Egg freezing with Hertility

Technically, you can freeze your eggs at any age before menopause, but eggs retrieved in your 20s and early 30s usually result in better outcomes than those in your late 30s and 40s. This is largely to do with the quality of the eggs at the time they are retrieved, as generally our eggs begin to decline more rapidly from 35 onwards.

Although HFEA data shows 38 is the average age for freezing in the UK, waiting until your late 30s onwards potentially means that a lower quality and quantity of eggs will be retrieved, and you may need more cycles to collect enough eggs.

The optimum age usually suggested is probably late 20s to mid 30s, and, recent research by our Doctors, Dr Lorraine Kasaven and Dr Benjamin Jones looked at data over 10 years and found those who froze their eggs before 36 had better outcomes.

However, a study suggested that from an economic perspective, it is not cost effective for a 25 year old to undergo social freezing if they are looking to delay parenthood because the chances they will conceive naturally are higher and they then might not end up using the frozen eggs.

Egg freezing does not guarantee successful pregnancy or live birth and data on success rates are limited because of it being a relatively new technology. However, one study found that 17.4% of those who froze their eggs had a baby or ongoing pregnancy at the time of analysis.

The HFEA also reports a success rate of 18% in women using their own eggs and a success rate of 30% in women using frozen donor eggs. How effective egg freezing is for you will depend on your personal circumstances and medical history.

Recent research by our Hertility Doctors, showed that out of a total of 373 women who froze their eggs, only 36 returned to use them, which resulted in 12 live births. 82% of the babies were born to those who froze their eggs between the ages of 36 and 39 years of age. Unfortunately, no one who froze their eggs after the age of 40 had a successful pregnancy during the study period.

So what does this mean? Whilst egg freezing has recently become known as a fail-safe way of preserving fertility, this research shows that this is not always the case, and highlights the importance of evidence-based decision-making. It shows that although egg freezing is a viable option for having children later in life, it does not guarantee a successful live birth. Women should be encouraged to freeze their eggs earlier than has been previously thought and be made aware of the risks and low likelihood of success when doing it in their late 30s and 40s.

If you have to undergo egg freezing because of an underlying health condition or are undergoing a treatment that might affect your fertility, you might be eligible to get NHS funding. If you choose to undergo social egg freezing, you will have to undergo treatment privately, the average cost of having your eggs collected and frozen is about £3,350, with medication being an added £500-£1,500. You will also have to pay an annual storage cost, which can be up to £500 per year. When you are ready to use the eggs, you will have to pay for thawing, fertilisation and transferring them to the womb costs an average of £2,500. So, the whole process for egg freezing and thawing costs an average of up to £7,000-£8,000.

Make sure you get a full cost treatment plan from your clinic so you're not caught out by unexpected costs.

The HFEA website has more information on costs and funding for fertility treatments.

Egg freezing is a relatively safe procedure, the main risk, although rare, is over-stimulating the ovaries. This condition is known as Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. It can cause severe bloating, stomach pains and nausea.

The first stage of egg freezing involves injecting yourself with hormones, which can make you feel more emotional and on edge. It's totally normal to have emotional ups and downs because it is a difficult journey to navigate. It may not be easy to identify or address how we feel because they are often tangled in, not only our expectations, but also those of our loved ones. But remember—it’s always important to put yourself and your needs first.

Egg freezing doesn’t impact your ovarian reserve and won’t impact your ability to conceive naturally.

During each regular menstrual cycle, several follicles begin the maturation process. However, only one egg out of these follicles is released during ovulation and the remaining ones are simply reabsorbed by the body and are no longer useful. The egg freezing process simply mimics this natural process by stimulating the body to mature multiple eggs, and instead of those eggs being reabsorbed by the body, they are collected and frozen.

Whenever you are ready to start your family, should you wish, you can always try conceiving naturally first and keep your frozen eggs as a backup.

While both procedures are related to fertility, egg freezing is a different procedure, involving different steps to IVF. The egg freezing procedure and the beginning of an IVF cycle are the same, it involves initial investigations, stimulation where you take medication to promote maturation of the eggs, followed by egg collection. At this point, if you are undergoing egg freezing, the eggs will be frozen and stored.

When you are ready to use them in the future, you will have to undergo an IVF cycle to use the eggs. The eggs will be fertilised with sperm and the resulting embryo(s) will be transferred into the uterus in the hopes of a successful pregnancy.

Freezing your eggs should not be a painful procedure. The actual procedure is done under sedation, but some people can experience some discomfort or light bleeding afterwards. This is usually nothing to worry about but you can discuss any concerns with your doctor or one of our fertility advisors at any time.