The Egg Freezing Guide

Part 3 - The external costs you should know.

May 11, 2023

Hello 👋 and welcome to AthenaDAO’s newsletter where we explore women’s health at the intersection of research, tech, and web3. 🪩

In Part 2 of the egg freezing guide, we discussed the actual process of egg freezing. In this third instalment, we’ll be discussing the external costs of egg freezing - whether it be choosing a clinic, or directly acknowledging the finances themselves.

By Nidhi Parekh, founder of The Shared Microscope and Victoria Dmitruczyk

Data and medical information were checked by our lead OB-GYN Dr. Melissa Walsh.

How do you go about choosing a clinic?

Choosing a clinic is one of the most important decisions you will make on your egg freezing journey. And it can be intimidating.

Here, we provide some pointers/need-to-knows you should have in your pocket when making this decision.

Research 🔎
Start by looking at clinics in your area that offer egg freezing services. Find out more about their experience with the procedure and their success rate. It might also help to ask around and see if someone in your contacts has undergone this process -- where did they get it done? Do they have any wisdom to share?
Location and convenience 📍

Consider the location of the clinic you choose - how many times do you have to go in to the clinic? How long is your journey to get there? What are their opening times? Will they be able to assist you on the phone or after usual business hours, should you have any questions? Take all of this into consideration.
Patient reviews and testimonials 💬
While you’re researching a good clinic, make sure you look into some patient reviews and testimonials to get a better sense of the clinic’s reputation and patient satisfaction. Remember to look beyond the clinic’s own website and social media channels. Check out sites like Yelp, Google Reviews, and others.

If you’re still unsure about where to go, check out the r/eggfreezing subreddit for clinics and reviews of places in your area. There’s a good chance that the clinics in your area aren’t even mentioned on Reddit, but looking through existing posts is a great idea nonetheless - it’s chock full of practical advice from people who have either already frozen their eggs or are looking into the process just like you are.
Expertise 🥼

Look for a clinic that has a team of experienced fertility specialists and embryologists who are skilled in the egg freezing process. Ask about their qualifications, experience, and success rates with egg freezing.

The egg freezing process can be a physical and emotional rollercoaster for some. So if possible, look for a clinic that offers some form of support and guidance alongside your egg freezing journey.

Cost 💰

Egg freezing can be expensive, so it's important to consider the cost of the procedure when choosing a clinic. Ask about the total cost of the procedure, including any medications, monitoring, and storage fees. Some clinics may offer financing options or payment plans to help make the cost more manageable.

If your employer or insurance provider offers egg freezing as a benefit, it may be worth looking into the costs they will cover and if there are any particular details about clinics where you will have coverage.
Personal comfort 🤍

Egg freezing is a particularly personal journey, and you want good vibes from the person who’s going to help you on this journey. It doesn’t have to all feel like rainbows and unicorns, but you want to work with someone who makes you feel comfortable and confident. Many clinics provide a free consultation during which you can get a better sense of the people working there, the clinic, and ask any additional questions you may have.

What should I be expecting in terms of costs?

The cost of freezing your eggs varies widely depending on the geographical location of the clinic.

United States 🇺🇸

The average cost of egg freezing in the United States is around $15,000 to $20,000 per cycle. However, the total cost can vary depending on the number of cycles required and any additional costs for medications, consultations, and storage fees.
Typically, the treatment (including monitoring, egg retrieval, and anesthesia) will cost around $11,000, while medication typically sits at around $5,000. The cost of storage depends on how long an individual is planning to freeze their eggs.

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

The cost of egg freezing in the UK ranges from $3200 to $5600 per cycle, with additional costs for medications, consultations, and storage fees.
The average cost of having your eggs collected and frozen is £3,350, with medication being an added £500-£1,500. Storage costs are extra and tend to be between £125 and £350 per year. There are also additional costs for thawing out the eggs when needed later on.
Certain parts of this process can be covered by the NHS, however, this depends on whether a resident lives in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, or England.

Canada 🇨🇦

The average cost of egg freezing in Canada is around $7,000 to $8,000 USD per cycle, with additional costs for medications, consultations, and storage fees. The amount of how much is funded will vary from province to province.
OHIP, Ontario’s governmental health insurance plan, covers almost the entirety of egg freezing costs as long as one is a member of the Ontario Fertility Program, which simply requires you to be a resident of Ontario and have an OHIP card to sign up.

Australia 🇦🇺

The cost of egg freezing in Australia ranges from $3,300 to $10,000 USD per cycle, with additional costs for medications, consultations, and storage fees. Medicare and other government subsidies only apply to medical fertility preservation, so egg freezing may not be fully covered by governmental aid.
IVF Australia, a popular choice, has their Elective Egg Freezing Cycle Fee set at $6000 AUS. Their initial consultation fee is set at $250 AUS with a Medicare rebate of $76.80 AUS, day hospital, bed fee & anesthetist fee at around $1,930 AUS, and ongoing egg storage at a rate of $250 AUS every six months. Fertility medications start at $1,500 AUS.

Spain 🇪🇸

The average cost of egg freezing in Spain is around $3,800 to $5,000 per cycle, with additional costs for medications, consultations, and storage fees.
Spain is one of the more expensive countries for egg freezing in Europe, however, it remains a popular process there.

France 🇫🇷

The cost of egg freezing in France is quite unique - it’s completely free for almost all of the population. This includes non-citizens as well.
If someone is over 43 years old, getting treatment within another country in addition to France, looking to obtain donated oocytes, or seeking surrogacy, they do not quality for this program. These restrictions exist due to oocyte donation shortages and legal reasons. Otherwise, the cost of egg freezing is completely covered!

To learn more about the cost of egg freezing around the world, feel free to check out this list.

Apart from geographical location, the experience and qualifications of the fertility specialist, the number of eggs to be frozen, where you choose to store said eggs, and any additional services that may be required, will also add some costs to your egg freezing journey. For some of you, your employer may also cover the whole (or partial) cost of freezing your eggs.

Here’s a little list of the sort of things you will be charged for:

The initial consultation: This may be free of cost at some clinics, but at others, it comes with a bit of a price tag.
Follow-up consultations and evaluations: This is where the doctor will do some tests, which may include a number of blood tests and/or ultrasounds, to assess the viability of your eggs.
Medications: Freezing your eggs requires a series of hormonal medications to stimulate the ovaries and increase the number of eggs produced.
The egg retrieval procedure: This is the minor surgical procedure that your specialist will undertake to remove your eggs so you can freeze them.
Laboratory fees: The majority of this cost will be the actual freezing of your eggs and storing them.
Storage: The cost of actually storing your eggs. This is typically a set fee charged every year or paid upfront for a certain amount of years (ex. $2600 for 5 years of storage or $600/year every year they are frozen). Sometimes clinics will cover the cost of storage in the first year if your eggs are frozen through their services.
Any additional services you may need: e.g. genetic counseling and any additional testing.
Fertilization and Implantation: For when you decide to get pregnant, these procedures are performed to create the embryo for transfer to the uterus.

The bottom line? Egg freezing can be extremely expensive. Ask the clinic about any hidden costs you may incur. Don’t forget to also ask about the costs relating to using your own eggs too.

How common is egg freezing?

We looked for some statistics about egg freezing, to learn how common, or uncommon it is. And surprise surprise we don’t actually know. But according to an article published by the BBC, egg freezing is on the rise. The article suggests that egg freezing is on the rise, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, egg freezing retrievals increased by 39% and 50% in the US and the UK, respectively.

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220816-the-sharp-rise-in-egg-freezing

In our next issue, we’ll be tackling what happens after the egg freezing process occurs. Until then, if you would like more information, we encourage checking out the following resources:

For more information about women’s reproductive biology and other topics related to this, feel free to check out AthenaDAO’s Reproductive Health Report!

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