The Bachelor's Lexi Young has revealed that she had her eggs frozen less than two weeks before filming Joey Graziadei's season.
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Lexi -- who was diagnosed with endometriosis in early 2019 after silently suffering for years -- was shown telling Joey that she may not be able to have children of her own due to the disease in her reproductive system, which is incurable.
Lexi captioned her Instagram post, "Opening up about my experience with egg freezing and how going on The Bachelor less than 2 weeks after my retrieval was challenging yet incredibly empowering."
"A little reminder that everyone is fighting their own battles, so let's spread kindness," added the 30-year-old digital strategist from Atlanta, GA.
"Stay tuned for a deeper dive into the entire egg freezing process!" she added. "#eggfreezing #eggfreezingjourney #ivf #ivfjourney #endo #endowarrior #endometriosis #bachelor #thebachelor #bachelornation #bachelorabc."
Lexi shared in her video post, "Less than two weeks before I walked out of the limo and met Joey, I was in the OR having my egg retrieval surgery."
Although Joey's The Bachelor season didn't premiere until January, it filmed late last year.
"I needed at least a solid month after that to kind of recalibrate back to my normal body," Lexi shared.
"It was hard! I had a lot of heavy bleeding while I was on the show. I had some issues with ovarian cysts while I was on the show. I was like, 'Are people going to see me and my body and judge me for the way that I look?' Because I put on weight."
Lexi admitted that it's even "hard to look" at herself on The Bachelor as Joey's season airs on ABC.
"It's hard to look at it and see myself, you know, swollen and puffy. But you know what? I said, 'I just turned 30. I froze my eggs. That is so empowering and I'm so proud of myself. If this guy doesn't want me when I'm a little puffy and a little emotionally coming down from hormones, then that's not someone I want to marry,'" Lexi explained.
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"I just decided to take a leap of faith and go on the show! To that, I just want to say one more thing. When you're watching these shows and critiquing people's appearances and critiquing people's bodies, just remember that you never know what this person is currently going through or has gone through."
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Lexi insisted that freezing her eggs was "the right time" for her, even though she struggled with some side effects during her The Bachelor experience.
"Maybe I didn't feel like myself on national TV, or looked like myself, but none of that matters. In five to 10 years, when I have a family, I'll just be so grateful that I did it," Lexi explained.
"Going through egg freezing single, at the age of 30, was the most empowering thing that I've done for myself and my body in my entire life. When I look back, I would not change one thing. I now have the added security and confidence that I have eggs frozen at this very moment that, I hope and pray, will turn into embryos when I'm ready."
Lexi also warned women considering the procedure that there's never really a right or perfect time to do it.
"There is always going to be something," Lexi noted, before mentioning how a project at work, a friend's wedding, or a vacation could get in the way.
"I have people asking me questions all the time who are considering freezing their eggs or have thought about it and they're nervous -- and I hope I can provide some clarity."
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"I remember vividly there was a day when I walked into the fertility clinic and I saw all the women with their partners, and I thought, 'Okay, I am really doing this alone.' It's a beautiful thing to have a partner who is so supportive, and I know I'll have that one day," Lexi said.
"I never thought I'd be able to go through this alone, and knowing that not only did I do it alone but I did it successfully and then I went on The Bachelor less than two weeks after, I can do anything!"
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Lexi said if a woman can afford the egg-freezing procedure, her advice would be, "Just do it!"
"Do not worry so much about the little things," she continued in her video. "It is such a small period of time -- two weeks to 18 days where you're going to go through this really difficult thing."
Lexi then recalled waking up from surgery and exited the operating room. When doctors had told her how many eggs they were able to retrieve, she remembers feeling ecstatic, knowing that the emotional and difficult process was well worth it.
"I am so grateful that I froze my eggs. Egg freezing gives women the autonomy and power to have a family when it's the right time for them," Lexi concluded.
"For some of them, there may be an added layer of infertility and it gives an additional layer of security. These eggs can be frozen for years, and you have it as a security plan to go back to if it's the right time for you."
In a different Instagram video posted last week, Lexi revealed that her endometriosis symptoms have returned full force and she's going to need a second surgery in the near future, which could result in a lot of scar tissue.
"My egg freezing really aggravated that tissue with all of the hormones I was taking," Lexi said at the time.
"I'm not in a place where I'm in a waiting game. I'm in a lot of pain. I'm not in a place where I can have children now, but I hope I will be soon."
Lexi said the situation she's currently dealing with is when she wants to have children.
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"Having a third or fourth surgery later on could cause a lot of scar tissue. I am kind of in a place right now of a waiting game. I'm in a lot of pain. I'm not in a place to have children right now. I am hopefully going to be there soon, but I just can't have the surgery at this moment."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
