Explore egg freezing
Elective egg freezing means collecting and freezing some of your own eggs now, so you keep the option of trying to use them later.
What happens
- Medication helps several eggs mature in one cycle, scans follow how they grow, and the eggs are collected in a short procedure.
- Mature eggs are frozen unfertilised. Embryo freezing is different: eggs are fertilised first, which needs sperm and a joint decision about the embryos.
- Egg freezing keeps an option open. It cannot promise a pregnancy later, and the chance depends a lot on age at freezing and how many mature eggs are stored.
Confirm with your clinic
- Whether egg or embryo freezing fits your plans
- What your age and test results might mean for you
- The full cost, including yearly storage
Who to contact
A fertility specialist at a clinic you are considering. MYOS can help you prepare your questions.
Questions to bring to your clinic
Questions people ask
General education from the MYOS patient guide. Every answer is in clinical review and not yet approved by a clinic. Your clinic's own instructions come first.
How is egg freezing different from IVF?
Both usually involve ovarian stimulation, monitoring and egg retrieval. In egg freezing, suitable mature eggs are frozen unfertilised. In IVF, eggs are fertilised with the aim of creating embryos.
In clinical reviewGeneral educationVersion 1 · effective 2026-11Source: HFEA: Egg freezing, use and storageAlso in IVF
Who might consider egg freezing?
People may consider it before treatment that can impair fertility, or to preserve an option for later family building. If another medical treatment is imminent, ask for a coordinated fertility preservation referral promptly.
In clinical reviewGeneral educationVersion 1 · effective 2026-11Source: ASRM ReproductiveFacts: Planned egg freezing
When is the best age to freeze?
Outcomes tend to be better when eggs are frozen at a younger age. The decision also depends on personal plans, expected response, costs, risks and how likely you are to use the eggs.
In clinical reviewGeneral educationVersion 1 · effective 2026-11Source: ASRM: Evidence on planned oocyte cryopreservation
Will I need sperm to freeze eggs?
Eggs can be frozen unfertilised. Creating embryos before freezing requires sperm and involves separate decisions about consent and future use.
In clinical reviewGeneral educationVersion 1 · effective 2026-11Source: HFEA: Egg freezing, use and storage
Does egg freezing guarantee a baby later?
No. Some eggs may not survive warming, fertilise or develop into transferable embryos. A transfer also may not result in a live birth. Ask your clinic to explain these steps when discussing your chances.
In clinical reviewGeneral educationVersion 1 · effective 2026-11Source: ASRM ReproductiveFacts: Planned egg freezing