Egg freezing with Hertility

Broadly, earlier is better for egg quality, most experts suggest your late 20s to mid 30s, and ideally before 35, since both the number and quality of your eggs decline with age, more steeply from your mid 30s. That said, freezing very early (in your 20s) isn’t always recommended, because you may end up never needing them. There’s no single “right” age, it depends on your ovarian reserve and personal circumstances, which is exactly what your hormone test, scan and Fertility Advisor Call help you understand.

Technically, you can freeze your eggs at any age before menopause, but eggs retrieved in your 20s and early 30s usually lead to better outcomes than those retrieved in your late 30s and 40s. That’s largely down to egg quality, which generally begins to decline more rapidly from 35 onwards. HFEA data shows the average age for freezing in the UK is 38, but waiting until your late 30s or beyond can mean fewer, lower-quality eggs are retrieved, and you may need more cycles to collect enough.

Most experts suggest your late 20s to mid 30s, and ideally before 35, since both the number and quality of your eggs decline with age, more steeply from your mid 30s. In fact, 10-year research by our own doctors, Dr Lorraine Kasaven and Dr Benjamin Jones, found that those who froze their eggs before 36 had better outcomes. That said, earlier isn’t automatically better: research suggests it may not be cost-effective for someone in their mid 20s to freeze electively when delaying parenthood, as their chances of conceiving naturally are still high and they may never end up using their frozen eggs. The right time is personal and our Fertility Advisors will be able to talk you through the process and give you more in depth information depending on your personal circumstances.

There are two parts to the cost. Hertility’s complete pre-treatment and referral package is £419 (with packages from £399), covering your Advanced Hormone and Fertility Test, Pelvic Ultrasound Scan, and clinical referral, everything you need to decide whether egg freezing is right for you and get referred to a clinic.

The egg freezing cycle itself, the medication, egg retrieval and ongoing storage is not included and is paid directly to your partner clinic.

A private egg freezing cycle in the UK typically costs 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.

The egg freezing cycle itself usually takes around 2 weeks, typically about 10 to 14 days of hormone injections to stimulate your ovaries, with monitoring scans and blood tests along the way, followed by a short egg retrieval procedure.

There are a couple of stages before that, though. First is Hertility’s pre-treatment stage, your Advanced Hormone and Fertility Test, pelvic ultrasound scan, Fertility Advisor Call and referral, which you can begin straight away, with no NHS waiting lists. Then, once you’re referred, your partner clinic will take you through their own pre-treatment process to get you set up for treatment before your cycle begins. Your clinic will confirm the exact timeline for you, and if you need more than one cycle, they’ll advise on the timing between them.

First you need a clear picture of your ovarian reserve, which shows how you’re likely to respond to treatment. With Hertility, that’s your Advanced Hormone and Fertility Test (measuring up to 10 hormones including AMH) and a pelvic ultrasound scan (giving your Antral Follicle Count), reviewed with a Fertility Advisor. Then, once you’re referred, your partner clinic will take you through their own pre-treatment process, which usually includes blood tests for infectious diseases (such as HIV and hepatitis), to get you set up for treatment before your cycle begins.

Hertility works with a network of HFEA-accredited partner clinics across the UK, so you can be referred to one that’s convenient for you, with appointments available nationwide and no waiting lists. Your pre-treatment testing comes first, the hormone test at home and the scan at a partner clinic of your choosing and your results are sent straight to your chosen clinic for your egg freezing cycle. Learn more.