Egg and embryo freezing give you the option to protect your fertility for the future — whether for medical, personal or career reasons.
Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs, retrieving them, and freezing them using vitrification — a fast-freezing technique that minimises ice-crystal damage and preserves egg quality. The eggs remain unfertilised and frozen until you are ready to use them, at which point they are thawed, fertilised and transferred as part of an IVF cycle.
Embryo freezing follows the same stimulation and retrieval process, but the eggs are fertilised with sperm (partner or donor) and cultured into embryos before being frozen. Because embryos tend to survive the thawing process slightly more reliably than unfertilised eggs, this can be a preferred option for couples who are certain about their partner or are using donor sperm.
Assessment of ovarian reserve (AMH, antral follicle count) and overall health.
8–14 days of hormone injections to mature multiple eggs, with regular monitoring.
A short procedure under sedation to collect the mature eggs.
Eggs are vitrified directly, or fertilised first and frozen as embryos.
Secure cryostorage until you're ready to use them, with regular clinic check-ins.
Egg freezing generally yields the best results when done earlier — most specialists suggest considering it in the late 20s to mid-30s, though the right time depends on your individual ovarian reserve and life plans.
With modern vitrification (flash-freezing) techniques, eggs and embryos can be stored for many years with minimal impact on quality, though storage duration limits may vary by clinic policy and local regulation.
The stimulation phase involves daily injections, and retrieval is performed under sedation, similar to the first half of an IVF cycle — most patients describe it as manageable rather than painful.
No — egg freezing improves future options but does not guarantee pregnancy, since outcomes still depend on the number and quality of eggs retrieved and frozen, and other fertility factors at the time of use.
Couples who are certain about their partner and want a slightly higher post-thaw success rate sometimes prefer to fertilise and freeze embryos rather than unfertilised eggs.
