Single at 30, Chloe decided to freeze her eggs. She wasn’t prepared for what came next

Single at 30, Chloe Barry-Hang decided to freeze her eggs. She wasn’t prepared for what came next. By the time she reached 30, Barry-Hang had travelled to 60 countries, worked at an investment bank, built a hundreds-of-thousands-strong social media following, left corporate finance entirely, and started her own business selling robes. But she hadn’t found love. As someone who wants children one day, the milestone birthday made Barry-Hang feel like she needed to get her ducks in a row. So she investigated egg freezing. “I thought it would just be a few doctor’s appointments,” says the now-31-year-old Sydney content creator. “How hard can it be?” Egg freezing involves retrieving, freezing, and storing eggs until a woman decides she wants to use them to have a child, donate them, or discard them. Initially developed to preserve the fertility of sick patients whose treatments might compromise it, egg freezing has grown in popularity among those wishing to delay having children for social reasons. Data released in August showed elective egg freezing cycles more than doubled in Australia and New Zealand between 2020 and 2024. Demand from individuals under 35 has risen the most of all age groups, though experts caution that egg freezing does not guarantee future parenthood. After an initial consultation and first round of testing, Barry-Hang’s fertility specialist revealed her anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) test result was four times below the median for her age. An AMH test is not an accurate measure of a woman’s fertility, but it qualified Barry-Hang for medical egg freezing, covered by Medicare, and raised her sense of urgency. “I feel like I’m under time pressure to try and get these bloody eggs out as quick as possible because the quality just will decline and decline,” she says. Then came another surprise: how demanding Barry-Hang found the process. “I guess because so many women do egg freezing, or they do IVF, I didn’t realise how tough it was,” she says. “It’s so emotionally draining. Also, you’re so physically sick for the whole period.” There are more than 95 fertility treatment clinics operating in Australia, each with varied success rates, price points, and specific methods. Every patient has their own unique experience with freezing eggs, depending on their treatment plan and personal circumstances. Barry-Hang followed the antagonist protocol, which is the most commonly used treatment plan. Six months in advance: Preparation There is no way to improve one’s egg quality ahead of an egg retrieval, though social media suggests otherwise. (Barry-Hang can no longer look at salmon after eating so much on the advice it was good for her eggs). “There’s a lot of pseudoscience out there,” says City Fertility NSW medical director Dr Devora Lieberman. “If you’re reasonably healthy, being healthier won’t make you fertile-er.” There’s limited evidence for most supplements promoted on social media, says University of Melbourne faculty of medicine and health sciences Associate Professor Alex Polyakov, a medical director at Genea Melbourne. At most, a “run-of-the-mill” multivitamin including folic acid, iodine, and iron will do. Lieberman recommends a colourful, healthy diet that avoids ultra-processed foods. There isn’t a specific meal plan that would “make a significant difference” before an egg collection. Likewise, there isn’t research to show how soon before an egg collection a patient should stop drinking, smoking, or vaping, but Lieberman advises no alcohol during the stimulation and avoiding smoking or vaping altogether. In January, three months before her first planned egg freezing cycle, Barry-Hang stopped drinking alcohol. She also underwent several pre-cycle tests. These can include baseline blood checks, infectious disease screenings, and an antral follicle count transvaginal ultrasound, used to estimate egg supply (ovarian reserve). These tests aren’t essential, but many clinics offer them. Some can be done at any time during the menstrual cycle, but others are best done on specific days.