Egg Freezing: Process, Cost and Who Should Consider It

Medically reviewed by Dr Manjushree Boob — MD, DNB, FICMCH, FICOG, Infertility & IVF Consultant, Shubham Hi-Tech Hospital and Test Tube Baby Centre, Amravati.

A 33-year-old software engineer sat in my room last year and said something I have heard many times since, in slightly different words: “I am not ready for a baby. I am just not sure I will still have the option when I am.”

That sentence is the whole reason egg freezing exists. It is not a fashionable procedure or an insurance policy — it is a way of holding on to younger eggs while the rest of your life catches up. What follows is what I go through with women who ask about it, including the parts that are less comfortable to say.

What freezing actually preserves

You are born with all the eggs you will ever have, and both their number and their quality decline with age. The quality part matters most. A 30-year-old’s eggs are far more likely to be chromosomally normal than the same woman’s eggs at 40 — which is why age at freezing, not age at thawing, is what governs your chances later.

So freezing eggs at 32 and using them at 40 gives you, roughly speaking, the egg quality of a 32-year-old. That is genuinely valuable. What it does not give you is a guarantee of a baby, and any clinic that implies otherwise is selling rather than counselling.

Who it makes real sense for

Some situations where I actively support it:

• You are in your early to mid thirties, do not have a partner yet, and want children later.
• A medical treatment ahead of you may harm ovarian function — chemotherapy is the clearest example, and this conversation should happen before treatment starts.
• You have a condition likely to reduce ovarian reserve over time, such as severe endometriosis or a history of ovarian surgery.
• There is a family pattern of early menopause.
• You are planning to delay childbearing by several years for reasons you have thought through — study, career, or simply not being ready.

And where I would gently slow you down: if you are 41 with a very low ovarian reserve, freezing is unlikely to deliver what you are hoping for, and the same money may be better spent on trying now. If you are 25 with no particular risk, there is usually time to decide later.

“My mother says I should just get married and have children instead of doing all this.”

I hear a version of this in almost every consultation, and I do not dismiss it — family concern comes from love. But the choice is not between egg freezing and a natural pregnancy. Freezing changes nothing about your ability to conceive normally, and the eggs quietly wait in case you need them. Many families come round once they understand it is a backup and not a replacement.

How the process runs, step by step

Before you start. Blood tests including AMH, a scan to count the follicles in your ovaries, and infection screening. AMH and the antral follicle count together tell us roughly how many eggs to expect — if you want the longer version, read what a good AMH level really means.

Stimulation, about 10 to 12 days. Daily hormone injections encourage several follicles to mature instead of the single one your body would normally choose. You come in every few days for a short scan and sometimes a blood test. Normal work and routine continue — most of my patients tell nobody at their office.

The trigger and collection. A final injection is given at a precise time, and about 36 hours later the eggs are collected vaginally under ultrasound guidance, with short anaesthesia. It takes 15 to 20 minutes. You go home the same day, usually within a few hours.

Vitrification. Mature eggs are frozen within hours by vitrification — ultra-rapid cooling that prevents ice crystals forming inside the egg. This single technique is why modern egg freezing works far better than the slow-freeze methods of twenty years ago.

Later, when you need them. Eggs are thawed, fertilised with sperm using ICSI, and the resulting embryo is transferred — essentially the second half of the IVF process.

“How many eggs do I need to freeze?”

More than most people expect. Not every egg survives thawing, not every survivor fertilises, and not every embryo is healthy. Because of that attrition, we usually aim to bank a reasonable number rather than a handful, and younger women need fewer than older ones for the same realistic chance. Some women need two collection cycles to reach a sensible total. It is better to know that at the start than to discover it afterwards.

What determines the cost

I will not quote figures here, because prices move and because the honest answer depends on you. But you should know exactly what you are paying for, and it falls into three parts:

The cycle itself — consultations, scans, the egg collection procedure, anaesthesia and the laboratory work of vitrification. This is usually quoted as one package.

The medicines — the injections used for stimulation, and this is the part that varies most between women. Someone with a strong ovarian reserve may need a modest dose; someone who responds poorly may need considerably more for fewer eggs.

Annual storage — a yearly fee for keeping the eggs in the tank, which continues for as long as you store them.

And there is a fourth cost people forget: using the eggs later involves thawing, ICSI, embryo culture and transfer, which is a separate expense at a separate time. When you compare clinics, compare all four, and ask what happens to the price if a second cycle turns out to be needed. Call us on +91-8668954915 and we will give you our current figures plainly, with no obligation.

What to expect at your first appointment

Bring any previous scan or hormone reports. Expect a scan on the same visit if your cycle timing allows. We will talk about your age, your reserve, your medical history, and honestly about what a realistic outcome looks like for you specifically — including whether one cycle is likely to be enough. Ask what the anaesthesia involves, how many visits you will need, and how storage is handled if you move city. Nothing is decided that day; most women go home and think about it for a few weeks.

“If I freeze my eggs, am I admitting something has gone wrong with my life?”

Not remotely. Timing is not a moral failure. Careers, studies, waiting for the right partner, an illness that had to come first — these are ordinary reasons and I have never once thought less of a woman for arriving at 34 without a baby and wanting to keep her options open.

Egg freezing is a considered decision, not an emergency one, and it deserves an unhurried conversation with someone who will tell you when it is not worth it. If you would like to talk it through, our fertility team at Shubham Hi-Tech Hospital and Test Tube Baby Centre, Amravati, will assess your reserve and give you a straight answer about what freezing can and cannot do for you. Call +91-8668954915 or reach us through our contact page, or read more about our IVF and fertility services.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor for guidance specific to your situation.