Content table
Egg freezing is on the rise – and for good reason. In 2023 alone, nearly 40,000 women froze their eggs.
More women are delaying childbearing these days. And egg freezing helps preserve your reproductive potential. That way, you have healthy eggs on hand when the time’s right.
Curious about egg freezing? Keep reading to get the lowdown on the egg-freezing process, including the steps, risks, costs, and how to tell if it’s a good fit for you.
Key Takeaways
- Egg freezing is a form of assisted reproductive technology. It involves removing your eggs and then freezing and storing them for a later date.
- Freezing eggs lets women use younger, better-quality eggs when the time is right in the future.
- People freeze their eggs for personal reasons, like their careers or not having the right co-parent yet. Or they may choose to do it due to health concerns that could harm fertility.
- The steps of egg freezing are similar to IVF and include ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval. The main difference is eggs aren’t fertilized before freezing.
- Since egg quality declines with age, freezing eggs before age 36 may offer the best chance of a successful pregnancy.
- Egg freezing costs vary depending on your fertility clinic and location. On average it costs about $16,000, plus an extra $500-$1,000 per year for storing eggs.
- Frozen eggs can be stored indefinitely without affecting their quality.
- Egg freezing may increase the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a rare complication of ovarian stimulation meds.
What Is Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing, also called oocyte cryopreservation, is a fertility preservation method. It involves collecting a woman’s eggs and then freezing and storing them for later.
So why freeze your eggs?
Well, egg quality declines as women age. In fact, a woman’s peak reproductive years are between their late teens and late 20s. Yet many women aren’t ready to get pregnant on that timeline.
That’s where egg freezing comes in. Egg freezing allows women to use younger, better-quality eggs – at any age.
Using younger eggs can help women get a higher live birth rate than they could with older eggs (29.6% vs. less than 4%). This lets women try to get pregnant when they’re ready – so they don’t feel as pressured to outrun their “biological clock.”
Know more: What Are My Chances of Getting Pregnant by Age? Check Out Our Chart
Who May Need Egg Freezing?
People choose egg freezing for many reasons, including:
- Personal reasons. Women may delay having kids to focus on their careers, education, travel, or become more financially stable. Or they may have not found the right partner yet.
- Early menopause. Women with a family history of early menopause may freeze their eggs as a safeguard.
- Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). This is when the ovaries stop functioning properly before age 40. Women at risk of POI may freeze eggs as a proactive measure.
- Cancer. Treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy may harm fertility. Freezing eggs allows women to preserve fertility before undergoing treatment.
- Genetic mutations. People with some gene mutations (like the BRCA mutation), may opt to have their ovaries surgically removed. Egg freezing can offer a path to motherhood down the line in these cases.
- Gender transitions. People undergoing gender affirmation surgery or treatments (HRT) may freeze their eggs to preserve fertility for the future.
- Moral concerns. Discarding frozen embryos presents a moral dilemma for some people. To avoid this, they may opt to freeze eggs instead.
Now that you understand why people freeze eggs, let’s dive into how it works.
Process of Egg Freezing
The egg-freezing process is a lot like the IVF process. The main difference is that after the eggs are collected, they’re frozen instead of fertilized.
There are four main steps to egg freezing:
- Consultation and testing
- Medications and monitoring
- Ovulation induction
- Egg freezing and storage
Here’s what to expect at each step:
Consultation and testing
First, you’ll consult with a fertility specialist to explore if egg freezing is right for you. They’ll perform a pelvic ultrasound, and you’ll get bloodwork and hormone testing. This will help your doctor gauge how your body may respond to fertility meds and the number of eggs that may be collected.
Some fertility tests can only be done at certain points in your menstrual cycle. So, this step can take a few weeks.
Ovarian stimulation
The next step, ovarian stimulation, usually begins on cycle day 2 or 3. Here’s how it works.
During a natural menstrual cycle, one egg normally matures. But during ovarian stimulation, you take injectable hormones every day. These meds coax your ovaries to produce a large number of eggs. The more eggs you collect, the better your chances of pregnancy.
The exact meds, dosage, and frequency depend on many factors like your age, hormone levels, and medical conditions. Gonadotropins like FSH or LH are often used, or a combination of both. These drugs work in the same way as your body’s natural hormones.
Ovarian stimulation usually lasts for 9-14 days. Follicular scans and bloodwork are done throughout to monitor your follicle growth. Based on these tests, your doctor may choose to tweak your regimen.
Once your follicles are mature enough, you’ll get a “trigger shot” of hCG (aka the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Hormone). This ensures your eggs are ripe and ready for release. Ovulation occurs roughly 36 hours after the trigger shot.
Egg retrieval
Next, the eggs are collected during an egg retrieval procedure. You’ll be under light sedation to prevent any pain or discomfort during the procedure.
Your doctor inserts a needle into each of your ovaries guided by transvaginal ultrasound. The needle is connected to a suction that draws the eggs from each follicle. They’re then placed in test tubes. The entire procedure is over in less than 20 minutes.
Egg storage and freezing
Your eggs are then sent to a lab, where an embryologist assesses them under a microscope. Mature eggs are frozen via a method called vitrification. This fast-freeze process prevents ice crystals from forming. That way, eggs have the best chance of survival.
After your eggs are frozen, they’re stored in liquid nitrogen tanks at your fertility lab. Once you’re ready to use them, the eggs are thawed and fertilized.
They are then transferred into your uterus, just like a regular IVF cycle.
Egg-Freezing Success Rate
Many factors affect the success of egg freezing. A woman’s age at the time of egg freezing, the total number of eggs retrieved, and the quality of the IVF clinic all play a role.
Fertility starts to decline rapidly after age 36, according to research. So freezing eggs before age 36 often delivers the best results.
To help you understand better, here are the results from a recent study:
Age at egg freezing | Median eggs thawed per patient | Usable embryos | Euploid embryo transfers | Implantation rate |
<38 | 15 | 45% | 72% | 55% |
38-40 | 13 | 41% | 54% | 42% |
>41 | 12.5 | 37% | 25% | 33% |
As you can see, as the age at egg freezing increases, the implantation rate drops. This is because older eggs are less likely to make a genetically normal (euploid) embryo. And embryos that aren’t euploid have a harder time implanting.
Age isn’t the only thing that affects success rates. The number of eggs matters too. Here’s a look at how the live birth rate varies based on the number of eggs retrieved:
Age at the time of egg freezing | 0-9 eggs thawed | 10-14 eggs thawed | 15-19 eggs thawed | >20 eggs thawed |
<38 | 36% | 54% | 41% | 70% |
38-40 | 23% | 37% | 49% | 48% |
41+ | 13% | 33% | 33% | 33% |
As shown, for women under 38, the more eggs collected, the better. However, this shifted as age went up.
Women ages 38-40 fared best thawing 15-19 eggs. And women 41 and up had the same success rate after 10 eggs.
Success rates also vary depending on the fertility clinic you choose. To compare the success rates of all the fertility clinics in the US, check out the CDC website.
How Much Does Egg Freezing Cost?
It’ll vary depending on where you live and the fertility clinic you choose. But on average, egg freezing costs around $16,000 per cycle in the US. This covers hormone medications, the egg retrieval procedure, and lab fees.
You also have to pay the fertility clinic to store your eggs. Storage costs range anywhere between $500 to $1,000 per year.
Some insurance plans cover fertility benefits like egg freezing. In most cases, it’s only covered if you have a health condition that may harm fertility, like cancer. However, some big companies include elective egg freezing on their health plans too.
If you’re thinking about freezing your eggs, check with your health plan to see what’s covered.
How Long Can Eggs Be Stored?
As long as you like! Frozen eggs can be stored indefinitely without a decline in quality. Some babies have been born from eggs which have been frozen for over a decade.
Risks of egg freezing
The risks of egg freezing are comparable to those seen in IVF.
Some women may experience side effects from fertility drugs like nausea, headaches, hot flashes, or pain at the injection site. These are usually mild and pass once the stimulation phase ends.
Side effects like cramping, bloating, and spotting may also occur after the egg retrieval procedure. These usually only last for a few days.
By far the biggest risk of egg freezing is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). While rare, this is a serious complication of ovarian stimulation meds.
In OHSS, the ovaries overreact to stimulation drugs. They swell up and leak fluid into the abdomen. OHSS can be painful, and dangerous if left untreated.
Luckily, severe OHSS only rarely happens. And it can often be prevented by monitoring hormone levels carefully and tweaking dosages as needed.
Egg freezing vs. embryo freezing
Egg freezing is often confused with its fertility cousin embryo freezing. This is understandable since both processes involve ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval.
The main difference is with embryo freezing, eggs are fertilized before they’re frozen. With egg freezing, fertilization is put on hold until you’re ready.
Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons of both options:
Egg freezing | Embryo freezing |
Doesn’t require a partner | Need a partner’s or donor’s sperm |
Can be done early on to preserve fertility | Is done whenever you find the right partner or choose a sperm donor |
Offers more flexibility with family planning | Offers slightly higher success rates (95% vs 90%) |
Can be discarded easily without moral dilemmas | Discarding embryos may not align with some people’s faith or personal beliefs |
The biggest difference is that egg freezing gives you more fertility options later on.
For example, say you decide to use donor sperm and freeze embryos at age 35. But four years later, you meet your partner and are ready to start a family. You may not be too sure about using those frozen embryos now. But frozen eggs, on the other hand, could come in handy.
That being said, freezing eggs vs. freezing embryos is a deeply personal choice. Only you can know what’s best in your situation. If you’re unsure, speak with your fertility specialist.
FAQs
Fertility starts declining at age 32 and then speeds up at age 37. So any time before age 37 would be ideal. If you’re older than that, you can still freeze your eggs. But it’s not recommended after age 40.
Absolutely! Freezing eggs doesn’t harm your ovarian reserve or affect your chances of getting pregnant naturally.
Egg freezing may cause some mild discomfort. You may feel some cramping or bloating after the egg retrieval process. And the hormone injections can lead to some soreness.
Fresh eggs have a slight edge. One study found live birth rates are a bit higher with fresh eggs (47.7%) compared to frozen (39.6%).
That depends. If you use your eggs down the road and it leads to a successful pregnancy, then yes! But if you end up discarding them, then it may not. Only you can know what’s right for you.
Was this article helpful?
- National Summary Report
- Having a Baby After Age 35: How Aging Affects Fertility and Pregnancy | ACOG
- Female Age-Related Fertility Decline | ACOG
- Pathogenesis and Causes of Premature Ovarian Failure: An Update – PMC
- Primary Ovarian Insufficiency – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf
- Vitrification of the human embryo: a more efficient and safer in vitro fertilization treatment
- Age-specific probability of live birth with oocyte cryopreservation: an individual patient data meta-analysis – Fertility and Sterility
- Fifteen years of autologous oocyte thaw outcomes from a large university-based fertility center
- Defining Recurrent Implantation Failure: a profusion of confusion or simply an illusion? – PMC
- The Costs of Egg Freezing – FertilityIQ
- How long can oocytes be frozen with vitrification and still produce competent embryos? A series of six cases
- Prevalence of a Good Perinatal Outcome With Cryopreserved Compared With Fresh Donor Oocytes
+2K others have already subscribed
