 | Average: $7,000-$12,000 |
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| Because the quality and number of eggs declines with age, egg freezing has been offered as a way for a woman to harvest eggs while still relatively young in order to preserve future fertility; or, as a possible solution for cancer patients who expect to become infertile as a result of treatment. In the future, the frozen eggs may be fertilized and implanted in the patient or a surrogate. Egg freezing was largely unavailable until a few years ago, and some doctors still consider it largely experimental. Eggs are difficult to freeze because they are made mostly of water, and formation of ice crystals can destroy the cell. In November 2007, Boston IVF announced the first birth resulting from its egg freezing study. Because freezing embryos has a proven record of regularly resulting in live births, most couples use that option; as of February 2008, egg freezing is recommended only for cancer patients who wish to preserve fertility and do not have other options. | | |
| Typical costs: | - The cost of harvesting and freezing eggs is about $7,000 to $12,000. When the woman is ready to use the eggs in the future, the cost of thawing, fertilizing and transferring the resulting embryo to the uterus will run an additional $4,000 to $5,000 -- bringing the total cost possibly as high as $17,000. However, as this experimental technology is refined, costs could change.
- Egg freezing still is an experimental procedure, so it is very unlikely to be covered by insurance. One provider, Extend Fertility, Inc. knows of no insurance companies that offer coverage, but still recommends that patients contact their insurer to check.
What should be included: | - The patient is monitored while using self-administered hormone injections for several weeks, to prepare the body and stimulate egg production. When multiple eggs have matured, the doctor puts the patient under anesthesia and harvests 10 to 20 eggs using a needle guided by vaginal ultrasound.
- The Egg Freezing Center at Santa Monica Reproductive Technologies offers an overview of the egg freezing process.
Additional costs: | - Medications used to stimulate the ovaries to produce excess eggs for harvesting usually cost, on average, $2,700.
- Most clinics charge an egg storage fee of about $300 to $600 per year.
- In the future, if the patient is unable to carry a pregnancy resulting from the fertilization of her own frozen eggs, a surrogate's services cost about $60,000 total.
Discounts: | - Because egg freezing still is experimental, it is possible in some cases to enroll in a clinical trial; one such program is at the Huntington Reproductive Center, with several locations in California.
- FertileHope.org offers discounted egg freezing to eligible women who have been diagnosed with cancer and could be made infertile by treatment.
Shopping for egg freezing: | - Egg freezing still is considered experimental; research any clinic you choose. Clinics or companies that offer egg freezing include: Extend Fertility, Inc., a company that guides women through the process, offers egg freezing through partner clinics; the Southern California Reproductive Center, in Beverly Hills; the Northwest Center for Reproductive Sciences, in Seattle; Boston IVF; the Texas Fertility Center in Austin; Reproductive Medicine Associates in New York; and IVF New Jersey. Also, the Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine, in Jacksonville, offers egg freezing, as does the Egg Freezing Center in Santa Monica, California.
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Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician or pharmacist regarding medications or medical procedures.
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Article updated August 2008 |
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