Egg Freezing vs IVF

When is the best time to freeze your eggs? This is a question we often get from our patients who are considering fertility preservation, and the answer isn’t a simple one.

The first live birth from a previously frozen egg occurred in 1986. Huge advances have been made in the technology used to freeze eggs since that time and egg freezing was deemed non-experimental by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in 2013. According to the US Census Bureau, the average age of women giving birth has reached an all-time high at 30-years-old in 2019. Women who are delaying childbearing for personal or social reasons and want to maintain their reproductive options are increasingly pursuing egg freezing in order to increase their chances of having biologically related children in the future. For these reasons, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of women pursuing egg freezing in the United States. According to the ASRM, the number of women freezing eggs more than doubled from 6,090 in 2014 to 12,438 in 2020.

For patients who are considering elective oocyte cryopreservation, the question of timing is of central importance. Factors that need to be considered include: the effect of time/age on the quantity and quality of a woman’s eggs, desired family size, the cost of egg freezing now, and the cost of future fertility treatment that would be required if egg freezing is not performed.

A study recently published in Fertility & Sterility attempted to address this question. This study used data from the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART.org) on egg freezing and IVF success rates to compare the likelihood and cost of achieving the desired family size (1 or 2 children) for a woman who froze her eggs compared to not freezing eggs and doing IVF in the future. The results of the study showed that egg freezing was not only more successful at helping women who were delaying childbearing achieve their desired family size in the future, but was also more cost effective than not freezing eggs and doing IVF at an older age. The highest chance of achieving the desired number of children was seen if egg freezing was done in the early 30s, and egg freezing was cost-effective until the age of 39.

This study provides good evidence that egg freezing at an earlier age not only provides a better likelihood of achieving your desired family size but is also more cost-effective than relying on IVF at a more advanced reproductive age. Egg freezing appears to be most effective when performed in the early 30s. Collectively, these data suggest that women who do not plan to start their families before the age of 35 should consider egg freezing as an effective option for improving their reproductive options and increasing the likelihood of attaining their desired family size in the future.

While these general guidelines are helpful, every woman is unique, and your personal plan should be too. We encourage you to talk to your doctor about your family building goals and consider making an appointment with one of our fertility specialists to discuss whether egg freezing is right for you.

If you are interested in freezing your eggs and would like to know more, you can make an appointment with one of our physicians by calling 843-883-5800 or clicking here.