For many women, and those assigned female at birth, egg freezing is an opportunity to preserve their fertility until a time when they are ready to start their family. It can help with the anxieties surrounding planning for the future, especially if financially or medically unable to have a child at present and can be made accessible for some through all-inclusive packages like Essential Egg Freezing. If you are considering egg freezing treatment and would like to learn more about Essential Egg Freezing, the eligibility criteria or when it is best to consider treatment read our guide: What Is Essential Egg Freezing and Is It Right for You?
What is Egg Freezing?
Egg Freezing is a form of fertility preservation. It involves collecting a person's eggs, freezing them and then thawing them later so they can be used in fertility treatment. At Essential Fertility we offer egg freezing treatment, accessible to many who cannot receive treatment through the NHS, at an affordable cost.
The process for egg freezing can vary from clinic to clinic, but at Essential Fertility the process is:
- Check Eligibility Criteria: To begin your Essential Egg Freezing journey, you can check if you are eligible via our website or by calling our New Patient Coordinator team.
- Initial Investigations, Scans & Counselling: Egg freezing starts with pre-treatment tests to assess your fertility to make sure that egg freezing is right for you. Tests include an AMH blood test and a transvaginal ultrasound scan to get an accurate measuring your ovarian reserve, which indicates the number of eggs in your ovaries and your likely response to the stimulation needed for egg freezing. If you don't know your AMH, we can easily arrange this test for you. If you would like to see a counsellor to discuss any egg freezing implications, we will also arrange this for you.
- Consultation with Senior Fertility Nurse: Your senior fertility nurse will take a full medical history and discuss the results of your tests. We will explain your likely chances of future pregnancy so you can make an informed decision.
- Consent: You will complete consent forms that give your consent for us to collect, freeze and store your eggs. Your consent forms detail how long you wish to store your eggs and what should happen to your eggs if something happens to you.
- Ovarian Stimulation: The first stage of a cycle of egg freezing is ovarian stimulation. This involves using tailored doses of fertility drugs to help you produce mature eggs for freezing.
- Egg Collection: Egg collection takes place in our clinic theatre under ultrasound guidance. Before the egg collection, we provide you with a sedative. The eggs are retrieved from the follicles where they have been growing.
- Egg Cryopreservation: Your eggs are cryopreserved in our laboratory using a technique called vitrification, a special fast-freezing method which ensures high survival rates for frozen eggs. Our Essential Egg Freezing package covers storage costs of your eggs for one year.
How Long Could I Store My Frozen Eggs?
Most patients will only store their eggs until the time they are ready to start their family. Which could be a few years, a decade or even longer. Current storage regulations state that patients can now store their eggs for up to 55 years. You can learn more about website for the latest information on storage regulations on the HFEA website.
How Common is Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing is still relatively uncommon, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. In the year 2016, there were 1,310 cycles of egg freezing performed across the UK. And although egg freezing constituted only 1.5% of all fertility treatments performed that year, that’s still a marked increase from 2015 where cases rose by 17%.
In the UK, egg freezing has been steadily increasing in popularity, especially in the last decade or so – with many young people choosing to postpone starting their families to focus on their career or personal goals. The HFEA published statistics in 2018, which were then reviewed in 2020, that showed an increase 100% in egg freeze treatments between 2013 and 2016 and a staggering 460% increase since 2010, where only 234 cycles were carried out.
When Might Someone Consider Essential Egg Freezing?
Despite its rising popularity, egg freezing is not normally available on the NHS. There are few exceptions, such as for those who are about to undergo medical treatment that may affect their fertility. But egg freezing remains relatively inaccessible for those who would like to voluntarily freeze their eggs.
For example, a patient may be considering egg freezing if:
- You wish to preserve your fertility while you are young and the eggs have a higher chance of being suitable for future treatment
- You have a medical condition or need treatment for a medical condition that will affect your fertility, but can’t access egg freezing through the NHS
- You’re worried about your fertility declining but you’re not ready to have a child or you haven’t found the right partner
- You’re at risk of injury or death (for example, you’re a member of the Armed Forces who is being deployed to a war zone)
- If you're a female-bodied and transitioning, you may want to preserve your fertility before you start hormone therapy or have reconstructive surgery
What Makes Essential Egg Freezing Better Than Alternative Egg Freeze Packages?
Essential Egg Freezing is an affordable treatment package for those who would like to preserve their eggs at an age where the quality and quantity offer a better chance of conception in the future. The package was developed address the concerns of women, and those who are female bodied, who:
- Are aged 35 and under
- Have a BMI between 18 and 32
- Have an AMH between 10 and 35
Our eligibility criteria for Essential Freezing were informed not only from the expertise of our clinical staff, but also through research published by the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority, also known as HFEA, who state that “while a woman’s age at thaw has relatively little impact on a woman’s chances of success, the age at freeze does, with evidence showing that if eggs are frozen below the age of 35, the chances of success will be higher than the natural conception rate as the woman gets older.”
When we developed Essential Egg Freezing, we wanted to ensure that we were providing access to the highest quality of treatment, at an affordable cost, while also ensuring exceptional success rates for the future treatments of our Essential Fertility patients.
We used data, provided by our partner clinic Manchester Fertility, to create the ideal treatment plan for women, and those female bodied, who match these criteria – ensuring that the amount of medication, the procedures and the process were all optimal to ensure solid success rates for all Essential Egg Freeze patients – by doing this we ensure cost is kept low and transparent, with everything you need for a single cycle included in one package.
Learn more about the Essential Egg Freeze treatment package, and all the complimentary add-ons, included in our all-inclusive treatment package here.
What if I Don’t Meet the Criteria?
If you don’t meet the criteria for Essential Egg Freezing, it does not mean that egg freezing is not a possibility for you. However, your case may require slightly different medications and procedures to ensure you’re given the highest chances of success in future treatments. If you would like to know more about the egg freezing process with our award-winning partner clinic, Manchester Fertility, you can contact the clinic directly on 1061 300 2737, make an initial appointment or learn more via the clinic website.
Learn More About Essential Egg Freezing
You can learn more about Essential Egg Freezing, such as the cost of our single cycle, what’s included in our all-inclusive package, the process and check your eligibility on the treatment page.
If you’re ready to start your journey with Essential Fertility or you have any further question regarding treatment our friendly New Patient team are always happy to help guide you. Contact them directly on 0345 646 1778 or get started on our website.
