Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation)
Last updated: March 2026
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing is “one way of preserving a woman’s fertility so she can try to have a family in the future” (HFEA). It involves collecting eggs from the ovaries, freezing them, and thawing them later for use in fertility treatment such as IVF or ICSI (HFEA).
How it works
The process follows the same stimulation and collection steps as IVF: daily hormone injections for roughly two weeks, monitoring scans, a trigger injection, and egg collection under sedation. Once collected, eggs are frozen using vitrification, a rapid-cooling method that is “more successful than the slow cooling method” (HFEA). Frozen eggs can be stored for up to 55 years in the UK since July 2022 (HFEA).
When you’re ready to use them, the eggs are thawed, fertilised via ICSI (standard IVF doesn’t work well with frozen eggs), and the resulting embryo is transferred.
The age question
“A woman’s chances of conceiving naturally fall as she gets older because the quality and number of her eggs drops” (HFEA). Patients under 38 typically have around 7-14 eggs collected per cycle (HFEA).
The maths matters here. A cost-effectiveness study found the optimal age to freeze is 37: that’s the point where the benefit over no action is largest relative to cost (PMC4457646). Freezing at 34 might require 10 eggs for a reasonable chance of a live birth. At 40, you’d need roughly 35 (PMC4457646). That gap represents 2-3 extra retrieval cycles, each costing EUR 2,000-3,000, plus the physical burden of repeated stimulation.
Utilization: the number nobody advertises
A Danish registry study found that only 5.7% of women returned to use their frozen eggs within 7 years. Among those who did use them, the live birth rate per thaw cycle was 21% (read our full breakdown). Egg freezing is fertility insurance. Like all insurance, most people never file a claim. That’s not an argument against it. But it’s worth knowing before you commit.
Key costs (UK)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Egg collection | ~£3,350 |
| Medication | £500–£1,500 |
| Storage | £125–£350/year |
| Thawing + transfer | ~£2,500 |
| Total | £7,000–£8,000 |
(HFEA)
Clinics in Spain and other European countries often charge less. Compare costs across Europe.
Where it’s legal
Social egg freezing (freezing without a medical reason) is legal in most of Western Europe. Austria banned it until October 2025, when its Constitutional Court struck the ban down. Norway still restricts it to medical reasons. France covers the procedure for women aged 29-37, the first country in the world to partially reimburse non-medical egg freezing. Full details: Egg Freezing Laws in Europe.
What to ask your clinic
- How many eggs do you expect to collect given my age and AMH level?
- Do you use vitrification for all egg freezing?
- What are your thaw survival rates?
Ready to explore your options? Get a personalised quote or estimate your costs.
Related research
- Only 5.7% of women return to use their frozen eggs within 7 years: a large Danish registry study on what actually happens after the freeze.
Sources
- HFEA. Egg Freezing: https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/fertility-preservation/egg-freezing/
- PMC: Optimal Timing for Elective Egg Freezing: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4457646/
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified fertility specialist before making treatment decisions.