DISCLAIMER This video is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional for personal health concerns. #EggFreezing#Fertility#ReproductiveHealth#SexualHealth#TalkYouNeverGot#WomensHealth#FertilityAwareness#FamilyPlanning#OBGYN#SexEducation#FreezeEggs#SexualHealthEducation#SexualHealthMatters#ReproductiveAutonomy