Career and Wellness

Kelly Anne Parker, long time WISE member and founder of B2BKP, has been navigating a health journey in the midst of building her businesses. At age 10, Kelly started showing symptoms of Endometriosis, but wasn’t officially diagnosed until age 31 after years of being dismissed by doctors and missing work due to pain. She is passionate about sharing her experience in the hopes of educating others on the impact this disease has on fertility. 

In a recent workshop, Kelly interviewed Dr. Temeka Zore of Spring Fertility, to explore fertility options and more specifically the process of egg freezing.

What is Spring Fertility?

Founded in 2016, Spring Fertility is a full-service fertility clinic specializing in fertility preservation as well as helping people try to conceive through technology like IVF and family-building through the use of donor tissue. They deliver state-of-the-art IVF, egg freezing, genetic testing, and advanced reproductive services with an innovative, seamless, and patient-centric approach.

Built for the modern career woman, Spring offers personalized treatment plans, expedited services, and accessible pricing that are designed to help patients achieve their dreams of a family, now or later. 

They understand that a “one size fits all” approach doesn’t work in fertility care and strive to make every egg count, offering minimal stimulation protocols, fresh transfers and recommending egg or embryo banking cycles where appropriate.

Spring serves patients across 8 cities in 3 states, and has clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as in New York City and Portland, Oregon.

The Why

Women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have, somewhere between 1 - 2 million eggs. Every month eggs are released, and will start to lose quantity and quality over time. For those in their late 20s - 30s, egg freezing is a decision that can be made now, so there are more options for family planning in the future. 

Spring recommends having at least 20 mature eggs frozen before your 37th birthday. Why? The largest study to date looking at the average number of mature eggs needed per live birth in patients using IVF suggested that 20 eggs were needed, up until age 37. Beyond age 37 the number was higher (about 40 eggs per baby at age 40 and 60 eggs by age 42). These numbers correlate very well with the national IVF success rates in the United States, as reported by the CDC.

The How

Science meets caring. Spring applies cutting edge science in a comfortable space to deliver the best results in their field. 

Protocols can vary but egg freezing is typically a two week process involving:

1. 10-14 days of hormone stimulation, culminating in a final “trigger shot” 36 hours before the egg retrieval. Though injections can cause minor irritation and discomfort, Spring provides instructions and tips to make it easy.
2. Usually 5 monitoring appointments
3. The egg retrieval: a 20 minute procedure under sedation During the ~20 minute procedure, you’re put to sleep and it’s recommended that you take it easy the rest of the day. Some patients report bloating and feel tired from the hormones. These effects are usually well tolerated and do not require treatment. Most patients wake up with minimal discomfort or cramping that does not require additional medication. For the few patients who experience more severe cramping, rarely do they need more than over the counter pain medication.

Some patients may additionally benefit from two weeks of hormonal preparation prior to beginning stimulation. The addition of these medications helps follicles grow at the same rate to optimize the number of eggs retrieved. The goal is to freeze as many eggs as possible, whether that takes one cycle or two - three. 

No need to make significant diet changes, but caffeine and alcohol should be consumed in moderation.

Financial FAQ

Some companies offer fertility benefits, so you should speak with Human Resources to learn more. 

​For many patients, fertility treatments represent a significant financial investment. Spring believes finances should never get in the way of building a dream family, which is why they provide options to help make this dream possible. Spring accepts select commercial insurance providers, as well as fertility-specific benefits providers such as Progyny, Carrot, and Stork Club. Patients may also pay for treatment through an HSA or FSA.

Next Steps

• Book a consult with Spring Fertility or email Daphne.Thompson@springfertility.com
• Follow Dr. Zore on instagram @temekazoremd

More about Spring:

Their IVF lab continues to produce exceptional results, while developing patent pending technology, innovative research and fertility preservation techniques.

Spring’s Promise: If their patients freeze a specific number of eggs at Spring (20 eggs before age 35 or 30 eggs before 38) and are unable to achieve a successful pregnancy with them in the future, they will refund all money paid to Spring directly for the egg freezing cycle.

*Information listed is from Spring Fertility. No material is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

‍