21 November 2023
How much does it cost to freeze your eggs?
Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) provides a life-changing opportunity for women who are not ready or not in a position to have children right now. It offers a way to preserve your fertility until you’re ready to start a family, and with advances in technology, it has become a more common consideration in family planning.
There are many reasons you may choose to go this route, and it is suitable for a range of women – including those with an increased risk of early menopause, those who wish to postpone childbearing for personal or career reasons, and women who are about to undergo cancer treatment that could affect fertility.
Our egg freezing services use modern vitrification techniques to successfully freeze and store eggs for up to 55 years (the current legal limit in the UK). This gives you the flexibility to attempt pregnancy at a time that is right for you – mentally, physically, and financially.
However, before deciding to go down this route, it’s important to be aware of the practical considerations – especially the costs – to ensure it’s right for you.
Navigation guide
1. The cost of egg freezing in the UK
2. Payment plans and financing options
3. Understanding the egg freezing process
4. When is the best time to freeze your eggs?
5. For men: supporting your partner’s fertility preservation
6. For couples: making the decision together
1. The cost of egg freezing in the UK
Deciding whether to freeze your eggs isn’t always easy. Besides the medical and emotional aspects, cost is one of the biggest factors to consider.
Before making a decision, it’s imperative to understand all the costs involved so that there are no surprises along the way. The UK’s fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), advises patients to ask for a fully itemised quote from their clinic, including things like medication and storage, so you’re not caught out by unexpected extras. Some clinics quote a lower “headline” price but add many additional fees later, so always seek clarity upfront.
At the time of writing, with Harley Street Fertility Clinic, the initial treatment process of collecting and freezing your eggs costs £3,900. On top of this, there will be additional expenses for necessary medications and ongoing storage of the frozen eggs.
A breakdown of costs for one egg freezing cycle
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Egg freezing procedure: ~£3,900* for one cycle (this usually includes all standard clinic fees for scans, blood tests, egg collection, laboratory work, etc.).
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Medications: approximately £800 to £2,500 per cycle – this pays for fertility drugs to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs. The exact amount depends on your dosage and how you respond to the meds.
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Egg storage: about £360 per year for keeping your frozen eggs in storage. (Most clinics charge an annual storage fee, so you’ll need to budget for this for as long as you keep your eggs frozen.)
(*Based on HSFC pricing, July 2025)
It’s a good idea to request a fully costed treatment plan from your chosen clinic so that all charges are clear and you won’t be taken aback by any extra fees along the journey. With the newer vitrification methods, frozen eggs have an expected thaw survival rate of over 90%, making egg freezing more effective than ever before.
What does the initial egg-freezing fee cover?
At Harley Street Fertility Clinic, the initial package cost (egg collection and freezing cycle) typically includes:
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A preliminary nurse consultation and treatment planning session.
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All necessary blood tests and monitoring ultrasound scans during the ovarian stimulation phase.
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The egg collection procedure itself (with sedation or light anaesthesia for your comfort).
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Laboratory handling and vitrification freezing of the eggs immediately after collection.
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A follow-up scan after the egg collection to ensure you are recovering well.
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A review consultation with your doctor if the outcome of the cycle is not as hoped (for example, if no eggs were obtained or other issues arose).
These inclusions mean the base fee covers the key medical steps of the egg freezing cycle. Medication costs, as noted, are usually separate.
Medication can be a significant cost variable – for instance, a younger woman with a robust ovarian reserve might require a lower dose (and thus lower cost) of stimulation drugs than an older woman or someone with lower egg reserves. Always clarify with your clinic what is included in the package versus what is billed separately.
What about when you want to use the eggs?
When you’re ready to attempt pregnancy, the frozen eggs will be thawed and fertilised in an IVF process to create embryos. There is a separate cost for the thawing and embryo transfer cycle. With Harley Street Fertility Clinic, at the time of writing, this is £4,600. The cost covers the IVF components such as:
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A nurse consultation to complete consent forms and instruction on any required medications (for preparing the uterus).
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Monitoring during the treatment cycle (blood tests and ultrasound scans to track the uterine lining, etc.).
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Egg thawing in the lab and assessment of how many survive the thaw.
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Sperm preparation (from your partner or a donor) and fertilisation of the eggs, typically by ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection, where a single sperm is injected into each egg).
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Embryo culture in the lab (allowing fertilised eggs to develop for a few days).
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Any advanced embryology techniques if needed (for example, assisted hatching or embryo glue, depending on the clinic’s protocol).
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The embryo transfer procedure to place an embryo into your uterus.
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Continued optional support such as acupuncture or fertility support sessions around the time of embryo transfer.
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Follow-up blood tests for pregnancy (e.g. a progesterone level test during the two-week wait, and a pregnancy test).
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An early pregnancy ultrasound scan if the treatment is successful, or a review consultation with your doctor if the outcome is negative.
The entire egg freezing journey – from initial stimulation and egg collection, through years of storage, and finally thawing and IVF – can cost in the region of £8,000 to £9,000 for one round. This figure is an average and can vary depending on how many cycles you undergo.
Some women elect to do multiple egg freezing cycles to bank more eggs, especially if one cycle yields only a few eggs. Each additional cycle will nearly duplicate the initial costs, so the total can increase significantly if more than one round is completed. The key is to weigh these costs against your own circumstances and to have open discussions with your clinic about financial planning.
Gaining access to treatment
Most egg freezing in the UK is done privately, as the NHS will generally fund fertility preservation only for medical reasons (such as before cancer treatment). If you’re not in a scenario that qualifies for NHS funding, you should expect to pay for treatment yourself.
There has been talk about expanding access – for instance, Scotland has considered offering NHS-funded elective egg freezing – but as of now, elective egg freezing (for social or non-medical reasons) is usually not covered by public funding. It’s worth speaking with your GP about any options that might exist in your area, but most patients will be using private clinics or paying out-of-pocket for this process.
2. Payment plans and financing options
The costs for egg freezing can be substantial, but there are ways to make it more manageable.
Some fertility clinics offer payment plans or financing options to help ease the financial strain of treatment. This can be especially helpful for younger women who may not have large savings but want to freeze their eggs at an earlier age (when success rates are higher). For example, Harley Street Fertility Clinic works with a range of carefully selected partners to provide alternative funding options for patients.
Please note that any offer of finance is separate from the treatment itself – you can choose the amount you’d like to finance (it doesn’t have to cover the entire treatment cost if you prefer to pay part upfront). The application for financing will leave a footprint on your credit history and must be made in a single person’s name (even if you are a couple, the loan can only be in one person’s name).
If you’re interested in this option, speak with your patient coordinator, who can guide you through the application process.
Aside from clinic-offered plans, you might also investigate other avenues: a few employers have begun to include fertility preservation in their benefits, and there are independent medical financing companies.
It’s worth researching all options. The key is that cost should not necessarily deter you from considering egg freezing – with proper planning, many find a financing solution that works for them.
For more information on financial help available to Harley Street Fertility Clinic patients, please visit our blog resources on funding options (see our “Finance packages” post for details).
3. Understanding the egg freezing process
Egg freezing in many ways parallels a standard IVF cycle, except that after egg collection the eggs are frozen instead of being fertilised immediately. Here is a brief overview of the typical process in the UK:
Ovarian stimulation
You’ll take fertility medications (self-administered injections at home) for ~10–14 days to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs in one cycle.
During this time, you’ll have monitoring appointments every few days – ultrasound scans to check the growth of follicles (which contain the eggs) and blood tests to measure hormone levels.
The medications include hormones to stimulate follicle development, prevent premature ovulation, and finally a “trigger” injection to mature the eggs when they’re ready.
Egg retrieval
About 36 hours after the trigger injection, the egg collection procedure is done. This is a minor theatre procedure where a doctor, guided by ultrasound, uses a needle to gently retrieve the eggs from the ovarian follicles.
It’s done under sedation or light general anaesthesia, so you won’t feel pain during the retrieval. It’s a short procedure and you’ll rest for a little while afterward at the clinic.
Freezing (vitrification)
The eggs that are collected are evaluated in the lab; any mature eggs are prepared for freezing.
An anti-freeze solution (cryoprotectant) is added to protect the eggs, and then they are frozen rapidly (vitrified) at ultra-low temperature. The vitrification method prevents ice crystals from forming, which gives a better survival rate for the eggs when thawed later.
The frozen eggs are stored in tanks of liquid nitrogen, potentially for many years.
Storage and monitoring
Your frozen eggs can be stored for up to 55 years under UK law (as long as you renew your consent every 10 years). While in storage, the clinic keeps them safe and monitored.
You will need to keep up with annual storage fees and paperwork for extending storage at the required intervals.
Thawing and using the eggs
When you decide to use your eggs (whether months or years later), the clinic will thaw them carefully. Not all eggs survive the thaw, but as noted, around 90%+ typically survive with modern techniques.
The surviving eggs are then fertilised – usually via ICSI, where a single sperm is injected into each egg to assist fertilisation. (If you have a partner, their sperm can be used, or donor sperm if needed.)
Any resulting embryos will be cultured in the lab for several days and then transferred to the uterus in hopes of implantation, just like in a standard IVF cycle.
Personal impacts of the process
The entire process – from starting stimulation to freezing eggs – usually takes a few weeks in total for the cycle, and then the eggs remain frozen until you’re ready to use them.
The stimulation medications can cause side effects (bloating, mood swings, etc., due to high hormone levels), but serious complications are rare. Clinics will inform you about ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a possible reaction if your ovaries over-respond to the meds, though modern protocols try to minimise this risk.
Overall, egg collection is a routine and safe procedure, and most women resume normal activities within a day or two after retrieval.
Knowing what to expect can make the journey less daunting. Many women describe the process as involving frequent clinic visits for a short time, but ultimately very rewarding for the peace of mind it can provide.
If you have a partner, they can be involved by accompanying you to appointments or helping with injections if you’re comfortable – it can be a team experience.
4. When is the best time to freeze your eggs?
The success of egg freezing is highly dependent on the age at which the eggs are frozen. In general, the earlier (younger) the better.
Eggs from younger women tend to be higher quality, which means they have a better chance of resulting in a healthy embryo and baby later.
According to the HFEA, if eggs are frozen before age 35, the chances of success (eventual live birth) are significantly higher than if they are frozen when a woman is older. Fertility naturally declines with age, especially after the mid-30s, so freezing younger eggs essentially “locks in” the better fertility potential of your youth.
Many women end up freezing their eggs in their mid-to-late 30s. In the UK, the most common age for women freezing their own eggs is around 38 years old.
Women older than 40 do sometimes choose to freeze eggs, but HFEA and fertility experts caution that for women over 40, the likelihood of a future pregnancy from those eggs is very slim – egg freezing at that age may not be a sensible option in terms of success rates. Clinics have an ethical responsibility to make sure patients understand this age-success relationship.
If you’re a woman considering egg freezing, sooner is generally better than later. Being proactive in your late 20s or early 30s can pay off with more eggs and healthier eggs.
Of course, that’s an ideal scenario – not everyone is able to pursue egg freezing at that time. It involves financial resources and life planning that can be challenging in your 20s.
The “right” time also depends on your personal situation: your ovarian reserve (which can be checked via fertility tests like AMH and antral follicle count), your career/relationship circumstances, and how you feel about potentially needing these eggs in the future.
A consultation with a fertility specialist can help you assess your ovarian reserve and discuss the best timing. If your tests indicate a diminishing egg reserve in your early 30s, that might prompt earlier action. On the other hand, a woman of 37 with an excellent egg reserve might still retrieve a good number of eggs.
It’s a bit individualised, but the biological fact remains: egg quality deteriorates with age, leading to lower success rates. This is why many doctors suggest egg freezing before mid-30s if possible.
It’s also important to have realistic expectations about success. Current data is limited – but estimates of live birth rates from frozen eggs are around 18–20% per thaw cycle (per embryo transfer). This means that not every batch of frozen eggs will lead to a baby.
For example, if a woman freezes 10 eggs at age 35, there is a decent chance that one baby could result, but it’s not guaranteed. Some women may need to use all their frozen eggs and still might not conceive, whereas others get lucky on the first try.
Egg freezing improves your odds later, but it’s not an insurance policy. It’s best to view it as a backup plan that might help, rather than a sure thing. The younger your eggs and the more eggs you have stored, the better that backup plan will be.
5. For men: supporting your partner’s fertility preservation
While egg freezing is a procedure that physically involves only the woman, support from the male partner is important. Here are a few ways men can be involved and supportive:
Emotional support and understanding
Deciding to freeze eggs can be emotional. It may come with feelings of stress, relief, hope, or even disappointment (for instance, if one had hoped to conceive sooner but is choosing to wait).
As a partner, being patient, listening to her concerns, and understanding her motivations is key. Acknowledge that the hormone injections and the anticipation can be tough – mood swings or anxiety during the cycle are not unusual. Your support and reassurance can make a big difference.
Practical help during the process
The stimulation phase requires daily or near-daily injections. Some women are comfortable doing these themselves, but others may appreciate help.
You could learn how to administer the injections (the clinic can teach you both) so that you can give her the shot – this can be a bonding experience and takes a bit of the stress off her.
Additionally, accompany her to clinic appointments, when possible, especially the procedure day. After the egg retrieval, she’ll be groggy and will need someone to take her home and make sure she’s OK as she rests that day.
Stay informed together
Take an interest in learning about the process and the medical information. Attend any consultations or informational sessions with her. This not only helps you understand what she’s going through, but also shows her that you’re truly in it together.
You can help remember questions to ask the doctor, or just be another set of ears since it can be a lot of information for her to absorb alone.
Discuss future plans openly
It’s important for couples to talk about what the plan is for these frozen eggs. Are you both hoping to use them together in a few years for a baby? If so, it may be worth also considering a semen analysis for you – male fertility is more stable with age than female, but it’s not infinite; sperm quality can decline gradually with age and health factors. While men don’t have a strict cut-off like menopause, issues can still arise (older fathers have slightly higher risk of certain rare disorders in offspring, for example).
If you’re both delaying childbearing, it might be wise for you to have your sperm health evaluated, and even freeze sperm as a precaution if you’re older or facing any male fertility concerns. (Sperm freezing is a much simpler and cheaper process than egg freezing – often a few hundred pounds – and could be an added reassurance for the future.)
Respect her autonomy and choices
Egg freezing is a personal decision your partner is making about her body and future. Support means respecting her choices even if you initially have reservations.
If you have concerns (for example about finances or timing), discuss them kindly and constructively. Try to avoid making her feel guilty for wanting to pursue this. Acknowledge the sacrifices she’s making now (injections, costs, etc.) in hopes of a smoother path later for both of you to have a family when the timing is better.
6. For couples: making the decision together
Egg freezing isn’t just a choice for single women; many couples consider it together. Perhaps you and your partner are both not ready for children now – due to careers, finances, personal goals – but you want to keep the door open for the future. In such cases, making the decision as a couple involves open communication and honest planning.
First, discuss your long-term family goals. Do you both want children in the future, or is it a “maybe”? Egg freezing (especially if you are sharing the cost and experience as a couple) makes the most sense if both partners are on the same page about wanting a child together down the line.
If one partner is unsure, that’s an important conversation to have, as fertility preservation might put that decision off but not eliminate the need to decide eventually.
Talk about the financial aspect candidly. Together, you’ll need to budget for the cost of freezing now, and also remember there will be costs later to use the eggs (IVF treatment, etc., as detailed above). Some couples set up a savings plan or jointly contribute to the cost. Because it’s an investment in your future family, you might think of it like saving for a house or another major life expense that you tackle together.
Consider whether to freeze eggs or embryos. If you are in a committed relationship now, an option is to create and freeze embryos instead of (or in addition to) unfertilised eggs. Freezing embryos involves using the female partner’s eggs and the male partner’s sperm to make embryos via IVF, then vitrifying the embryos.
Embryos generally survive freezing/thawing about as well as eggs (some data suggests even slightly better survival and implantation, since each embryo has already shown it could fertilise and start developing). However, deciding to freeze embryos is a considerable commitment for a couple – those embryos are joint genetic material. If circumstances change (e.g. a breakup), the disposition of shared embryos can become legally and emotionally complicated, since both parties must consent to their use.
By contrast, frozen eggs remain the woman’s sole genetic material, giving more flexibility; they could later be fertilised with any chosen sperm. Many couples in their twenties or early 30s who freeze elect to freeze eggs (not embryos) for this reason, especially if they aren’t married or are uneasy about the future.
On the other hand, some long-term couples or spouses do choose embryo freezing, feeling confident in their relationship and wanting to maximise success odds – it really depends on your mutual comfort level. This is a discussion worth having together and with your fertility doctor, who can explain the pros and cons of each approach in your specific situation.
Another consideration: if you are a same-sex female couple, one partner might choose to freeze her eggs now so that you have that resource for later, especially if she is older than the other partner or has known fertility risks.
Some female couples later pursue reciprocal IVF (where one partner’s egg is used, but the other partner carries the pregnancy). Egg freezing could play a part in that kind of plan. The key is that both partners understand and support the plan emotionally and financially.
Through all this, it’s vital to approach egg freezing as a shared journey. Support each other through the stresses (all the points in the men’s section about emotional support apply to any partner, regardless of gender). Make sure both of you feel heard in the decision-making. If one of you has reservations, try to address those by gathering information – perhaps attend a consultation or informational seminar together.
Some couples also find it helpful to seek counselling or speak with a fertility counsellor; many clinics offer counselling to help individuals and couples navigate the decisions around fertility preservation.
Lastly, celebrate the fact that you are taking a proactive step together for your future. It’s a modern solution to a common modern problem – timing of parenthood – and doing it together can strengthen your bond. Many couples feel a sense of relief once the eggs are frozen, as if a bit of pressure is lifted while you enjoy your life together until the time is right for a baby.
