What are the First Steps Towards Freezing my Eggs?

One of my biggest regrets in life is not freezing my eggs in my 20s – it’s what led me to help co-found Cofertility and make this process radically more accessible. 

Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a medical procedure that allows women to preserve their fertility for future use. Whether you're focused on your career, dealing with medical issues, or simply not ready to start a family yet, egg freezing can give you the peace of mind of knowing that you have options in the future. But if you're considering egg freezing, where do you start?

First things first: get educated

The first step towards freezing your eggs is knowing what you’re getting into. We have a wealth of knowledge here that you are free to access. I recommend starting with these articles:

• A Step-by-Step Guide to Freezing Your Eggs
• How Much It Costs to Freeze Your Eggs
• The Egg Freezing Process: a First-Timer’s Overview
• A Breakdown of Egg Freezing Success Rates by Age

You can also talk to friends who have gone through the process, or join a Facebook group to hear from others in your shoes. 

What are the chances it even works?

We measure the “success” of egg freezing in a couple of ways. Since we don’t know if the eggs will turn into a healthy baby many years from now, the goal is to have a large, but safe, number of healthy eggs retrieved in a single cycle. 

Retrieving 10-20 eggs is ideal. That’s because for a woman under 35, she will need nine eggs to achieve a 70% chance of having at least one live birth. If you’re trying to conceive in your mid to late 30s, you may need double as many eggs to achieve that same 70% success rate. That’s because egg quality (along with quantity) declines as we age. 

Read more in How Many Eggs Should I Aim to Freeze?

It's important to note that egg freezing is not a guarantee of future pregnancy, and success rates vary depending on various factors such as your age at the time of freezing and the quality of the eggs. 

Next steps: find the right clinic

Once you get a better idea of the process and decide if egg freezing is right for you, the next steps are to schedule a consultation with a fertility clinic. During this consultation, the doctor will evaluate your overall health, discuss your reasons for considering egg freezing, and review the risks and benefits of the procedure. They will also likely conduct some initial tests (like AMH) to assess the quality of your eggs and your ovarian reserve, which will give you a better idea of your chances of success with egg freezing.

If you work with Cofertility, we will help you schedule an appointment with one of our local partner clinics. If you participate in our Keep program, we can help you get the best prices on clinic fees, medication, and storage.  

Know your AMH

Research has found that AMH is a good predictor of the number of eggs retrieved during egg freezing, independent of age. Because of this, a fertility doctor will use your AMH levels (amongst other biomarkers) to determine the drugs and dosages during the procedure. 

In general, you can interpret AMH level this way:

• Above 1.0 ng/ml (nanograms per deciliter): Normal
• Below 1.0 ng/ml: Showing weakness in the ovarian reserve
• Below 0.5 ng/ml: Showing severe weakness in the ovarian reserve

But know that a very high level of AMH could be a sign of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which may require treatment and/or specific fertility medications or treatments. When AMH is over 5.0 nanograms per deciliter, for example, it’s worth addressing if there are other potential signs of PCOS. 

Figure out how you will pay for it

Egg freezing can be an expensive procedure, with costs typically ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 for one cycle plus the cost of storage. This varies widely based on the clinic and the medications your provider prescribes. But, there are ways to make egg freezing more affordable. Here are a few options to consider when paying for egg freezing:

• Insurance coverage: A minority of insurance plans may cover a portion of the cost of egg freezing and/or medications. It's always best to check with your insurance provider to see if they cover the procedure, and if so, what the specific coverage details are.
• Employer-provided benefits: Some employers offer coverage for egg freezing as a benefit to their employees. Check with your handbook or HR department to see if this is an option for you.
• Financing options: At Cofertility, we have financing partners which can make the procedure more affordable. 
• Donate half your eggs: Our Freeze by Co Split program allows you to freeze and store your eggs for free for 10 years, when you give half to a family who can't otherwise conceive.

To see if you're eligible for our Split program, take our quiz to tell us more about yourself.

Benefits of working with Cofertility

Cofertility is a human-first, tech-enabled fertility ecosystem that provides people agency over if, how, and when they have babies — today or someday. We have two programs for egg freezers:

The Split program, which offers women a chance to both freeze their own eggs and donate half the eggs to a family who cannot conceive otherwise. If you qualify for the program and decide to donate half of your retrieved eggs, every expense associated with the egg freezing procedure —  medications, supplements, travel if necessary, insurance, and 10 years of storage — are completely free of charge. We don’t even need a payment or credit card up front, as the family you match with covers all the expenses. 

In our Keep program, you can freeze and store your eggs for your own future use, with lower prices on things like storage and medication – as well as our team’s support and access to our community.

The benefits for of working with Cofertility include:

• Power of choice: Freeze your eggs more affordably or, if you qualify, freeze for free when you give half to a family who can’t otherwise conceive. 
• Community: Our inclusive online spaces allow you to connect with others going through the process in our private online community.
• Compassion: We’ll always treat you with care, and our Split program gives you the opportunity to make someone’s family building dreams a reality. 
• Data-driven: We provide you with trustworthy guidance and evidence-based research so you can make informed decisions about your fertility. 
• Free egg freezing: Freeze and store your eggs for 10 years, entirely for free if you qualify for our Split program.

Ready to learn about more affordable (even free!) egg freezing with Cofertility? Fill out this quick quiz to learn about our accessible egg freezing options and see if you qualify for our programs — it only takes one minute.