Everything you need to know before freezing your eggs

Although the technology for freezing an embryo – also known as oocyte cryopreservation – was developed in the 1980s to help women suffering with serious medical conditions improve their chances of having a baby post-treatment, the idea of egg preservation in healthy women has emerged recently.

In the US, the number of people who have frozen their eggs rose by more than 400 per cent, to over 13,000 in 2020 from just over 2,500 in 2012, according to data from the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Similarly, in the UK there were 11 times more egg freeze cycles in 2021 than in 2011, with the number of embryo freeze cycles increasing from around 230 cycles in 2011 to 10,719 in 2021.

But even as egg freezing has grown more popular over the last decade, the process can seem intense and overwhelming. Here’s what you need to know.

What is egg freezing?

Egg freezing is a way of preserving a woman’s fertility so she can try to have a family in the future. It involves collecting a woman’s eggs, freezing them and then thawing them later on so they can be used in fertility treatment.

A woman’s chances of conceiving naturally fall as she gets older because the quality and number of her eggs drops.

According to HFEA, egg freezing can be an attempt to preserve fertility by freezing the eggs when the woman is young and the eggs are of the highest quality.

What does egg freezing involve?

Firstly, you’ll need to be tested for any infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis. This has no bearing on whether you can freeze your eggs or not, but is to ensure that affected egg samples are stored separately to prevent contamination of other samples.

You’ll then start the IVF process, which usually takes around two to three weeks to complete. Normally this will involve taking drugs to boost your egg production and help the eggs mature. When they’re ready, they’ll be collected whilst you’re under general anaesthetic or sedation.

At this point, instead of mixing the eggs with sperm, as in conventional IVF, a freezing solution will be added to protect the eggs.

The eggs will then be frozen either by cooling them slowly or by vitrification, a practice of freezing an egg or embryo with extremely rapid cooling. They will then be stored in tanks of liquid nitrogen.

Most patients under 38 years of age will have on around 7-14 eggs collected, although this isn’t always possible for patients with low ovarian reserves.

When you want to use them, the eggs will be thawed and those that have survived intact will be injected with your partner’s or donor’s sperm.

How safe is egg freezing?

The UK’s Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority says IVF is mostly very safe, although some women do experience side effects from their fertility drugs. These are usually mild, but in extreme cases women can develop ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

How much does egg freezing cost?

The average cost of having your eggs collected and frozen in the UK is £3,350, with medication being an added £500-£1,500. Storage costs are extra and tend to be between £125 and £350 per year.

Thawing eggs 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 £7,000-£8,000.

What are the benefits of egg freezing?

The clearest benefit is that it allows women to “freeze” the biological age of their eggs, increasing the chances of successful pregnancy if they use those eggs at a later time, says Professor Assaf Ben-Meir, head of IVF at Hadassah Medical Center and chief medical officer at Fairtility.

“This is especially advantageous when done at a younger age, as it typically yields more eggs per retrieval with higher quality which is the main benefit, enhancing the chances of a successful live birth.

“While women may not ultimately need these eggs, the procedure provides peace of mind.”

What are the downsides of egg freezing?

While freezing eggs does “freeze time” in terms of the biological age of the eggs, Ben-Meir says some women don’t take into account that their bodies do keep aging.

“Women will freeze eggs but then might put off family planning for longer. If a person waits until their early 40s, they might find that they cannot get pregnant with their fresh eggs. In this situation, they will count on their frozen eggs – and there is no 100 per cent guarantee for success.”

The potential of frozen eggs can vary significantly too, Ben-Meir says, adding that current methods of assessing egg quality are not highly reliable.

“Embryologists make estimations solely based on some morphological characteristics of each oocyte. Most studies show that the predictability of an egg’s potential to result in a live birth based on these parameters alone are low and non-personalised.

“This means that when a patient ultimately wants to use frozen eggs to start a family, she may find that what she initially froze is not enough for her personal plans.”

What does the rise in egg freezing suggest?

Overall, it means that women are becoming aware of and proactive about their fertility earlier in their lives, says Dr Luca Sabatini, consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician and chief medical officer at Apricity.

“They know other women who have been tested and chosen to freeze their eggs, and as a result social egg freezing is becoming more acceptable and routine.”

However, Professor Ben-Meir says if this trend continues, the industry must consider the future implications of storing thousands of unused eggs.

“Healthcare providers will need to make decisions about the management and potential donation of thousands of unused, but viable eggs in the coming years,” he warns.

Have celebrities and social media influencers led to more women freezing their eggs?

While there is no clear data on this, experts believe celebrities and internet personalities have been somewhat responsible for egg freezing’s growing popularity.

“Celebrities and social media figures have likely helped reduce the stigma around fertility care, and encouraged people to be proactive about fertility preservation and care,” says Sabatini.

“Their stories might have brought awareness to the option of egg freezing, which some people may not have considered or even known about previously.”

 

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Paris Hilton has frozen 20 embryos, revealing that she is “waiting” for a daughter 

Ben-Meir says an unintended consequence of these stories may be additional pressure for women in their reproductive years.

However, he thinks greater awareness means that women are talking about this earlier and they are better assessing their options.

What should women consider before freezing their eggs?

Dr Lisa Stradiotto, consultant in obstetrics and reproductive medicine at Apricity, says one of the biggest factors women need to consider is the financial cost of freezing and storage. For some women multiple cycles may be required to achieve a enough eggs to give them a good chance of pregnancy later.

“The literature suggests that it would be ideal to freeze around 15-20 eggs to give an 80 per cent chance of successfully yielding a pregnancy.”

However, egg freezing is not a guarantee of future fertility like it is sometimes portrayed, cautions Stradiotto.

“It should rather be viewed as a potential ‘back-up plan’, as life doesn’t always go according to plan.”

Professor Ben-Meir encourages women to consider the reputation of the clinic they are choosing.

“Research and choose a reputable facility for egg freezing. Ask if the facility is using AI in its egg and embryo assessment processes, as these technologies are making egg freezing and IVF processes more accurate and personalised to each patient.”