What to Know Before Freezing Your Eggs
Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is an increasingly popular option for individuals who want to preserve their fertility for future family-building. Whether you’re focused on your career, haven’t found the right partner, or have a medical condition that might affect your fertility, freezing your eggs can provide peace of mind. However, it’s essential to understand the process and key considerations before making this decision.
1. Why Consider Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing allows you to store healthy eggs for use at a later date. This option can be beneficial for:
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Individuals who want to delay parenthood due to career, education, or personal reasons.
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Patients undergoing medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, that may impact fertility. This is also referred to as oncofertility.
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Patients with a family history of early menopause or diminished ovarian reserve.
It’s important to note that freezing your eggs doesn’t guarantee a future pregnancy, but it can increase the likelihood by preserving eggs at their current quality.
2. When is the Best Time to Freeze Your Eggs?
Egg quality and quantity naturally decline with age, particularly after the age of 35. The earlier you freeze your eggs, the higher the likelihood that they will be healthy and viable for future use. Ideally, egg freezing is most effective in your late 20s and early 30s. However, it’s still an option for individuals in their mid-to-late 30s depending on their ovarian reserve.
3. The Egg Freezing Process
At a high level, the process typically involves:
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Initial Consultation & Testing: You’ll meet with one of our fertility providers to discuss your medical history, your fertility goals, and assess your reproductive health, including an assessment of your ovarian reserve through bloodwork and an ultrasound, and determine if egg freezing is right for you.
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Ovarian Stimulation: You’ll take hormonal medications for 10-14 days to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs. These medications are typically self-administered injections and you’ll visit our clinic frequently so we can monitor your egg development.
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Egg Retrieval: A minor outpatient procedure under sedation is performed to retrieve your eggs.
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Freezing: The eggs are frozen using a technique called vitrification, which helps preserve their quality.
Cryostorage tank
4. Costs and Financial Considerations
Egg freezing can be a significant financial investment. Costs typically include:
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Medications for ovarian stimulation.
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The egg retrieval procedure.
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Annual storage fees for your frozen eggs.
Some employers now offer fertility benefits that cover egg freezing, so check with your HR department to see if you’re eligible. Additionally, some clinics provide financing options to make the process more affordable.
As of January 2025, the self-pay or out pocket cost of an egg freezing cycle is $9,000 at Indiana Fertility Institute. This is inclusive of ultrasounds and blood monitoring, anesthesia, retrieval, cryopreservation of retrieved oocytes and 1 year of storage. The cost of storage after year 1 is $800 annually. You can find a full list of our financing options here.
5. What Are the Success Rates?
The success of egg freezing depends on multiple factors, including the age at which you freeze your eggs, the number of eggs retrieved, and how your body responds to fertility treatments. While egg freezing offers a promising option for preserving fertility, it is important to understand how success is measured in this process.
How Is Success Measured in Egg Freezing?
Unlike traditional fertility treatments where success is measured by immediate pregnancy rates, the success of egg freezing is evaluated in stages:
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Survival Rate After Thawing: Not all frozen eggs will survive the thawing process. With modern vitrification techniques, survival rates are high—typically around 85-90% for eggs frozen in younger patients.
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Fertilization Rate: Once thawed, eggs are fertilized with sperm through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). On average, 70-80% of thawed eggs successfully fertilize.
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Blastocyst Development: Fertilized eggs (embryos) are monitored for several days to see how many develop into healthy blastocysts. Generally, about 50% of fertilized eggs will reach the blastocyst stage.
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Implantation and Pregnancy Rates: The ultimate measure of success is a live birth. On average, one frozen egg has about a 5-12% chance of resulting in a baby, meaning higher numbers of eggs increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.
Factors That Influence Success Rates
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Age at Freezing: Younger eggs have better survival, fertilization, and implantation rates. Patients who freeze their eggs before age 35 typically have a higher likelihood of success.
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Number of Eggs Frozen: The more eggs you freeze, the higher the probability of achieving a live birth in the future. Fertility specialists often recommend freezing at least 10-20 eggs per intended pregnancy, depending on age.
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Quality of the Fertility Lab: The expertise of the clinic in both vitrification and egg thawing plays a crucial role in overall success rates.
While egg freezing does not guarantee a baby, it significantly improves the chances of having a biological child later in life. If you're considering freezing your eggs, schedule a consultation with one of our specialists to discuss how many eggs you may need based on your unique fertility profile.
6. Emotional and Psychological Factors
Egg freezing can be an empowering decision, but it may also come with emotional challenges. Hormonal medications can cause mood swings, and the uncertainty of future outcomes can be stressful. It’s essential to have a support system and consider speaking with a counselor or joining a support group.
7. Finding the Right Clinic
Not all fertility clinics are the same. When choosing a clinic, consider:
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The clinic’s experience with egg freezing and thawing.
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Success rates for patients in your age group. You can find our 2022 Preliminary SART Report linked here.
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The level of support and guidance offered throughout the process.
Is Egg Freezing Right for You?
Egg freezing is a highly personal decision that depends on your individual circumstances and goals. By understanding the process, costs, and potential outcomes, you can make an informed choice about whether it’s the right step for your fertility journey. Schedule a consultation with one of our fertility specialists to discuss your options and create a plan that aligns with your future family-building goals.