Freezing & preserving
Egg freezing
Also called: Oocyte cryopreservation, social or elective egg freezing
Your ovaries are stimulated and eggs collected as in IVF, but the eggs are frozen instead of fertilised. Later they can be thawed, fertilised (with ICSI) and an embryo transferred.
2–3 weeks per cycle
£2,900–£5,000 + drugs
Only for medical reasons
Who it's for
- People who want to keep the option of having children later
- Anyone about to have treatment that may affect fertility, e.g. chemotherapy
- Trans and non-binary people before hormone treatment or surgery
- People who don't want to create spare embryos
Key facts
- Age at freezing matters most – eggs frozen younger have better chances.
- Most people under 38 have around 7–14 eggs collected per cycle.
- Since July 2022 you can store eggs for up to 55 years, renewing consent every 10 years.
- The number of people freezing eggs rose from about 700 in 2014 to 5,580 in 2024.
- It's not a guarantee – many frozen eggs won't become a baby.
What happens
- 1
Tests
AMH, a scan, and screening for infections like HIV and hepatitis.
- 2
Stimulation (10–14 days)
Daily hormone injections and monitoring scans, as for IVF.
- 3
Egg collection
Under sedation, 20–30 minutes.
- 4
Freezing
Mature eggs are vitrified (fast-frozen) and stored in liquid nitrogen.
- 5
Later: thaw and use
Eggs are thawed, fertilised with ICSI and an embryo transferred.
How long it takes: About 2–3 weeks of treatment per cycle. Some people do 2–3 cycles to bank more eggs.
Success rates
- The HFEA advises looking at fresh-IVF success rates for your age as the more reliable guide, because numbers using frozen eggs are still small.
- Ask clinics how many egg-thaw cycles they've done and their results.
Each clinic's published rates – compared with the UK average – are on its profile in the clinic finder.
Costs
HFEA estimates about £3,350 to collect and freeze, plus £500–£1,500 for drugs and £125–£350 a year for storage. Thawing and transfer later is about £2,500 – so £7,000–£8,000 overall on average.
| What | Price | Clinic |
|---|---|---|
| Egg freezing | £2,900 | ARGC |
| Egg freezing and storage | from £3,845 | TFP Fertility |
| Egg freezing cycle | £4,950 (3 cycles: £11,250) | Concept Fertility |
| ICSI using thawed eggs | £2,500 | ARGC |
| Egg storage per year | £300–£444 | ARGC, Herts & Essex |
NHS funding
- NHS-funded for medical reasons (e.g. before cancer treatment) in many areas.
- Elective ('social') egg freezing isn't NHS-funded.
Risks and side effects
- OHSS and other IVF drug side effects.
- The main risk is that it doesn't lead to a baby.
- Pregnancy at an older age carries more risks.
Sources
Prices are examples from clinics' published price lists, checked November 2026. They change – always get a written quote.