Award-winning Fashion Designer Mich Dulce has achieved much success pursuing her passion. Her creations have been worn by the likes of Lady Gaga and Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester.
She recently marked another milestone in her life and, much like the rest of her achievements, are just as unique and unconventional as she is.
Thankfully though, more and more people are learning more about the process of freezing eggs. We previously featured TV hosts Sam Oh’s experience, and just like Sam, Mich wishes she had done it earlier.
How she researched and prepared for it
“I made the decision quickly and efficiently. I researched starting in March 2016,” Mich, who’s currently in Paris, told theAsianparent in a phone interview.
But research wasn’t the only preparation she made prior to the extraction. Three months before the procedure, Mich started adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Prior to speaking with her, we stumbled upon an article she wrote, which was published on PhilStar, where she shared that through her research, it would cost her anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 to have it done in the U.S. In the U.K., she would need to shell out about £6,000.
“I encountered friends who had done it in the US or London. I’m 35. I wish I had done it when I was 30. Divine Lee did it when she was 24.”
So, she dug deeper and found out about an egg-sharing program in London where you can get the procedure done for free if you agree to donate half of the eggs retrieved from you during the extraction.
At a seminar conducted by the London Women’s Clinic, Mich learned about the process of egg freezing and IVF (in vitro fertilization) as well as women’s fertility, in general. It was also there where she learned that beyond the age of 35, the quality of a woman’s egss would lower significantly.
Overcoming obstacles on her journey to preserving her future as a mom
Though a woman can carry a baby safely until she’s 45 years old, realizing she was “too old” for the egg sharing program which sparked her interest disappointed her.
“I was gutted. But hearing the scary statistics about women’s fertility and knowing that I was at my last year of ideal fertility made me realize that egg freezing was something I truly had to invest in. While I was concerned about the cost, I realized that this was the only way I could take control of my body, my fertility and my future as a mother wannabe. It was a safety net that was worth paying for.”
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This led her to look to other European countries and Belgium became her best option, which was supported by advice from a doctor friend who said there were really good hospitals in the area. That it was an hour away from Paris, where she's lived for three years, was an added bonus.
Taking control of her fertility as a single woman
She didn’t come to the decision without hesitation. She cites her lack of a support group as the main reason why she looked into alternatives in the Philippines.
But what made her decide, she explained, was a little known law in the Philippines which says you have to be married to use your frozen eggs because you can only fertilize it with your husband’s sperm.
Realizing it defeated the purpose of her wanting to “freeze her eggs as a single woman”, she decided to finally have it done in Brussels, Belgium.
“I didn’t want the lack of a man in my life to stand in the way of my goals of motherhood. Though I’m single, I want to preserve my fertility,” she explained.
Recalling the process, Mich described it as “really intense. Because the hormones really affected her.”
When asked what her advice is for women considering having their fertility preserved, Mich said: “My advice is to do it early and do your research. Check the law of the country where you’re having it done. I can’t stress that enough,” she emphasized.
READ: Sam Oh opens up about getting her eggs frozen: “I wanted to cover my bases”
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