Freezing and storing eggs – what you need to know

Egg freezing is relatively new, and to date few babies have been born in the UK using frozen eggs.

One of the difficulties with this technique has been the low survival rate of eggs surviving the freeze-thaw process but a new method for storing eggs – vitrification – has recently been shown to improve the chance of eggs surviving and ultimately therefore increasing the chances of successfully using frozen eggs for future IVF treatment.

There are an increasing number of clinics now offering this treatment in the UK. The press regularly covers this issue, and we are often asked ‘should women freeze their eggs to preserve their future fertility’.  There is no right or wrong answer; individual circumstances are all different. However if you are considering freezing your eggs for whatever reason, you may have questions such as

  • Is egg freezing and storage for me?
  • What happens when eggs are frozen?
  • How much control do I have over what happens to my eggs?
  • How long can eggs be stored for?
  • What happens when I want to use my eggs?
  • What is my chance of having a baby with frozen eggs?
  • What are the risks of freezing eggs?
  • What are the options for girls or women having cancer treatment?

The answers to these and other questions you may have can be found on the HFEA website

The British Fertility Society have also produced a Quick Guide – Freezing Eggs for Future Use