Selling Sunset star Heather Rae Young has detailed her experience of egg retrieval as she and her husband try to have a baby.
Young married Flip or Flop's Tarek El Moussa last year and joked with E! in November that the couple had practised having babies on their honeymoon in the Maldives. Young said they planned to freeze embryos first and "go from there."
The embryo-freezing process involves removing eggs from the ovaries, fertilizing them with sperm to create embryos, then freezing the embryos after they have grown in a lab for a number of days. Thawed embryos can be implanted in the uterus to start a pregnancy.
On Tuesday, Young revealed in an Instagram video that she was resting after undergoing egg retrieval.
The Netflix realtor said the process had a better outcome than she and her husband had expected. They thought they would get only two eggs but got seven—with six surviving. Four of her eggs from a previous retrieval were thawed and three of were viable.
They now have nine "good" eggs and will use El Moussa's semen to inseminate them, according to Young. The 34-year-old said she was told there was a 50 percent chance that half of the eggs would survive. The couple will learn how healthy the embryos are in the next two weeks.
What Is the Egg Retrieval Process?
Before egg retrieval, a patient will take medicine to make egg follicles mature and reach a certain size, on average 16 mm.
Following a hormone injection, the patient is sedated. A needle attached to an internal ultrasound probe is inserted into the vagina so health care workers can see inside. The needle pierces the follicles and the eggs and fluid are removed.
After the procedure, it is normal to experience cramping. Patients may be prescribed medicines including antibiotics to prevent infection, steroids to reduce inflammation and hormone supplements. Patients may be advised against having sex or submerging themselves in water for a period of time. They may also be told to avoid using tampons.
A patient should contact their doctor if they have a temperature over 101 degrees Fahrenheit; severe abdominal pain or swelling; severe nausea or vomiting that doesn't stop; heavy vaginal bleeding; difficulty peeing; painful peeing; or if they feel faint or dizzy.
In the caption alongside the Instagram video, Young wrote: "I've had a few low moments throughout this journey but I've tried to stay as positive as possible and it shows that the body is incredible and can do wonders. Going into this having sad moments that my body wasn't creating enough healthy follicles and to come out of this with great news!
"Thank you all for your love and support as this is a very personal journey that I chose to share to create awareness."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kashmira Gander is Deputy Science Editor at Newsweek. Her interests include health, gender, LGBTQIA+ issues, human rights, subcultures, music, and lifestyle. Her work has also been published in the The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, The i Newspaper, the London Evening Standard and International Business Times UK.
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