7 Times Egg Freezing Is Worth the Investment

Cosmopolitan

2 days ago

If you're curious about freezing your eggs, join the club. According to the most recent data, the number of egg freezing cycles in the U.S. rose nearly 39 percent between 2022 to 2023, per the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). It's becoming increasingly common in the public eye, too, thanks to influencers and celebrities like Paige Desorbo, who's been candid about freezing her eggs on her podcast, Giggly Squad.
And the reproductive technology industry is changing as quickly as it's growing. We published this guide to egg freezing in 2021, and some of the information is already outdated. Here's what's still true though: Freezing your eggs is pretty much the only proven way to preserve and extend your fertility, explains Marcia C. Inhorn, PhD, a professor of anthropology at Yale University and author of Motherhood on Ice: The Mating Gap and Why Women Freeze Their Eggs.
Also still true: It's expensive. These days, one round of egg freezing typically costs between $10,000 and $15,000, says Natalie Crawford, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and the co-founder of Fora Fertility. The procedure has gotten pricier in the last few years, but thanks to workplace benefits, it's also become more accessible. In 2024, 21% of companies with 500 or more employees offered benefits that covered egg freezing, up from 11% in 2020, according to a national survey.
While wanting to freeze your eggs for future use is reason enough to go for it, we asked experts for the circumstances that make the treatment an even better investment. For some, this procedure takes the pressure off, ultimately making that sense of relief is worth the money, time, and emotional commitment.
You probably already know: When you're younger, you have more eggs in your ovaries, and those eggs are typically more likely to result in a healthy pregnancy. Between the ages of 35 and 36, there's generally a big drop in both the number of eggs you have and the quality of those eggs, says Ellen Goldstein, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and the co-founder of Beverly Hills Fertility.
Before 35, patients are able to freeze an average of 15 eggs per cycle. Once they reach age 40 and above, that average declines to just 6 or 7 per cycle, according to data from Extend Fertility, a New York-based fertility center (this is not a nationally representative sample, JFYI). And because freezing your eggs is a numbers game—the more you have frozen, the more chances you have to get pregnant in the future—you want to freeze as many eggs per cycle as possible.
You're also less likely to run into issues with egg quality before age 37, says Natalie Stentz, MD, an ob-gyn and fertility specialist. When experts talk about egg quality, they're referring to how likely the egg is to have genetic or cellular abnormalities, explains Dr. Stentz. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, once you reach your mid-to-late 30s, your eggs are more likely to have a condition where they have the wrong number of chromosomes. It can lead to miscarriage, developmental issues, and birth defects.
Fertility research is pretty limited, but a 2016 study published in Fertility and Sterility found that people who froze their eggs before or at age 35 had a 50% chance of having a live birth, whereas people who froze their eggs after 35 only had a 22.9% chance of the same outcome.
This is not to say that this whole process is pointless if you're at the tail end of your 30s or even in your early 40s. You just might have to go through more cycles or do more transfers in order to end up with a baby. Those who start earlier may have better odds, thus getting more bang for their buck.
No matter how old you are, if you'd like to have a bigger family, freezing your eggs could improve your chances of making more babies.
Say you have your first kid at 35. By the time you're ready for your next round of trying for a baby, you could be 37 or older. Obviously, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but if you're worried about your odds of conceiving, freezing your eggs could make it easier.
It might be helpful to know that not everyone will produce as many healthy, mature eggs in a single freezing cycle. If you're curious how many eggs you'd need to freeze at your current age based on your future family goals, Dr. Goldstein recommends checking out this calculator created by two reproductive endocrinologists. Though it's not a scientifically proven tool, it may estimate your chances of having a baby based on how many eggs you produce.
After one cycle of egg freezing, your doctor might recommend additional rounds. That suggestion really depends on the number of eggs you end up with, the quality of those eggs, and how many children you'd like to have, explains Lora Shahine, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at Pacific NW Fertility and host of the Brave & Curious podcast. 'A thorough consultation with a reproductive endocrinologist is key to understanding both the benefits and limitations of egg freezing based on [your] individual health and goals,' she says.
Regardless of how old you are or how many kids you want to have, if your company pays for egg freezing, it could be worth doing. As I mentioned above, last year 21 percent of companies with 500 or more employees offered egg freezing as part of their fertility benefits. But that coverage can look different, depending on your company's plan.
Before you book any appointments, ask your HR rep or the fertility benefit provider for a full summary of what's covered. Read up on whether consults, testing, medication, and storage are part of the package or not, says Lucky Sekhon, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and the author of The Lucky Egg: Understanding Your Fertility and How to Get Pregnant Now.
You should also find out if the plan requires you to use certain clinics, and whether you'll need to pay up front before getting reimbursed, or if they bill your company directly, she adds.
From the first consultation to the eggs entering the freezer, you can expect to spend at least four to six weeks in this process, says Dr. Goldstein. In between all of that, there are lots of appointments to make, prescriptions to fill and take, and shots to give yourself. That's why freezing your eggs is most worth it when you can dedicate the time to doing it right.
Here's what the whole ordeal looks like: Before you freeze your eggs, you'll need to do an initial consultation and fertility evaluation, including bloodwork and an ultrasound to check out your ovaries. If your doctor agrees you're a good candidate, you'll start the 10-to-14-day process of ovarian stimulation, says Dr. Shahine, aka the part where you inject yourself with hormones that help eggs to mature. During this phase, you'll have more bloodwork and ultrasounds every two to three days to monitor how those eggs are developing, explains Dr. Crawford.
Once the eggs are mature, it's time for the egg retrieval. At this point, you're put under anesthesia so that your eggs can be removed from your ovaries using a thin needle and then frozen in the lab. The procedure itself only takes 15 to 30 minutes. You'll just need someone to drive you home afterward, thanks to the sedation.
How quickly you can start the hormonal injections and schedule your retrieval depends on a few factors, though. Some fertility clinics require you to start the shots at the beginning of your menstrual cycle, while others might have a different protocol. Your birth control can also influence the timeline, says Dr. Goldstein. For example, if you're on the pill, you'll also need to stop using it and give your body time to readjust before starting the egg freezing protocol. That could make the whole process longer, says Dr. Goldstein.
If you want to increase your chances of having a successful pregnancy, it could be worth turning those eggs into embryos before they enter the freezer. Especially if you're certain that you want your current partner to be your future co-parent (and said partner can produce sperm).
Freezing embryos is more expensive because it requires additional steps to fertilize the eggs, but if you go this route, you'll have a clearer picture of what your options look like down the road. If you freeze embryos and genetically test them for abnormalities, you'll know how many healthy embryos you're working with.
That said, there's not enough data to say for certain whether your chances of having a healthy baby are higher when you freeze an embryo versus freezing an egg. For example, this study from 2017 found no significant difference in live birth rates from frozen embryos vs. frozen eggs: "In our study, live birth rates and perinatal outcomes were not significantly different in patients after oocyte and embryo cryopreservation."
Just a heads up, if you end up not wanting or needing to use your frozen embryos, things could get messy. In 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under its state law. And in Louisiana, it's illegal to destroy frozen embryos even if you've decided you don't want to use them. Other states like Arizona and New Jersey have laws that impact what happens to embryos after divorce, and whether they count as property. There are certainly workarounds (like storing your embryos in another state that allows disposal), but if you want to avoid potential legal hurdles, freezing your eggs may be a better option. There aren't currently any laws that prohibit you from destroying frozen eggs.
Aside from your age, your genes and some medical diagnoses can make egg freezing worth the investment. If you have a condition like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis, you might have a hard time getting pregnant the old-fashioned way. Because you might need fertility treatment later on to help you conceive, freezing your eggs now could give you better odds of a healthy pregnancy whenever you're ready to start a family. It's a good idea to talk to a reproductive endocrinologist to decide whether this makes sense for you, says Dr. Goldstein.
The same goes for if you have a family history of early menopause—particularly in your mom or a sibling. It's not always genetic, but if a close family member stopped getting their period before the age of 40, you'll also want to talk to a reproductive endocrinologist to figure out whether you're at risk and if you need to think about fertility preservation, she explains.
If you're about to start chemotherapy, your state (like Illinois and Utah) might even legally require your insurance company to cover egg freezing and in vitro fertilization. To find out when your health insurance covers egg freezing (and when they don't), reach out to your provider and ask for an explanation of benefits (EOB). That will help you understand what's covered and any necessary pre-approval steps, says Dr. Sekhon.
If you're willing to pay for the initial consult, your fertility doc's administrative staff should also be able to help you figure out the ins and outs of your insurance coverage, adds Dr. Goldstein.
As you think about your budget for egg freezing, you'll need to factor in the storage costs too. On average, keeping your eggs frozen costs between $500 to $1,000 per year, says Dr. Stentz. For some, that's no different than the annual fee on a fancy credit card. But if you're worried about the price of this procedure, and you'll be waiting five or 10 years to have a kiddo, it's something to think about.