What Is Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) retrieves eggs from your ovaries and flash-freezes them for future use. When you're ready to conceive, the eggs are thawed, fertilized with sperm via ICSI, and resulting embryos are transferred to your uterus.
The technology uses vitrification—ultra-rapid freezing that prevents ice crystal formation. Before vitrification became standard around 2012, egg freezing had poor survival rates. Modern vitrification achieves egg survival rates of 90–95%. ASRM removed the "experimental" label in 2012, and US cycles have grown from under 5,000 to over 100,000 annually by 2025.
Who Should Consider Egg Freezing?
Medical fertility preservation: Before cancer treatment, ovarian surgery, or for conditions like endometriosis. Often covered by insurance and medically urgent.
Elective/social egg freezing: You're in your early-to-mid 30s, don't have a partner or the right timing, and want to reduce biological clock pressure. The fastest-growing category.
Career or life timing: You want children but need 3–5+ more years. Freezing buys time without sacrificing egg quality.
If you're under 30 with no medical reason to freeze, the math gets tricky. Your eggs are excellent quality, and the probability of needing frozen eggs before 35 is low. That said, no one else gets to decide how you weigh peace of mind against cost.
The Age Factor: When to Freeze
Every egg freezing conversation comes back to age. Egg quality and quantity decline over time, and chromosomal abnormalities increase. This accelerates after 35 and drops sharply after 38.
The paradox: the best time to freeze is when you probably don't feel urgency (late 20s to early 30s), and by the time urgency hits (late 30s), returns are diminishing.
Success Rates: The Numbers That Matter
Success isn't measured per-egg—it's cumulative based on how many eggs you freeze and at what age:
| Age at Freezing | Eggs Frozen | Est. Live Birth Rate | Thaw Survival |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | 20+ | 70–80% | 90–95% |
| Under 35 | 10–15 | 50–70% | 90–95% |
| 35–37 | 15–20 | 50–60% | 85–92% |
| 35–37 | 10–15 | 35–50% | 85–92% |
| 38–40 | 15–20 | 30–40% | 80–90% |
| 38–40 | 10–15 | 20–30% | 80–90% |
| Over 40 | 15–20 | 10–20% | 75–85% |
Most specialists recommend 15–20 mature eggs for a strong chance. Each step involves attrition: not all survive thaw, not all fertilize, not all develop to embryo stage, not all implant. Starting with more eggs means more chances at each hurdle. Under 35, a single cycle often yields 10–20 eggs. Over 35, you may need 2 cycles.
The Egg Freezing Process
Egg freezing follows the first half of IVF: stimulation and retrieval. No fertilization, embryo culture, or transfer.
Week 1–2: Stimulation. Daily hormone injections stimulate your ovaries to develop multiple follicles. Clinic visits every 2–3 days for monitoring. Bloating, mood fluctuations, early morning appointments. 8–14 days.
Retrieval Day. Trigger shot 34–36 hours before, then egg retrieval under IV sedation. 15–30 minute procedure, rest for an hour, someone drives you home. Most people feel normal within 48 hours.
After. You'll learn how many eggs were retrieved and how many were mature (only mature eggs are frozen). Your next period arrives 7–14 days later, body returns to normal within one cycle.
For the detailed walkthrough, see our IVF Process Guide—the stimulation and retrieval phases are identical.
How Much Does Egg Freezing Cost?
| Cost Component | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Retrieval procedure | $7,000–$12,000 |
| Medications | $3,000–$7,000 |
| Initial freezing + 1st year storage | Often included; sometimes $1,000–$2,000 |
| Annual storage | $500–$1,000/year |
| Total per cycle | $10,000–$19,000 |
| Total investment (1 cycle + 10yr storage) | $15,000–$29,000 |
Ways to Reduce Cost
Employer benefits: Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, Salesforce, and many mid-size employers now offer $10,000–$25,000 in egg freezing coverage. Check your benefits portal.
Multi-cycle packages: Discounted pricing when you commit to 2 cycles upfront.
IVF abroad: Egg freezing in Spain or Colombia costs 50–70% less. See our IVF Cost Guide.
The Honest Limitations
It's not a guarantee. Even 20 high-quality frozen eggs don't guarantee a baby. Each step involves natural attrition. The numbers are good, especially for younger women—but they're probabilities, not promises.
Most women who freeze eggs never use them. Only about 20% thaw their eggs. The majority conceive naturally. Whether that's a failure or a success depends on how you value peace of mind.
Frozen eggs have slightly lower fertilization rates. Fresh eggs: ~70–80%. Frozen-thawed: ~65–75%. Small but real. Volume compensates.
Storage decisions get complicated. Annual fees accumulate. After 5–10 years, you face choices: continue paying, use them, or dispose of them.
Think of egg freezing like health insurance. You don't buy it hoping to use it—you buy it because the cost of not having it, if you do need it, is catastrophic. The best outcome is never needing your frozen eggs. The investment buys time and reduces psychological pressure, which has real value.