Two and a half years ago, Santa Monica’s MeiMei Fox found herself single at 36. She always wanted to have children of her own. For the first time, she said she felt she faced a reality that she might not find a partner in time for that to happen.
“I just happened to be writing a book with Sarah Brokaw titled ‘Fortytude,’ which discussed issues women face as they approach 40,” Fox said. “There I was, interviewing Dr Jamie Griffo of NYU, one of the top fertility specialists in the world, about preserving fertility with age. He recommended that I freeze my eggs.”
One year later, Fox said she finally got up the courage to go through with it.
“I immediately felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” she said. “Now I had options; now I had time. Just six months later, I found the love of my life, Kiran. We have started trying to get pregnant, but I feel so much better knowing that I have those frozen eggs as my insurance policy. I want more women to know about this valuable option.”
Fox is among a large number of speakers at this weekend’s “Fertility Planit” – the first event of its kind, an all-fertility focused show.
Topics include “Beginners Guild to Infertility,” “Becoming A Single Parent by Choice,” “Creating a LGBT family,” “Adoption,” “Male Infertility,” “Fertility Over 40,” “IVF,” and much more.
Fox will speak as part of a “Fertility Preservation and Egg Freezing” panel at noon on Saturday.
“It saddens me that women still seem to feel such a sense of shame around fertility issues,” Fox said. “I hope that anyone – man or woman – who has struggled with fertility or has concerns about getting pregnant or having a family in the future will attend. You’ll hear from experts and everyday people who have stories, wisdom, and compassion to share. You’ll be able to connect with other people sharing the same struggles you may be having.”
She said she sincerely hoped the fertility show would lift the veil around infertility insecurities and judgment, and come out in the open to talk about fertility and connect with other great people.
Fertility Planit will take place 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both Saturday, Jan. 12 and Sunday, Jan 13 at The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza at 2025 Avenue of the Stars in Century City.
Tickets are $40 per day or $70 for the weekend.
Online event partner USTREAM will share event content live to millions of global users.
For more information, visit http://fertilityplanitshow.com.
