{"id":105048,"date":"2022-11-11T17:19:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T15:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/?p=105048"},"modified":"2023-05-12T13:40:07","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T11:40:07","slug":"ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask an Expert: Egg Freezing FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Egg freezing is becoming an increasingly common fertility treatment. For women who want to have biological children in the future but may have conflicting priorities right now, it can be an extremely valuable option to consider. If you are new to egg freezing, it&#8217;s important to be informed about all the steps involved and above all, understand that no fertility treatment can guarantee success.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#What_are_the_benefits_of_freezing_eggs\" title=\"What are the benefits of freezing eggs?\">What are the benefits of freezing eggs?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#What_is_the_process_of_freezing_eggs\" title=\"What is the process of freezing eggs?\">What is the process of freezing eggs?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#Can_I_freeze_eggs_if_I_am_over_35\" title=\"Can I freeze eggs if I am over 35?\">Can I freeze eggs if I am over 35?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#How_long_does_it_take_to_freeze_eggs\" title=\"How long does it take to freeze eggs?\">How long does it take to freeze eggs?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#Can_I_get_egg_freezing_funded_by_the_NHS\" title=\"Can I get egg freezing funded by the NHS?\">Can I get egg freezing funded by the NHS?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#How_much_does_egg_freezing_cost\" title=\"How much does egg freezing cost?\">How much does egg freezing cost?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#What_advice_would_you_give_to_women_who_are_considering_freezing_eggs\" title=\"What advice would you give to women who are considering freezing eggs?\">What advice would you give to women who are considering freezing eggs?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_benefits_of_freezing_eggs\"><\/span><strong>What are the benefits of freezing eggs?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Nowadays, it is normal for women to delay having children until later in life. Sometimes by choice, sometimes through circumstance. It is important to respect everyone&#8217;s choices and avoid passing judgement. However, from a biological perspective, your chances of getting pregnant peak in your mid-20s to early-30s. When you reach your mid-30s, fertility starts to decline more rapidly. This is a normal and natural part of ageing.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, there is a lack of information about the implications of age in terms of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/how-does-female-fertility-change-with-age\/\">egg quality<\/a> \u2013 it is something I see very often in consultations and it is a problem we cannot \u2018fix\u2019. When we freeze eggs, we preserve their quality at that moment \u2013 if you freeze eggs at 30, for example, your eggs will retain the same potential of achieving a pregnancy if you use them at 40. Your chances of success depend on your age when you freeze your eggs \u2013 they are not affected by the age at which you use them in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/assisted-reproduction-treatments\/in-vitro-fertilisation\/\">IVF treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, freezing eggs when you are younger is an excellent option that allows you to prioritise what is important while having a &#8216;plan B&#8217; in place.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_process_of_freezing_eggs\"><\/span><strong>What is the process of freezing eggs?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Treatment begins with ovarian stimulation, which uses hormone injections over 10 \u2013 12 days to help the body to produce more eggs than normal. Once enough eggs have matured, we induce ovulation and 36 hours later, we retrieve the eggs.<\/p>\n<p>The egg collection lasts no longer than 20 minutes and is performed under sedation so you won\u2019t feel any discomfort. Once collected, the eggs are immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196\u00b0C (also known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/assisted-reproduction-treatments\/vitrification-of-oocytes\/\">vitrification<\/a>). Recovery is fast and you\u2019re normally discharged within one hour, although we do recommend taking the day off to rest.<\/p>\n<p>It is important to realise that egg freezing doesn\u2019t always result in a baby. To best understand your individual chances, it\u2019s a good idea to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/ask-for-an-appointment\/\">book an initial consultation<\/a> with a fertility clinic.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_freeze_eggs_if_I_am_over_35\"><\/span><strong>Can I freeze eggs if I am over 35?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Yes, you can freeze eggs if you are over 35 but keep in mind that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/assisted-reproduction-treatments\/fertility-preservation\/\">freezing eggs<\/a> preserves egg quality, so timing is important. Egg freezing works best if you do it earlier in life when the quality of your eggs is better \u2013 ideally, before 35. Although age has a significant role in your chances of success, other factors like lifestyle, genetics and pre-existing conditions can all be a factor, too.<\/p>\n<p>If you freeze eggs in your late-30s or early-40s, you may produce fewer eggs and they may be lower in quality. This means you may need to go through multiple egg freezing cycles to accumulate an adequate number of eggs.<\/p>\n<p>Not every egg is going to be viable: some may not be mature enough upon retrieval, some may not survive the thawing process, and some may not fertilise correctly when mixed with sperm. That is why we stimulate the ovaries to produce a multiple number of eggs during an egg freezing cycle. Freezing a higher number of eggs gives you the best possible chance of having a baby. Put simply, the more you freeze, the better your chances.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_does_it_take_to_freeze_eggs\"><\/span><strong>How long does it take to freeze eggs?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>From your initial consultation to the day of your egg collection, the entire process takes between 2 \u2013 3 weeks at IVI London.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_get_egg_freezing_funded_by_the_NHS\"><\/span><strong>Can I get egg freezing funded by the NHS?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The NHS offers egg freezing in certain medical situations, such as for people who risk infertility because of <a href=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/services\/gynaecology\/reproductive-medicine\/fertility-preservation-for-patients-diagnosed-with-cancer\/\">cancer treatment<\/a>. Women who want to freeze eggs for non-medical reasons (sometimes called \u2018social freezing\u2019) must use a private clinic.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_does_egg_freezing_cost\"><\/span><strong>How much does egg freezing cost?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This will depend on which clinic you choose. At IVI London, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/pricing\/\">egg freezing cycle<\/a> costs \u00a33,295. This excludes the costs of services that vary from person to person, such as pre-treatment tests and medication. For these costs, we always recommend our patients to budget an additional \u00a31,000 &#8211; \u00a31,500.<\/p>\n<p>Before undergoing treatment, you should check the credentials of the clinic, read the reviews and ask to see their proven results. A good clinic will give you all of the answers you need, so you leave feeling safe and thoroughly satisfied. A low-cost treatment is an attractive offer, but you should make sure they also have the right level of experience to support you. Egg freezing is a complex medical procedure: it is best to leave this responsibility to safe hands.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_advice_would_you_give_to_women_who_are_considering_freezing_eggs\"><\/span><strong>What advice would you give to women who are considering freezing eggs?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you are going to freeze eggs, my biggest tip would be to do it sooner, rather than later. As we all know, fertility \u2013 including egg quality \u2013 declines with age. Freezing eggs before you turn 35 is best.<\/p>\n<p>Your lifestyle can improve your egg quality: by moderating your alcohol intake, eating healthy foods, sleeping well and exercising, it can increase the likelihood of a successful\u00a0egg freezing\u00a0treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Manage your expectations: egg freezing is never a guaranteed success and age is a key factor. Women under 35 have a 16% chance of having a baby when 5 eggs are frozen \u2013 with 15 eggs, this increases to 77% and with 25 eggs to 95%. For those over 35, there is a 6% chance with 5 eggs, increasing to 50% with 20 eggs. If you really want kids, you might consider having multiple cycles to maximise your chances.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t underestimate the emotional toll of fertility treatment \u2013 get support, whether that\u2019s a friend, family member or therapist. At IVI, we have in-house counsellors who provide their services free of charge to all patients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Egg freezing is becoming an increasingly common fertility treatment. For women who want to have biological children in the future but may have conflicting priorities right now, it can be an extremely valuable option to consider. If you are new to egg freezing, it&#8217;s important to be informed about all the steps involved and above&#8230; <a class=\"view-article\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/\">View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":104975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,17],"tags":[213],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ask an Expert: Egg Freezing FAQ - IVI UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Egg freezing is becoming more common. Before treatment, it&#039;s important to understand the steps involved, as well as your chances of success.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ask an Expert: Egg Freezing FAQ - IVI UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Egg freezing is becoming more common. Before treatment, it&#039;s important to understand the steps involved, as well as your chances of success.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"IVI UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-11T15:19:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-12T11:40:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/11\/Oocytes-vitrification-London-1400-copy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"934\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ivilondon2019\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ivilondon2019\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ask an Expert: Egg Freezing FAQ - IVI UK","description":"Egg freezing is becoming more common. Before treatment, it's important to understand the steps involved, as well as your chances of success.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ask an Expert: Egg Freezing FAQ - IVI UK","og_description":"Egg freezing is becoming more common. Before treatment, it's important to understand the steps involved, as well as your chances of success.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/","og_site_name":"IVI UK","article_published_time":"2022-11-11T15:19:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-12T11:40:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1400,"height":934,"url":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/11\/Oocytes-vitrification-London-1400-copy.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"ivilondon2019","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ivilondon2019","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/","name":"Ask an Expert: Egg Freezing FAQ - IVI UK","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/11\/Oocytes-vitrification-London-1400-copy.jpg","datePublished":"2022-11-11T15:19:07+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-12T11:40:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/670876b24e62fc4796f9863b33ae6942"},"description":"Egg freezing is becoming more common. Before treatment, it's important to understand the steps involved, as well as your chances of success.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/11\/Oocytes-vitrification-London-1400-copy.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/11\/Oocytes-vitrification-London-1400-copy.jpg","width":1400,"height":934,"caption":"Oocytes vitrification London"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/blog\/ask-an-expert-egg-freezing-faq\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ask an Expert: Egg Freezing FAQ"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/","name":"IVI UK","description":"Reproducci\u00f3n asistida - Tratamientos de fertilidad","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/670876b24e62fc4796f9863b33ae6942","name":"ivilondon2019"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105048"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105048"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105050,"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105048\/revisions\/105050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ivi.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}