9 things you should know before you freeze your eggs

Egg freezing may help buy you some time if you’re not ready to have a baby just yet. If you’re considering freezing your eggs, here’s what you need to know beforehand.

Your body is most fertile in your 20s and early 30s. This is when your ovaries have the largest number of healthy eggs. As you get older, the quality and quantity of your eggs decline.

“If having the option to have a baby is important to you, egg freezing is definitely worth exploring,” says Medical Director at Melbourne IVF, Dr Fleur Cattrall. “Between the ages of 30 and 35 is a good idea. If you have medical conditions that may affect your fertility, it can be done earlier.”

Before you see a fertility specialist to discuss freezing your eggs, you need a referral from your GP.

Some clinics suggest asking for an indefinite referral, or one that’s valid for 12 months. This allows you to receive the maximum Medicare rebate if you’re eligible.

It’s a good idea to book in for a fertility assessment when you’re 30 (or earlier if you have medical condition that affects fertility).

A specialist will consider your personal circumstances alongside the results of an Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) Test to measure how many eggs are left in your ovaries.

“The results will tell us whether your ovarian reserve is normal, low or high for your age,” explains Dr Cattrall. Even though the AMH test can tell you how many eggs you have, it doesn’t tell you the quality of these eggs.

“This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to proceed with egg freezing,” says Dr Cattrall. “But it helps you gather information to make an informed decision.”

When you freeze your eggs, you’ll need to have a series of daily hormone injections, usually done at home. This helps stimulate egg production over about 10 days. Over this 10-day period you’ll have between 1 and 3 ultrasounds. This monitors the size and number of growing eggs.

You’ll need time and flexibility to attend appointments during this period.

Side effects of the hormone injections may include bloating, breast tenderness, nausea and headaches. In most cases, symptoms are mild, although everyone responds differently.

“During an egg freezing cycle, [people] can continue to work and do all their usual activities,” says Dr Cattrall.

In rare cases, injecting fertility drugs can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This causes the ovaries to become swollen and painful. Symptoms include stomach pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting and abdominal swelling.

Egg retrieval is a day surgery procedure. This is performed under a short general anaesthetic.

During the 20-minute procedure, a needle is passed through the top of the vagina to retrieve the eggs from the ovaries.

Once the procedure is finalised, you’ll be escorted back to the recovery bay while your eggs are being transferred to the lab safely. Your doctor will be able to let you know how many eggs they collected.

Most people who have an egg collection under sedation report no pain, but some discomfort such as cramping or feeling a little lightheaded.

There is a rare chance of complications, including infection or injury to nearby organs or blood vessels.

Eggs can be frozen and stored for many years using a process called vitrification (a fast-freezing method). From what we know so far, frozen eggs don’t seem to lose quality over time, although research into very long-term storage is still ongoing.¹

What matters most is your age at the time you freeze your eggs. The younger you are, the more likely your eggs are to be healthy.

It’s also worth knowing that egg quality can’t be fully measured at the time of collection. The only way to understand how an egg will perform is to fertilise it and let it develop into an embryo.

That’s why outcomes can vary from person to person and why there’s no exact formula for how many eggs you might need.

Egg freezing can be a significant investment, and costs can vary depending on the clinic and your individual treatment plan. As a guide, total egg freezing costs in Australia are often estimated at around $8,000 to $15,000 or more per cycle once medications, hospital fees and other associated costs are included, although costs can vary between clinics and treatment plans.^2,3 Ongoing storage fees are commonly around $300 to $600 per year.³

If you’re freezing your eggs for medical reasons, like cancer treatment, Medicare may cover part of the cost. But if you’re doing it for personal reasons, it’s usually not covered.

Private health insurance generally won’t cover egg freezing either, but some policies may help with parts of the process, like hospital or anaesthetist fees. Speak to your health insurer to see what your policy covers.

It’s vital to be mentally prepared before your freeze your eggs. Freezing your eggs can be a significant emotional risk. It may bring up feelings of anxiety and disappointment or even a grieving of the life or rites of passage you thought you may have.

Consider how you’ll feel if things don’t go to plan. What if you don’t get as many eggs as you’d hoped for? What if you discover you have fertility issues?

If you’re unsure whether you’re emotionally ready, it’s worth speaking to a psychologist or counsellor to discuss your fears and concerns. If you decide to go ahead, make sure you have emotional support in place. Many fertility clinics offer an in-house counselling service.

Egg freezing may give you more options down the track, but it’s important to know it doesn’t guarantee you’ll have a baby.⁴

A lot goes on behind the scenes, and outcomes can look a little different for everyone. Things like your age when you freeze your eggs, how many are collected, and how they respond later all play a role.

Because of this, not every egg will follow the same path. Some may develop into embryos and beyond, while others may not.⁴

This is why specialists often recommend, where possible, having enough eggs stored to give you the best chance in the future, particularly if you’re freezing your eggs a little later.

“If you’re closer to 40 and freezing your eggs, you might need to consider 2 egg freezing cycles,” says Dr Cattrall. “Time is still important, even if you have eggs frozen. It’s better to know whether the eggs will lead to a baby sooner rather than later, so you still have the option to go back and get more eggs.”