Keep

Deciding to freeze your eggs can do more than put you in the driver’s seat of your reproductive journey. Going through the process of retrieving and freezing your eggs can give you insights into your health, offer you peace of mind about how you’ll accomplish your goals, and allow you to create a blueprint for building the family you’ve always dreamed of.

As you and your doctor work together to ready your eggs for retrieval you’ll end up learning valuable information about the state of your fertility and what you need to know before you’re ready to take the next steps. 

You could get a heads up about certain reproductive concerns

As part of the preparation for freezing your eggs your doctor will likely do ovarian reserve testing which uses a blood test called Anti-Mullierian Hormone (AMH). Using a blood sample collected on the third day of your period your doctor will be also able to see how much estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormones are present during this key window in your reproductive cycle.

AMH levels are generally higher during your childbearing years and then they begin to decline as you head towards menopause, becoming almost nonexistant afterwards. 

You’ll get a better picture of your reproductive schedule

According to the Mayo Clinic, after you’ve decided to move forward with the process you’ll begin taking hormone injections. These hormones will have two distinct jobs—ovarian stimulation and preventing premature ovulation—which your doctor will achieve using a variety of medications. 

Your doctor will begin monitoring you and checking two very important levels:

• Estrogen (an increase means your follicles are developing)
• Progesterone (low levels will mean you haven’t ovulated yet)

Not only will you discover how your body reacts to stimulation (giving you a great deal of information about how your egg production is going) but you’ll also have an idea of when you should ovulate. Knowing exactly when the clock starts ticking—your eggs will be ready for retrieval after 10-14 days—will let you know what you can expect for this cycle. 

Your doctor will find out how many follicles you have

Speaking of follicles, these are the sacs where your eggs will stay until they have matured. Your doctor will likely use a vaginal ultrasound to check the status of your ovaries to see how many follicles have developed, indicating how many eggs you’ll likely have for retrieval. That number is going to be very important (and very exciting) for both you and your doctor. 

To give you an idea of why that number matters so much, you’ll need to know how many eggs you need to increase the potential for a live birth. A 2020 study in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics found that a woman under the age of 35 averaged 21 eggs on their first round of egg retrieval. At that age, you would need approximately 9 eggs to ensure a 70% chance of a live birth. Once you find out how many follicles you have you might have a better idea of your pregnancy success rate when the time comes. 

There will be additional health screenings 

Another thing you’ll learn about your fertility is whether you have any diseases that you can pass onto a future child, via a genetic carrier screening test. Your doctor will also likely have you undergo an infectious disease screening—which will check for things like HIV and certain varieties of hepatitis—as part of your work up. These tests are different from genetic screenings, which looks for the potential changes in your genetic blueprint indicating heredity conditions that can be passed onto your child.  

Some people who freeze their eggs may do genetic testing ahead of time, whether because they already know that certain conditions run in their family or because they have a limited understanding of their family history. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), genetic testing can even give you information about some types of cancers that could impact your reproductive system, making it another important tool in your fertility arsenal. 

Getting proactive can save you money

By being proactive about your fertility journey you not only get to make the decisions about what your future family will look like based on your terms, but you’ll also be able to get an idea of what may lie ahead for you if you decide to have a child.

Of course, freezing your eggs can be expensive. It costs an estimated $10,000-20,000 per cycle. Fortunately, there are egg freezing programs like Freeze by Co that can help you navigate financial pain points that may make planning for that future family a little bit harder by offsetting some of the costs associated with freezing your eggs. Freeze by Co offers members two different options for freezing their eggs. Split Members may qualify to freeze their eggs for free when they donate half of their eggs to other families looking to conceive.

There are even benefits for those who want to use the Freeze by Co’s Keep program. As the name indicates, Keep Members keep all of the eggs collected during retrieval while still benefiting from discounted costs in the way of less expensive medications and more. 

You may have heard that freezing your eggs in your 20s can help increase your chances of pregnancy down the line, but is there actually any truth to the claim? According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG), there really is, given a woman’s peak fertility years span from the end of her teens to the end of her 20s. 

Read on to learn what you need to know about egg freezing success rates by age.

The best time to think about egg freezing is probably…now 

During these prime fertility years, we’re often focused on other things. In our 20s, we’re finishing school, launching our careers, traveling, having fun…starting a family may not even be a blip on your radar. Unfortunately, that also means that by the time you’re ready to get proactive about your fertility (or starting a family), your prime reproductive years may have already passed. 

This is why we believe that proactively thinking about your fertility is always a good idea for anyone looking to stay in control of their reproductive options. And one major barrier, until now, has been the accessibility and affordability of egg freezing. At Cofertility, we aim to change that, by partnering with local fertility clinics to create opportunities to freeze your eggs more affordably. 

Take our quiz to see what egg freezing options you may qualify for, including our Split program, where you can even freeze your eggs for free(!) if you give half to a family that can’t otherwise conceive and you qualify.

What are the egg freezing success rates by age?

We measure the “success” of an egg retrieval and later vitrification (the process of freezing and storing your eggs) in a couple of ways. Some of the major important milestones in a successful retrieval are: 

• The ability to collect high quality and healthy eggs 
• The ability to collect a large, but safe, number of eggs during a single cycle (between 10-20 is ideal)
• Whether collection takes place at an age where the eggs have a very good chance of surviving both the freezing and the warming process down the line 

Success rates for women in their 20s

Your 20s are by and large the best time to freeze your eggs, with 25 to 27 being the optimal age, according to a 2010 report from the CDC. The report found that eggs frozen during a woman’s 20s will have a 50 percent chance of resulting in a live birth per cycle, regardless of the age of the person carrying the pregnancy once the eggs are used. Women in this age range have fully finished developing (as opposed to someone in their late teens or early 20s who may still be growing and maturing) and are likely to have the healthiest and most robust eggs. 

Not only does it make it easier for eggs collected at this age to go on to become successful pregnancies, but it also makes it the most cost effective period, because you’re likely to get more eggs with fewer rounds of freezing than if your eggs were collected at a later age. 

Success rates for women in their 30s

Success rates in your 30s will depend on if you’re closer to 30 or 40, as well as your AMH levels. One study of 1,241 women found that the average number of eggs retrieved on the first egg freezing round was:

• 21 eggs for women under 35
• 17 eggs for women 35-37
• 14 eggs for women 38-40

Because women in their 30s tend to produce less eggs, at this age you may end up having to either settle for fewer eggs for freezing or undergo multiple rounds to collect enough eggs to have on hand for later implantation. As you can imagine, those costs can creep higher and higher the more rounds you endure. 

Now, you might be thinking: isn’t 14 eggs a lot?  It’s true that eggs retrieved from women under the age of 36 will have a 95 percent survival rate after being thawed.  

But more importantly, not all thawed eggs will become viable embryos and lead to a live birth. As this chart underscores, the probability of a live birth varies with the age of the woman trying to conceive and the number of mature eggs available. In short, the older the woman, the more eggs required to achieve a high probability of a live birth. 

A study in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics further supports this point. For example, a woman under 35 will need 9 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. 

Success rates for women in their 40s

Because success rates drop significantly as you near the end of your 30s, it’s actually not recommended that women have their eggs frozen past the age of 38, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). 

But don’t let that news worry you. If you haven’t had your own eggs retrieved by this point, and are struggling to conceive, you still have some other options (including the use of donated eggs). 

Ask us anything

If you’d like help figuring out when to freeze your eggs, you can contact Cofertility for more information. While every woman’s fertility path differs, we can connect you with reputable clinics who can offer basic guidance about when the time is right for you to freeze your eggs during a consultation or dig into specifics by going through a preliminary exam in a provider’s office.

We understand that the timing may not be right for you to start a family right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start thinking about what choices will be available to you when that time comes. As you can see, a lot goes into preparing to freeze your eggs.  The earlier you consider your fertility, the more options you’ll have. 

Whether you decide to freeze or not, we’re here for you to answer any questions or talk through any concerns. 

You’ve likely heard about the process called egg freezing (sometimes called “fertility preservation”), where they stimulate the follicles in the ovaries and retrieve unfertilized eggs to preserve them for future use. 

But what exactly does that process look like? And why would someone want to go through it? Read on—we’ll explain everything you need to know about egg freezing. 

The process for freezing eggs

While it may sound like a very intense process—and for some women, the side effects of the  medications used to stimulate the eggs can certainly feel that way—freezing your eggs is actually a safe and minimally invasive procedure. 

1. Take our quiz to find affordable egg freezing options near you, including our Split program (where you can freeze your eggs for free if you give half to another family who can’t conceive) and our Keep program (where you can freeze your eggs more affordably and keep them all for your own future use). If you’d like to participate in Split, you can move forward with that application right away. If you’d like to join our Keep program, we’ll email you your options once you take the quiz.  
2. With Keep, the egg freezing process begins with a consult with your fertility doctor. They will do some initial testing to determine the current health of the eggs your ovaries are producing, both in number and in quality. You’ll undergo bloodwork and  an ultrasound to get a sense of this.
3. Next, you’ll likely undergo some general health screenings to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses that could complicate the process (like HIV or certain forms of hepatitis).
4. Once your health check is through, you’ll likely begin a series of medications, including ones that will stimulate your ovaries and/or prevent early ovulation. You’ll give yourself shots daily. If you freeze with Cofertility, we’ll provide you with step by step videos to ease the transition.
5. Around this time, you can also join the Cofertility Member Portal, where you can connect with (and lean on) other women freezing their eggs at the exact same time! 
6. Your doctor will monitor you during this time to confirm that the medications are working and that your estrogen levels are increasing while keeping your progesterone levels low. You may also undergo a vaginal ultrasound to monitor the condition of the follicles where your eggs will eventually mature.
7. After 10 to 14 days you’ll start a medication to help speed up egg maturity ahead of your egg retrieval. 
8. The retrieval process happens under light sedation and involves using a vaginal ultrasound and a needle with a suction device to retrieve the eggs—this sounds more intense  than it is.his procedure is normally done right in the clinic and takes about 10 minutes.
9. Once the eggs are retrieved, they’re flash frozen and stored in subzero temperatures, normally with a substance like liquid nitrogen to prevent the development of ice crystals. 
10. You can go home after the procedure and rest up!

How your body responds to the process

Everyone’s body will react differently to each step of the egg freezing process. While some women will experience bloating or hormonal responses from the medications that stimulate egg maturation, others may feel much less. You might experience some mild cramping or bloating following the retrieval process as your ovaries continue to remain enlarged from the medications used. 

Additionally, you’ll have an increased risk of pregnancy in the week following your retrieval. Because of this, many doctors suggest avoiding unprotected sex during this time period.

The goals for women who freeze their eggs can differ

Not everyone has the same intentions when they start the process of freezing their eggs. Some women may hope to prolong their reproductive years until they’re ready to have children, while others may be hoping to use their frozen eggs as donor eggs to help someone else who is trying to start a family. 

One thing all of these women have in common is that they’re hoping to improve their chances of those eggs eventually resulting in a healthy baby. To some extent, the more eggs there are, the better the chances of those resulting in a life birth. But we also know that egg quality is important. The number one factor impacting egg quantity and quality? Age. 

A study in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics confirmed that the probability of at least one live birth varies with the number of mature eggs available and the age of the woman trying to conceive. For example, a woman under 35 who is trying to conceive will need 9 mature 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. 

Because women in their 30s tend to produce less eggs, women who are freezing their eggs at this age may end up having to either settle for fewer eggs or undergo multiple rounds to collect enough eggs to have on hand for later implantation. As you can imagine, those costs can creep higher and higher the more rounds you endure, driving up the price tag and the risk of failure. 

Some things to consider about freezing your eggs

There are obviously many factors that go into the freezing process;  but, there are a few points to consider outside of the physical. You’ll also need to account for the cost—you not only need to pay for all of the testing and procedure plus monthly storage fees until you’re ready to fertilize your eggs. To this end, you will likely need to budget an extra $550-$1,000 a year to pay a company to store and monitor your eggs after they’ve been retrieved and frozen.

These procedures can quickly add up to a few thousand dollars—likely anywhere between $8,000 to $20,000. That price can be too high for some, which is why we’ve developed our Split program. With Split, you can freeze your eggs for free, if you qualify and donate half of your retrieved eggs to an intended parent who matches with your profile.

Getting a jump start on your fertility is a wise choice

Deciding to freeze your eggs is a proactive choice and a good idea if you’re not sure exactly when you’ll be ready to start a family (if you even want to). It’s also perfect for anyone who wants to retrieve healthy eggs before undergoing chemotherapy or a surgical procedure that could alter your fertility chances. 

The average age women have become parents has increased over time—with many spending their earlier adult years focused on getting an advanced degree, furthering their careers, or even finding the right partner—however, our biological clocks have remained the same.  

Take a look at your options

At Cofertility, we offer a variety of options for freezing your eggs, including our Split program where we’ll help you through the process of stimulating and retrieving your eggs at no cost as long as you donate half the eggs retrieved from each cycle (if you qualify). If donation is not for you, we also have a Keep Program in which you freeze and keep 100% of the eggs for yourself. Contact us today to learn more - no commitment required, but we’d love to talk through can help you take charge of your future reproductive health.

The egg freezing process can feel like a black box. How do you find a clinic to freeze your eggs? How long will the whole process take? And what is this all going to cost? 

With thousands of women freezing their eggs every year, there are plenty of options out there for you. Here’s a look at how to make sense of the egg freezing process and how to make sure this is the right path for you.  

Breaking down the egg freezing process

Choosing a clinic

The first step in the egg freezing process is choosing a clinic. If you decide to move forward with egg freezing, you will need to visit the clinic for monitoring every few days, so it’s best to choose a facility that’s within driving distance. With Cofertility’s Keep program — where you can freeze your eggs more affordably and keep them all for future use — we’ll help you find a clinic based on your location, their pricing structure, and their success rates. 

Our Split program, on the other hand, allows you to freeze your eggs for free if you give half to a family who can’t otherwise conceive and you qualify.

Consultation 

Once you’ve settled on a clinic, it’s time to meet with a reproductive endocrinologist (REI, or fertility specialist) to talk about the egg freezing process. You’ll get a chance to find out more about how egg freezing works at your chosen facility, discuss any risks of the procedure, and talk through any family-building goals. If kids are still a TBD, no problem!

Note that some clinics will only work with women under 40 when it comes to egg freezing. Research indicates egg quality begins to decrease in a woman’s early 30s and declines more rapidly past age 35. Because of this, you must be under 40 to participate in our Keep program.

Age is only one factor, however. During your egg freezing consultation, the REI will ask questions about your menstruation history, any past pregnancies, and your overall health. 

Evaluation and bloodwork

After (or during) your consultation with an REI, the next part of the egg freezing process is bloodwork and other testing to determine if you are a good candidate for egg freezing. 

This testing may include:

• Ovarian reserve testing: Your doctor will order bloodwork to evaluate your egg supply. These blood tests may screen for anti-mullerian hormones (AMH), follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) and estradiol. Importantly, these labs can predict how your body will respond to the injectable fertility medications used in an egg freezing cycle. You’ll also do a (painless) transvaginal ultrasound, which will show how many egg-containing follicles your ovaries contain as a baseline.
• Disease testing: Bloodwork will help your doctor assess whether you have any infectious diseases such as HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, gonorrhea or chlamydia.

Connecting with your community

If you’re freezing your eggs through Cofertility’s programs, you’ll be able to utilize our Member portal to connect with other women freezing their eggs at the exact same time. Support one another, ask each other questions, and gain confidence as you begin your fertility journey. 

Medications

Most women’s bodies release just one egg a month during the menstrual cycle. In order to freeze more than one egg, injectable medications will be taken over a period of a couple weeks. These meds will stimulate your ovaries to produce more eggs in a single cycle.

Most women can give themselves the injections, which are needed 1-2 times per day for about two weeks. The medications do carry some side effects, including bloating, headaches and moodiness. About 0.5 - 5% of women develop a condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), in which fluid accumulates around the ovaries and causes discomfort and bloating. While the condition can occasionally be severe, it is  typically temporary with symptoms subsiding about a week after your egg retrieval. 

Medications commonly prescribed in the egg freezing process include:

• Follitropin alfa or beta (Follistim, Gonal-f)— Used to stimulate the ovaries
• Menotropins (Menopur) — Used to stimulate the ovaries
• Ganirelix or Cetrorelix (Cetrotide) — Used to prevent premature ovulation
• Leuprolide acetate (Lupron) — Used to prevent premature ovulation or as a trigger shot to help eggs mature
• Human chorionic gonadotropin (Pregnyl, Ovidrel) — Used as a trigger shot to help the eggs mature

If you choose to freeze your eggs through Cofertility’s Keep program, you’ll be able to take advantage of partnerships and discounts on medication costs to help lighten the load. 

More blood tests and monitoring

Once you’ve started hormone injections, your REI will keep a close eye on you to make sure things are moving along smoothly. You’ll visit the clinic every few days to undergo bloodwork and ultrasound so the doctors can determine how your ovaries are responding to the medication and if it’s time to retrieve your eggs. 

This process usually lasts around two weeks until the fertility specialist determines egg development has reached a point where it’s time for all your eggs to be retrieved. 

During this time, it’s recommended that you abstain from sex or use barrier methods of contraception as the medications can make your body more fertile, increasing your chances of getting pregnant. You’ll also want to decrease exercise during the stimulation phase to prevent ovarian torsion, or twisting. 

Egg retrieval 

Also called aspiration, the egg retrieval process is done right at your fertility clinic where your REI will use a mild sedative or anesthesia. With the help of a guiding ultrasound, your doctor will use a special needle that’s inserted into the ovarian follicles to remove multiple eggs.  

Although you may feel some cramping and general discomfort after the procedure, the egg retrieval is not usually painful. You should plan to have someone with you that day to drive you home from the doctor’s office, but many women are able to return to work within a day or two after the procedure.

Because your ovaries are enlarged, you may continue to feel cramping and a feeling of fullness for a couple weeks. You will also be advised to avoid unprotected sex in the weeks directly after the egg freezing process as your chances of getting pregnant may be higher during this time. 

Cryopreservation

Once the eggs are removed from the ovary, you’ve reached the final step of the egg freezing process. The eggs undergo a process called vitrification.  

Eggs are then frozen to subzero temperatures and can be stored for years to come, ready to be thawed if you decide you want to use them for in vitro fertilization (IVF). With Cofertility’s Keep program, we offer our Members discounts and promotions on various parts of the egg freezing process to help make it more affordable.

A second egg freezing process

Depending on how many eggs were able to be retrieved, your doctor may recommend a second round of medication and another retrieval. 

The number of eggs you should freeze will depend largely on your age — researchers at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts have created a calculator that estimates the likelihood of live birth for elective egg freezing in women. Although it’s not exact, it does supply some probabilities to help you make a decision on whether you should do a second cycle of egg freezing. 

For example, they estimate if a 30-year-old woman has frozen 15 eggs, she has an 83% chance of giving birth to one child from those eggs. She has a 50% chance of giving birth twice and a 22% chance of having a third child with the use of her frozen eggs. 

Costs of the egg freezing process

Another factor to consider when deciding if you want to proceed with the egg freezing process — or undergo a second cycle — is cost. Around the country, the process of freezing your eggs can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 or even more, and there are yearly costs for storage of eggs after the retrieval process. 

At Cofertility, we’ve made it our mission to make egg freezing more accessible. With discounts, partnerships and promotions, we’re hoping to remove lack of affordability as a barrier to fertility preservation. To get a sense of pricing (and savings!) for our Keep program with clinics in your area, take our quiz to tell us more about yourself. 

Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not pay for many egg freezing costs unless it has been deemed medically necessary for a woman. Cofertility’s offerings, similarly, are self-pay. 

Bottom Line

There’s a lot going on during the egg freezing process and a whole lot to consider. The homework you’re doing now will make all the difference as you move along through the process and can ask all the right questions!

According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG), a woman’s peak fertility years are from their late teens to their late 20s. While these may be the easiest biological years for starting a family, between travel, work, school, life…at that point in your life, family planning might not be your top priority. 

Fortunately, thanks to modern medicine, you have some options. Egg freezing allows you to preserve your healthy eggs at any point in time, without committing to starting a family. Let's talk about what you need to know about freezing your eggs. 

Here’s what you need to know about the process

While there are some big hurdles to clear—like the expenses of going through the process and how (and where) you’ll store your eggs—freezing your eggs is a way to take more control of your future fertility health. 

That being said, it’s important that you think of freezing your eggs not as a guarantee, but rather, a proactive step you can take towards fulfilling potential long-term family planning goals. It is not an insurance policy, but it can help give you more options in the future. 

Research has found that freezing nine eggs while under age 35 leads to a 70% chance of a live birth (studies found that the average number of eggs retrieved for the same women is 18-21). And the more eggs you freeze, the better those odds get. There are always chances that your retrieval could fail, or that implantation down the line may not take. Still, egg freezing in your 20s does offer higher chances of success than having them retrieved at a later age.

Getting ready for retrieval 

Before you can freeze your eggs, you’ll want to ensure your body is producing as many eggs as possible. This means taking hormones that can help stimulate the follicles on your ovaries to produce a larger than normal quantity of eggs.

According to the Mayo Clinic, this may include taking multiple medications or injectables like: 

• Ollitropin alfa or beta (Follistim AQ, Gonal-f) 
• Menotropins (Menopur)
• Leuprolide acetate (Lupron Depot) 
• Cetrorelix (Cetrotide)
• hCG

Your doctor will monitor your progress with blood tests across the 10-14 day period. He or she will tweak any ovarian-stimulating medications you’re given to make sure your estrogen and progesterone levels are where they need to be for a successful retrieval. 

During these visits, you’ll likely also have vaginal ultrasounds. The doctor will use this to check on the development of the follicles where your eggs mature. It might sound overwhelming, but vaginal ultrasounds are usually painless. 

Then, when the time is right—typically 10 to 14 days after you’ve started your medications—you’ll check back in with your doctor and receive a final  injection of something called a human chorionic gonadotropin. This is the final kick to help your eggs mature and prepare them for retrieval. 

Retrieving your eggs

Retrieval is typically done while you’re under a light sedation at a fertility clinic. Your doctor will retrieve your eggs via vaginal ultrasound with suction to remove eggs from follicles. You’ll likely wake up feeling well rested while your medical team has done all of the heavy lifting for you!

While you won’t feel any pain during the procedure, a little soreness afterwards isn’t uncommon.  

Freezing and monitoring

After your procedure your eggs undergo a process called vitrification (AKA: freezing). This process relies on subzero temperatures to cool the eggs for storage. They’re normally stored along with a substance (like liquid nitrogen) that  keeps ice crystals from forming within the frozen eggs. They’re then placed in cold storage for 24/7 temperature monitoring.  

Storage timelines

You may be surprised to learn that your frozen eggs have no expiration date. In fact, in 2021 a child was born from an embryo frozen 25 years prior! Once your eggs have been successfully frozen they cease all biological activity, including aging and deterioration. 

While some countries may have limits on the length of time your eggs can remain frozen, this has not taken hold in the United States. This comes as good news for women who are hoping to freeze their eggs earlier in life and may need more years of frozen storage. 

Our Split program includes 10 years of free storage at a reputable long-term facility, where you'll have access to them whenever you choose to use them. Our Keep program also allows you to store your eggs for 10+ years, though note that the payment will be out of pocket each year. 

How much does it cost?

A lot of women worry about the price tag for freezing their eggs. One piece of good news is that as technology (and availability) of these solutions advances, costs are starting to come down.

Still, you can be looking at a bill for a few thousand dollars for the procedure alone—anywhere between $6,000 to $11,000—plus an annual bill between $300-$1,200 for storage, and up to $5,000 for medications. 

With Cofertility, however, we’ve worked with clinic partners to get you discounts on freezing (think: 75% off initial consults at certain clinics), storage (up to 80% off compared to reputable clinic freezing), and medications (about a 20% savings). 

For those who qualify, our Split program also offers the opportunity to freeze your eggs for free if you donate half of them to a family who can’t otherwise conceive. Yep, zero dollars. 

Split allows you to take control of your reproductive future (while offsetting the costs), and enables you to give someone else the greatest gift of all: a shot at parenthood. But at the end of the day, our mission is to empower women with reproductive choice. If you decide that freezing isn’t for you, we respect that. And most of all, we applaud you for taking this step towards exploring your options and learning more about your own fertility. 

Your uterus creates extra tissue each month to create a cushy home for your potential baby. But if you have endometriosis, your uterine tissue grows wild, and can end up in places you don’t want it to be—including places where it could cause some serious fertility issues. In fact, a recent Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics study estimated endometriosis is to blame for between 25% to 50% of all infertility cases. 

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis develops when your body grows uterine lining (a tissue called endometrium) in places where it doesn’t belong. Most often, it shows up in areas near your uterus—your fallopian tubes and ovaries, on the outside of the uterus, in the vagina or cervix. In a few rare cases, it can even end up in other places, like your bladder. 

It may feel like you’re the only person in the world dealing with these symptoms, but the truth is, it’s just that people don’t talk about their symptoms. Endometriosis is extremely common. According to the Office on Women’s Health, more than 11% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 have developed it. Of those women, 30% to 50% experience some form of endometriosis infertility challenges. This is most common in women who: 

• Are in their 30s and 40s, especially those with family members who have had it 
• Started their period at a younger age
• Have never had children
• Have extremely long or short menstrual cycles

Signs of endometriosis

The most common red flag that you might have endo is severe cramping and pain, especially during your period. Here are some of the other telltale signs that you’re growing uterine tissue in odd places:

• Pelvic pain: Women with endometriosis often develop chronic severe back and pelvic pain. They may also experience severe menstrual cramps, pain when they pee, and even painful sex (which will definitely be a fertility hurdle). 
• Digestive upset: Stomach cramping, diarrhea, constipation and bloating occasionally accompany endometriosis, especially if you have your period. 
• Heavy periods—and spotting in between them: Women with endometriosis may bleed outside their typical menstrual cycle, or develop heavy bleeding when they have their period. Fun times! 
• Infertility: Scarring and excess tissue can literally cause a roadblock that can keep eggs and sperm from meeting, or even prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.

How endometriosis can affect fertility

In case its other symptoms didn’t suck enough, endometriosis can also cause infertility, thanks to the scarring and excess tissue buildup. Ironically, all that uterine tissue that your body is producing for a baby could actually block the pathways to conception. 

“Endometriosis is thought to cause infertility because of the scarring and adhesions that result when endometrium grows on pelvic organs,” says Dr. Nataki Douglas, M.D., Ph.D, director of translational research for the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The more extensive the disease and scarring, the greater the negative impact on fertility. “For instance, the adhesions can make it more difficult for an egg to be swept up by a fallopian tube and become fertilized.”

Can and should I freeze my eggs if I have endometriosis?

Absolutely. Some doctors will recommend egg freezing for women with endometriosis, while they're young and the condition is still in the early stages. Because some surgeries for endometriosis can actually worsen fertility by inadvertently removing healthy ovarian tissue or compromising vascular supply to the ovary, egg freezing should be done before any such surgeries.

If you are interested in freezing your eggs, we can connect you with a fertility specialist for a consultation to discuss your specific situation. Our Freeze by Co is making egg freezing more empowering, positive, and accessible — even free — when you give half of the eggs retrieved to a family who can’t otherwise conceive. 

What your doctor might recommend

The good news is, endometriosis can often be treatable. Depending on your situation, treatment might include:

• Hormone therapy: Often in the form of birth control pills, this prevents additional tissue growth and damage. 
• Pain relievers: Over-the-counter pain relievers can help manage the pain that comes with endometriosis at certain points in your cycle.
• A diagnostic workup: Thankfully, some women with endometriosis are still able to conceive, but talk to a reproductive endocrinologist if you don’t get a positive pregnancy test on your own within 6 to 12 months. A full diagnostic workup might be a good idea. Dr. Marra Francis, MD, FACOG, an OB/GYN in The Woodlands, TX, notes that this workup would likely include both diagnostic procedures for endometriosis and a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), which will show if your tubes are blocked. This may prevent pregnancy or increase the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, so you’ll want to work with your doctor on figuring out the best course of action.  
• Surgery: This is one of the most effective methods for treating endometriosis and preserving fertility, according to Dr. Douglas, but also the most invasive. These surgeries can remove adhesions and ovarian cysts, clearing tissue out of the fallopian tubes and making pregnancy a real possibility. 

Still, you might need a little boost to make that baby happen. While there are tons of treatments out there, depending on a host of factors—age, number of years trying, status of fallopian tubes, status of sperm—women can proceed with standard fertility treatments, like oral medication and IUI. However, while it is the most invasive, “IVF has the best results in the majority of women with endometriosis,” says Daniel Kort, associate medical director and practice director at Neway Fertility in New York City. 

Bottom line

Endometriosis can be a real pain—literally and figuratively—and infertility is one of the most common complications associated with it. Fortunately, with a little help from a reproductive endocrinologist, it’s still possible to conceive if you’ve developed endometriosis infertility.

If you think you probably want kids someday—just maybe not, like, today—you might be considering freezing your eggs. Women who choose to do it can find it really empowering, but it can also be a huge personal and financial investment. We’ve gathered the basic info you’ll need to decide whether egg freezing is right for you. 

What’s the process like?

The whole point of egg freezing is to trick your ovaries into sending a whole crop of eggs out into the world in one go. This starts with nearly two weeks of intense, at-home prep work on your part. Here’s how it all plays out:‍

Shots/Sonograms/More Shots

Starting on day 2-3 of your period, you’ll give yourself daily injections of follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) and luteinizing hormones (LH). In a natural cycle, your brain makes smaller doses of these hormones on its own to signal to the ovaries that it’s time to make a single egg ready for ovulation. With this treatment, the brain’s natural process is overridden by the injections in order to encourage the ovaries to release as many eggs as possible.

But not so fast, ovaries! You’ll also be given a third drug in combination with these that will keep your eggs from releasing before the doctor is ready to catch them. Depending on which one you’re prescribed, you’ll start taking this at the same time as the stimulants, or about halfway through the stimulant cycle. Don’t worry, you’ll receive specific instructions on all of these and before you know it, you’ll be an expert at giving yourself a shot. Look at you go!

You’ll take these daily injections for 10-12 days, during which time you’ll also be carefully monitored by the clinic with trans-vaginal ultrasounds that examine your follicles (the ovarian sacs that release the eggs), and blood tests to track your hormone levels. Your medications will be adjusted based on the info from these tests.

When follicles are nice and plump, you do a trigger shot and then go into the center for your egg retrieval. This actually triggers ovulation and it’s what’s needed for the DNA to become mature, but your eggs will be retrieved right before they’re released from the follicles.

Retrieval

An egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedure. Most centers use twilight anesthesia, so you’ll be under sedation through an IV, but breathing on your own. The doctor performing the egg retrieval will insert a trans-vaginal sonogram. Now, here’s the kinda weird part: on the tip of that sonogram wand is a small needle, which pierces the vaginal wall, and then enters the ovary on the other side (the doctor is watching all of this happen on the sonogram screen). The needle drains the fluid (containing the microscopic egg) from each of the mature follicles. The entire thing takes about 20 minutes, and you can go home soon after. 

In the lab, each egg is isolated from the fluid by an embryologist, then stripped of its surrounding cells, and checked under a microscope for maturity. Mature eggs are frozen, post-mature eggs are discarded, and immature eggs may be observed overnight, to see if they are ready to be frozen the next day. 

Recovery

Depending on how many eggs are retrieved, getting over the procedure might be no big deal, or you could have post-retrieval symptoms. Some women experience bloating, cramping, nausea, and potentially some weight gain for a few days after the procedure. Time to stock up on coconut water and get cozy with some Netflix. 

How many eggs will I get?

“People always ask, ‘why can’t you just give every woman enough drugs so that everyone makes 20 eggs?’ But that’s not how it works. Our ovaries have a set number of follicles every menstrual cycle,” explains Dr. Talebian. And of course, each woman is different, so the expectation for egg retrieval has to be set on an individual basis. 

“You can have a 30-year-old who has 30 follicles and produces 30 eggs; and you can have a 30-year-old with 4 follicles and produces 4 eggs.” Once you begin the process, your doctor will monitor your follicle count as well as a blood test of your anti-Müllarian hormone (AMH), which are both good predictors of how many eggs you can expect. It’s super personal and varies case-by-case.

Once your eggs are frozen, the next important number to seek when interviewing a clinic is their thaw rate. This number indicates the percentage of frozen eggs actually survive the warming process in order to be used for IVF. Beyond that, there isn’t really enough data to provide success rates for pregnancy using a woman’s own frozen eggs (versus frozen embryos, for example.

“Anyone who says they can give success rates based on egg freezing is probably not giving an accurate answer,” says Dr. Talebian. “We can give you success rates for healthy donor eggs, but most women who come in to freeze eggs at ages 30-35 have not come back to use those eggs. So there isn’t enough data to give a success rate.”

At what age should I freeze my eggs? 

As we’ve said before, everyone is different, but Dr. Talebian provided some basic guidelines.

• If you have no fertility risk factors: between ages 30-34
• If you have some fertility red flags: consider testing at an earlier age, if, for example, if you have a history of endometriosis, family history of early menopause, or any history of radiation or chemotherapy exposure

“Unfortunately, there’s no magic blood test or ultrasound or MRI that says ‘oh you could wait until you’re 38, or you need to do it at 28,’” says Dr. Talebian. What the centers do have are the stats for the average women at each age and then your personal history and the follicle counts they can take when you come in for your first appointment. Based on all this information, you can have a straightforward convo with the doctor about your likelihood of success, so you can make the best call for your future. 

Read more: A Breakdown of Egg Freezing Success Rates by Age

How much will it cost?

It can totally vary, depending on where you live and from center to center. We can help with this. In our Freeze by Co program, we get special pricing from clinics and on medications. Plus, you get access to an amazing community of women freezing at the same time.

We also offer free egg freezing through our Split program, where you freeze your eggs for free when you donate half to a family that can’t otherwise conceive.

Want to learn more? Take our quiz to see if you’re eligible. 

As women, we are born with all the eggs we’ll ever have, so it’s crucial to consider the health of our eggs as we age — and that includes accounting for the impact diet can have upon egg quality. The number of eggs we have decreases and the percentage of our eggs that contain genetic abnormalities actually increases the older we get. We’re just the messenger here! 

To put this into perspective, women are born with around one to two million oocytes (or egg cells) and by the time we are around 37, this number drops to roughly 25,000. In addition, women in their 20’s will have mostly “normal” egg quality, while women in their 30’s will have mostly “abnormal” egg quality. Each of these factors plays a large role in why fertility may be harder to achieve as we celebrate each birthday. 

Before we dive into how to improve egg quality with diet, let us first explain that currently, there is no “test” for egg quality. The only way to know if an egg is chromosomally normal is to try and fertilize it, and if successful, perform genetic testing. 

Is there an egg freezing diet? 

Yes! What we’re putting into our body (both for better or for worse) can greatly influence the health and quality of our eggs. And during the cycle of an egg’s journey, there is a window of time (90 days) in which certain factors — like diet — can influence the health of that egg. So, it can take roughly three months to improve the quality of your eggs. I recommend optimizing your egg health for at least 90 days before egg freezing. 

When it comes to boosting egg quality, here is where we’d recommend starting:

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3’s are a rockstar when it comes to women’s health and reproductive functions, and egg quality is no exception. Studies have demonstrated a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help improve egg quality. 

However, not all sources are created equal! The omega-3 fatty acids you find in plant-based foods like chia seeds and walnuts, while definitely healthy, are nowhere even close to being as beneficial to egg quality as animal-based sources like fatty fish (think salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, and tuna). This is because animal-based sources contain EPA and DHA (the kind of omega-3’s that are actually helpful for this purpose), while plant-based sources contain ALA which then needs to be converted into DHA and EPA. Unfortunately, the conversion rate is less than 10%. 

Vitamin D

Studies have shown women undergoing IVF who had higher levels of the sunshine hormone (aka Vitamin D) produced better quality eggs and were more likely to conceive. Not only that, but Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to other hormonal imbalances and anovulatory infertility. Basically, Vitamin D packs a powerful punch if you’re seeking to improve your egg quality. 

The easiest way to get Vitamin D is to head outside for some sunshine for 15-20 minutes per day, but you can also work it into your diet with foods like eggs (specifically the yolk), salmon, herring, sardines, and tuna. 

CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10 levels gradually decline as we age, so this coenzyme is especially important to consider when it comes to egg quality. Studies have demonstrated suboptimal CoQ10 status may drive age-associated declines in egg quality, so load on up. Some of the best sources of CoQ10 are organ meats, however, so if you’re not so keen on a diet loaded with liver, a supplement is a great way to go!

Inositol 

Inositol is thought to increase insulin sensitivity of the ovary, which may help improve egg quality. Working a combination of myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol into your diet is preferable and while beans, oats, oranges, and cantaloupe are good sources, taking a supplement  in the body's normal ratio of 40:1 is preferable here. Recent studies have shown that taking a combination of these two forms, in this ratio, is more beneficial than taking myo-inositol or D-chiro inositol alone. 

Zinc

Zinc is a key regulator when it comes to egg quality and development! Research shows a zinc deficiency may negatively affect the early stages of egg development, reducing the ability of egg cells to divide and become fertilized. Good sources of zinc to work into your diet include oysters, beef, chickpeas, lentils, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts.

Antioxidants

Research shows antioxidants such as vitamins A and E may help with the mitochondrial function of our eggs by helping with DNA replication — which is what you want when you’re aiming for healthy, fertilized embryos. Other studies of antioxidants such as catechins, N-acetylcysteine, and proanthocyanidins have also demonstrated a benefit to mitochondrial function in several organ systems. 

The best way to improve egg quality by getting a wide variety of antioxidants into the body is by simply eating the rainbow! This means stacking your plate with as many bright, colorful fruits and veggies as humanly possible. 

Blood sugar balance

Blood sugar balance is super important for egg quality, even if insulin resistance is not an issue. This is because high levels of insulin may be associated with impaired egg quality. More recent data shows that a high starch diet, which was associated with a higher plasma insulin to glucagon ratio, had adverse effects on egg quality. To work towards better glucose control, focus on proteins, healthy fats, and fiber and limit meals and snacks that are full of naked carbohydrates. 

The net-net on egg freezing and diet

In sum, what you put into your body (or what you don’t!) can have profound effects on the health and quality of your eggs. We recommend starting to work on egg health for at least three months before any fertility procedure. Use this list to help guide your diet and supplement intake so you can be on the path to improved egg quality!

Texas is the second most populated state in the United States, so it’s no surprise it has over 40 fertility clinics. While the state offers excellent care options, the costs and logistics can be tough to navigate. This guide will help you understand what to expect when freezing your eggs in the Lone Star State, from costs and clinic selection to practical considerations.

Cost of egg freezing in Texas

In the state of Texas, the total cost of egg freezing typically ranges from $10,000 to $15,000 and up per cycle, not including medications which can add another $3,000 to $6,000. This base cost usually covers:

• Initial consultation and fertility testing
• Monitoring appointments (bloodwork and ultrasounds)
• Egg retrieval procedure
• Anesthesia
• Vitrification
  

Additional expenses to consider:

• Annual storage fees ($1,000+)
• Pre-testing bloodwork ($200-400)
• Future egg thawing, fertilization, and embryo transfer ($2,500+)
  

Some clinics offer financing options, including payment plans and loans through third-party providers. Some also provide package deals for multiple cycles, which can reduce the per-cycle cost for patients who may need or want to freeze eggs more than once.

Learn more about egg sharing, which makes egg freezing entirely free when you donate a portion of the eggs to a family that could not otherwise conceive. 

Is egg freezing covered in Texas?

Unfortunately, Texas law does not require health insurance plans to cover elective egg freezing.

However, for individuals undergoing cancer treatment, certain health plans may cover the procedure if it is deemed medically necessary. House Bill 1649 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 13, 2023. Effective for state-regulated large, small, and individual group health insurance plans issued after January 1, 2024, the law mandates coverage for sperm, egg, and ovarian tissue preservation for patients receiving medically necessary cancer treatment.

Best egg freezing clinics in Texas

There are dozens of great fertility clinics in Texas and the surrounding areas. We recommend narrowing it down to a few clinics near you and then deciding based on the factors that matter the most. We all have different priorities and preferences – some people want a smaller, more boutique-style clinic, others insist on a female doctor, and others just want the shortest commute. 

Read more in What to Look For in an Egg Freezing Clinic

Here are the Texas clinics we often work with:

Austin

Aspire Fertility (North University)
911 W 38th St Bldg 2 Suite 402
Austin, TX 78705

Austin Fertility and Reproductive Medicine (West Lake)
300 Beardsley Ln., Bldg B, Ste 200
Austin, Texas 78746

Austin Fertility and Reproductive Medicine (South Location)
4303 James Casey St., Suites A, B & C
Austin, Texas 78745

Austin Fertility and Reproductive Medicine (Round Rock)
7700 Cat Hollow Dr., Suites 105 & 106
Round Rock, Texas 78681

Kindbody (Downtown)
100 Colorado Street
Austin, TX 78701

Texas Fertility Center (Cedar Park)
13625 Ronald W. Reagan Blvd, Bldg. 7, Suite 200
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Texas Fertility Center (Round Rock)
16040 Park Valley Drive, Building 1, Ste 201
Round Rock, Texas 78681

Texas Fertility Center (South Austin)
5000 Davis Lane, Suite 100
Austin, TX 78749

Corpus Christi

Texas Fertility Center
6702 South Staples
Suite B, Bldg. B
Corpus Christi, TX 78413

Dallas / Fort Worth

Dallas Fort Forth Fertility Associates (Plano)
6300 W Parker Road, Medical Office 2 - Ste.G26
Plano, Texas 75093

Dallas Fort Forth Fertility Associates (Southlake)
910 E. Southlake Blvd, Suite 175
Southlake, TX 76092

Dallas Fort Forth Fertility Associates (Glen Lakes)
5477 Glen Lakes Drive, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75231

Dallas Fort Forth Fertility Associates (North Dallas)
7777 Forest Lane, Suite D-1100
Dallas, TX 75230

Dallas IVF (Frisco)
2840 Legacy Drive, Suite 100 & 110
Frisco, TX 75034

Dallas IVF (East Dallas)
3600 Gaston Avenue, Barnett Tower, Suite 1001
Dallas, TX 75246

Dallas IVF (McKinney)
5301 West University Drive
McKinney, TX 75071

Dallas IVF (Tyler)
641 South Broadway Avenue, Suite 1
Tyler, TX 75701

Fertility Specialists of Texas (Plano)
5736 State Hwy 121
Plano, TX 75024

Fertility Specialists of Texas (Walnut Hill)
8160 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 211
Dallas, TX 75231

Fertility Specialists of Texas (Lubbock)
9826 Slide Road, Suite 200
Lubbock, TX 79424

Fertility Specialists of Texas (Southlake)
540 East Southlake Blvd., Suite 100
Southlake, TX 76092

Fertility Specialists of Texas (East Dallas)
3801 Gaston Avenue, Suite 250
Dallas, TX 75246

Texas Center for Reproductive Health (East Dallas)
3600 Gaston Avenue, Barnett Tower, Suite 504
Dallas, Texas 75246

Houston

Cooper Institute for Advanced Reproductive (Sharpstown)
7500 Beechnut Street #308
Houston, TX 77074

Family Fertility Center at Texas Children’s (Medical Center)
6651 S Main St #F320
Houston, TX 77030

Kindbody (Walnut Hill)
8041 Walnut Hill Ln unit 870
Dallas, TX 75231

RMA Houston (Montrose)
888 Westheimer Rd Suite 200
Houston, TX 77006

San Antonio

Aspire Fertility (Stone Oak)
150 E Sonterra Blvd #220
San Antonio, TX 78258

Pozitivf (North San Antonio)
4515 N Loop 1604 W Suite 301
San Antonio, TX 78249

Texas Fertility Center (New Braunfels)
705 Generations Drive, Suite 102
New Braunfels, TX 78130

Texas Fertility Center (Stone Oak)
18707 Hardy Oak Blvd
Suite 505
San Antonio, TX 78258

If you work with Cofertility to freeze your eggs, we can help you find the right clinic.

Where to get egg freezing medications in Texas

During your egg freezing cycle, you'll need several specialty medications for ovarian stimulation. These are not medications you can get at your typical CVS or Walgreens drugstore but instead come from a specialty or mail-order pharmacy. 

Depending on where you’re located, there are a few options for obtaining these prescriptions in-person, including:

Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy (Houston)
‍(713) 838-7704

People’s Pharmacy (Austin)
‍(512) 459-7777

Symphony Pharmacy (Austin)
‍(512) 598-1640

Choice Specialty Pharmacy (Sugar Land)
(832) 944-6112

SandsRx (Dallas)
(972) 535-2020

Some patients prefer national mail-order pharmacies that deliver directly to your home or office. Popular options include Schrafts, Freedom Fertility, SMP Pharmacy, and Alto Pharmacy. These companies typically require 24-48 hours for delivery to your home or office.

Freeze your eggs 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:

1. Our Split program offers women a chance to freeze their eggs for free when donating half of the eggs retrieved to a family who cannot otherwise conceive. 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.
2. Our self-pay Keep program allows women to freeze their eggs and keep them all for their future use. Through Keep, we offer our members partnerships and discounts to lighten the financial load of egg freezing, as well as access to our member community.

The benefits 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.

California has more fertility clinics than any other state, with many of them located in the greater San Francisco Bay area. In fact, there are over 25 clinics to choose from in SF. While the region offers excellent care options, the costs and logistics can be tough to navigate. This guide will help you understand what to expect when freezing your eggs in San Francisco, from costs and clinic selection to practical considerations.

This guide will help you understand what to expect when freezing your eggs in San Francisco, from costs and clinic selection to practical considerations.

Cost of egg freezing in San Francisco

In SF, the total cost of egg freezing typically ranges from $10,000 to $15,000 per cycle, not including medications which can add another $3,000 to $6,000. This base cost usually covers:

• Initial consultation and fertility testing
• Monitoring appointments (bloodwork and ultrasounds)
• Egg retrieval procedure
• Anesthesia
• Vitrification
  

Additional expenses to consider:

• Annual storage fees
• Pre-testing bloodwork
• Future egg thawing, fertilization, and embryo transfer
  

Some SF clinics offer financing options, including payment plans and loans through third-party providers. Some also provide package deals for multiple cycles, which can reduce the per-cycle cost for patients who may need or want to freeze eggs more than once.

Keep in mind that SF-based clinics typically charge premium rates compared to other cities. Not only are salaries higher for staffing in SF, but real estate is also more expensive.

Learn more about egg sharing, which makes egg freezing entirely free when you donate a portion of the eggs to a family that could not otherwise conceive. 

Is egg freezing covered in California?

Under new state law, Senate Bill 729 (SB 729), effective July 1st, 2025, some fertility treatments must be covered by insurance. Here’s what to know about the law:

• It covers approximately 9 million Californians enrolled in large-group, fully insured health plans. 
• It does not apply to people who get their health coverage from religious employers, self-funded employers, or people enrolled in Medi-Cal.
• It covers fertility treatment, including up to three egg retrievals, for people with “infertility”.
• SB 729 defines infertility to be inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community and unpartnered individuals.

To understand your specific coverage, check with your insurance provider or employer's benefits department.

If you're freezing your eggs for non-medical reasons (often called "elective" egg freezing), you'll likely need to pay out of pocket unless your employer specifically offers it as a benefit. Some large employers in Los Angeles, particularly in tech and finance, include subsidized egg freezing coverage in their benefits packages.

Best egg freezing clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area

There are dozens of great fertility clinics in SF and the surrounding areas. We recommend narrowing it down to a few clinics near you and then deciding based on the factors that matter the most. We all have different priorities and preferences – some people want a smaller, more boutique-style clinic, others insist on a female doctor, and others just want the shortest commute. 

Read more in What to Look For in an Egg Freezing Clinic

Here are the San Francisco Bay area-based clinics we often work with:

NOVA IVF (Mountain View)
‍2500 Hospital Dr Building 7
Mountain View, CA 94040

RMA NorCal (San Francisco - Financial District)
‍150 Spear St Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94105

Pacific Fertility Center (San Francisco - North Beach)
‍55 Francisco St #500
San Francisco, CA 94133

Spring Fertility (San Francisco - Van Ness)
‍1 Daniel Burnham Ct #110
San Francisco, CA 94109

Spring Fertility (Sunnyvale)
‍550 Lakeside Dr
Sunnyvale, CA 94085

Reproductive Science Center (San Ramon)
‍100 Park Place, Suite 200
San Ramon, CA 94583

Reproductive Science Center (Oakland)
‍3300 Webster St. Suite 404
Oakland, CA 94609

Reproductive Science Center (Los Gatos)
‍15066 Los Gatos Almaden Road Suite 110
Los Gatos, CA 95032

Kindbody (San Francisco - Financial District)
‍88 Sutter St 
San Francisco, CA 94104

If you work with Cofertility to freeze your eggs, we can help you find the right clinic.

Where to get egg freezing medications in San Francisco

During your egg freezing cycle, you'll need several specialty medications for ovarian stimulation. These are not medications you can get at your typical CVS or Walgreens drugstore but instead come from a specialty or mail-order pharmacy. 

SF offers a few options for obtaining these prescriptions in-person, including:

Avella Specialty Pharmacy 
2360 Qume Drive, Suite A 
San Francisco, CA 94107

Alto Pharmacy
‍1400 Tennessee St #2
San Francisco, CA 94107

Community, A Walgreens Pharmacy
‍217 Alma Street, Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94301

Specialty fertility pharmacies offer several important advantages. Their staff is specifically trained in fertility medications and can provide detailed injection training to help you feel confident administering your medications. These pharmacies often secure better pricing through their high-volume purchasing, and they deeply understand the time-sensitive nature of fertility treatments. Many offer convenient pick-up options or same-day delivery throughout SF to ensure you get your medications when you need them.

However, some patients prefer national mail-order pharmacies that deliver directly to your home or office. Popular options include Schrafts, Freedom Fertility, SMP Pharmacy, and Alto Pharmacy. These companies typically require 24-48 hours for delivery to NYC addresses but may have same-day availability.

Freeze your eggs 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:

1. Our Split program offers women a chance to freeze their eggs for free when donating half of the eggs retrieved to a family who cannot otherwise conceive. 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.
2. Our self-pay Keep program allows women to freeze their eggs and keep them all for their future use. Through Keep, we offer our members partnerships and discounts to lighten the financial load of egg freezing, as well as access to our member community.

The benefits 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.

If you're considering freezing your eggs, you may be wondering why so few Black women pursue this option. A 2023 study in Fertility and Sterility revealed an enormous gap: while Black women make up 30% of Chicago's population, they represent only 7% of egg freezing patients - even in areas with comprehensive insurance coverage. The study identified two key barriers: cultural beliefs about egg freezing in the Black community and lack of awareness that fertility preservation was even an option.

Yet egg freezing can be particularly valuable for Black women, who have twice the odds of experiencing infertility compared to white women. 

This guide is all about egg freezing in the Black community and provides practical information about the process, costs, and support resources available. Whether you're actively considering egg freezing or just exploring your options, you'll find guidance on finding the right doctor, navigating treatment, and connecting with others who understand your experience.

Your reproductive health matters

A landmark 2008 study called the CARDIA Women's Study found important evidence about racial differences in fertility. The research found that Black women had twice the odds of experiencing infertility compared to white women, even after accounting for factors like education, income, and medical conditions. This higher rate of infertility persisted across different groups - married women, unmarried women, and women not using contraception.

Black women are also more likely to have uterine fibroids, which can have an adverse impact on fertility and pregnancy. Black women are disproportionately affected by PCOS, and have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease than white women. And while Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis, it might be due to facing more delayed or altogether missed diagnoses. 

These higher rates of reproductive health conditions affect Black women's fertility not just in the moment but can impact future family planning. Beyond the known barriers, more research is needed to uncover the hidden factors contributing to the low rates of egg freezing among Black women. For instance, how do historical mistrust in the medical system, implicit bias in healthcare interactions, and disparities in patient-provider communication influence decisions around fertility preservation? Additionally, little is understood about how mental health, chronic stress, and the cumulative impact of systemic racism affect reproductive outcomes and fertility timelines. Research should also explore the role of community narratives, social support networks, and representation in reproductive healthcare, which may subtly shape perceptions and decisions around fertility preservation. Understanding these complex, interconnected factors is key to developing culturally responsive education, policies, and care models that truly support Black women in making informed reproductive choices. Early awareness and intervention - including considering options like egg freezing - can help protect your reproductive choices.

Understanding egg freezing

Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a process that allows women to freeze unfertilized eggs for potential future use. During the procedure, eggs are retrieved from your ovaries, frozen at extremely low temperatures, and stored until you're ready to use them. 

Because the quality and quantity of eggs naturally decline with age, freezing eggs when you're younger can help preserve higher-quality eggs for future family building.

The egg freezing process typically takes 2-3 weeks and involves:

Initial consultation

• Medical history review
• Fertility testing (bloodwork and ultrasound)
• Discussion of treatment plan
• Review of costs and insurance

Ovarian stimulation (10-12 days)

• Daily hormone injections
• Regular monitoring appointments
• Ultrasounds to track follicle development
• Blood tests to check hormone levels

Egg retrieval

• 15-30 minute surgical procedure to retrieve the eggs
• Light sedation required
• Same-day recovery
• You will know that day how many eggs were retrieved

Egg freezing has grown in popularity, with a 30% increase in egg-freezing cycles from 2021 to 2022 alone! While egg freezing is generally considered safe and effective, there are potential side effects that you should be aware of before making the decision to undergo the procedure. 

Finding the right fertility specialist 

Research consistently shows that Black women have better health outcomes when treated by Black doctors. If you’re lucky enough to have multiple clinics to choose from in your area, you can evaluate them on three key areas: success rates, experience with Black patients, and clinic environment. 

Ask for data on egg freezing outcomes specifically for Black women, and inquire about the clinic's experience treating conditions common in Black women like fibroids. Consider the diversity of the medical team and staff, as well as the support services offered. 

Our Directory of Black Fertility Doctors can help you find a qualified reproductive endocrinologist in your area.

Advocating for yourself

Studies show Black women often face delays in diagnosis and treatment. Keep detailed records of your cycle, symptoms, and test results. Communicate concerns directly with your healthcare team and don't hesitate to seek second opinions if you're unsatisfied with your care. Many women find it helpful to bring a support person to appointments.

Read more in How to Talk to Your Doctor About Your Fertility Health (and How To Advocate for Yourself)

How much does egg freezing cost?

​​This is always a difficult question to answer because it depends! It depends on the clinic you’re going to, where you are located, the medications you are prescribed (it differs based on your age and body), and where/how long you store the eggs.

Average egg-freezing cycle costs range from $10,000 - $20,000 for consultations, testing, ultrasounds, medications, and egg retrieval, plus the ongoing cost of annual storage.

Several options exist to manage these costs. Check if your employer offers fertility benefits and review state mandate requirements. Many clinics offer payment plans or multi-cycle discounts. 

Egg sharing: A cost-free option

For women interested in freezing, egg sharing is an increasingly common option. Through Cofertility's Split program, you can freeze your eggs for free when you donate a portion of the retrieved eggs to a family who cannot conceive. Our program covers all expenses - including medications, storage for 10 years, and even travel if needed.

The benefits of egg sharing with Cofertility:

• All medical and travel costs covered
• Free genetic and fertility testing
• Help another Black family build their family while freezing your own eggs for future use
• Connection to the Cofertility community for support all along the way and after too
• Receive the same quality of care as self-pay patients

Many Black women find meaning in helping other families, particularly given the challenges many Black families face in building their families through egg donation. The Split program offers a way to preserve your fertility while making treatment accessible to others. If donating your eggs to intended parents sounds like something you would like to do, you may be able to qualify for our egg sharing program. Take our quiz to see if you qualify.

Support resources

These incredible organizations focus specifically on supporting and advocating for Black women and families through their fertility experiences: 

• The Resilient Sisterhood Project’s mission is to educate and empower women of African descent regarding common yet rarely discussed diseases of the reproductive system that disproportionately affect them.
• Black Mamas Matter Alliance is a national network of Black women-led and Black-led, birth and reproductive justice organizations and multi-disciplinary professionals, working across the full spectrum of maternal and reproductive health.
• SisterSong’s mission is to strengthen and amplify the collective voices of indigenous women and women of color to achieve reproductive justice by eradicating reproductive oppression and securing human rights. 
• Eggs over Easy is a documentary film about Black women and fertility.

For mental health support, the Therapy for Black Girls Directory can help you find culturally competent counselors who understand the unique challenges Black women face in fertility treatment.

Making your decision

Your reproductive health matters. Making decisions about your fertility is empowering, especially when you have the right information and support. While the data shows clear disparities in access to fertility treatment for Black women, these challenges are not insurmountable.

Whether you choose to freeze your eggs now, explore egg sharing through our Split program, or simply want to learn more about your options, you're taking an important step in managing your reproductive health. Our team is here to help you navigate this process with confidence.

‍Read more:

• Does Donating Eggs Affect Your Fertility?
• How to Increase Egg Freezing Chances of Success
• Researchers Followed 921 Egg Freezers; Here’s What They Found

California has more fertility clinics than any other state, with many of them located in the greater Los Angeles area. In fact, there are over 30 clinics to choose from in LA. While having multiple options is beneficial, it can also make choosing the right clinic feel overwhelming. This guide will help you understand what to expect when freezing your eggs in Los Angeles, from costs and clinic selection to practical logistics.

In this article, we'll cover the top Los Angeles fertility clinics for egg freezing, typical costs in the metro area, where to get your fertility meds, insurance considerations specific to California, and practical tips for managing treatment in the city. 

Cost of egg freezing in Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, the total cost of egg freezing typically ranges from $10,000 to $15,000 per cycle, not including medications which can add another $3,000 to $6,000. This base cost usually covers:

• Initial consultation and fertility testing
• Monitoring appointments (bloodwork and ultrasounds)
• Egg retrieval procedure
• Anesthesia
• Vitrification

‍Additional expenses to consider:

• Annual storage fees
• Pre-testing bloodwork
• Future egg thawing, fertilization, and embryo transfer

Some LA clinics offer financing options, including payment plans and loans through third-party providers. Some also provide package deals for multiple cycles, which can reduce the per-cycle cost for patients who may need or want to freeze eggs more than once.

Keep in mind that LA-based clinics typically charge premium rates compared to other cities. Not only are salaries higher for staffing in LA, but real estate is also more expensive.

‍Learn more about egg sharing, which makes egg freezing entirely free when you donate a portion of the eggs to a family that could not otherwise conceive. 

Is egg freezing covered in California?

Under new state law, Senate Bill 729 (SB 729), effective July 1st, 2025, some fertility treatments must be covered by insurance. Here’s what to know about the law:

• It covers approximately 9 million Californians enrolled in large-group, fully insured health plans. 
• It does not apply to people who get their health coverage from religious employers, self-funded employers, or people enrolled in Medi-Cal.
• It covers fertility treatment, including up to three egg retrievals, for people with “infertility”.
• SB 729 defines infertility to be inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community and unpartnered individuals.

To understand your specific coverage, check with your insurance provider or employer's benefits department.

If you're freezing your eggs for non-medical reasons (often called "elective" egg freezing), you'll likely need to pay out of pocket unless your employer specifically offers it as a benefit. Some large employers in Los Angeles, particularly in tech and finance, include subsidized egg freezing coverage in their benefits packages.

Best egg freezing clinics in Los Angeles

There are dozens of great fertility clinics in LA and the surrounding areas. We recommend narrowing it down to a few clinics near you and then deciding based on the factors that matter the most. We all have different priorities and preferences – some people want a smaller, more boutique-style clinic, others insist on a female doctor, and others just want the shortest commute. 

Read more in What to Look For in an Egg Freezing Clinic

Here are the LA-based clinics we often work with:

Los Angeles Reproductive Center (Encino)
‍16055 Ventura Blvd # 1127
Encino, CA 91436

‍Reproductive Partners Medical Group (Beverly Hills + South Bay + Orange County)
‍8383 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

510 N. Prospect Ave, Suite 202
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

13950 Milton Ave, Suite 100
Westminster, CA 92683

Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles (Westwood + Glendale)
‍10880 Wilshire Blvd
Ste 300 Los Angeles, CA 90024

1818 Verdugo Blvd
Ste 402 Glendale, CA 91208

RMA - Southern California (West Los Angeles + Burbank)
‍11500 W Olympic Blvd., Suite 150
Los Angeles, California 90064

2601 W. Alameda Avenue, Suite 404
Burbank, California 91505

Beverly Hills Fertility (Century City)

10390 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 340
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Kindbody (Santa Monica)

500 Broadway, Suite 7
Santa Monica, CA 90401

If you work with Cofertility to freeze your eggs, we can help you find the right clinic.

Where to get egg freezing medications in Los Angeles

During your egg freezing cycle, you'll need several specialty medications for ovarian stimulation. These are not medications you can get at your typical CVS or Walgreens drugstore but instead come from a specialty or mail-order pharmacy. 

Los Angeles offers multiple options for obtaining these prescriptions in-person, including:

VFP Pharmacy (Westside Village)
10840 National Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(855) 306-4888

‍MDRx (Westwood)
10921 Wilshire Blvd,.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-6666

MDRx (Encino)
17071 Ventura Blvd, #100
Encino, CA 91316
(800) 515-3784

RoxSan (Beverly Hills)
465 North Roxbury Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 273-4611

Northridge Plaza Pharmacy (Northridge)
18546 Roscoe Blvd, Suite 102
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 998-8700

Alto Pharmacy (Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw)
5916 Bowcroft Street
Los Angeles, CA 90016

Specialty fertility pharmacies offer several important advantages. Their staff is specifically trained in fertility medications and can provide detailed injection training to help you feel confident administering your medications. These pharmacies often secure better pricing through their high-volume purchasing, and they deeply understand the time-sensitive nature of fertility treatments. Many offer convenient pick-up options or same-day delivery throughout NYC to ensure you get your medications when you need them.

However, some patients prefer national mail-order pharmacies that deliver directly to your home or office. Popular options include Schrafts, Freedom Fertility, SMP Pharmacy, and Alto Pharmacy. These companies typically require 24-48 hours for delivery to NYC addresses but may have same-day availability.

Freeze your eggs 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:

1. Our Split program offers women a chance to freeze their eggs for free when donating half of the eggs retrieved to a family who cannot otherwise conceive. 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.
2. Our self-pay Keep program allows women to freeze their eggs and keep them all for their future use. Through Keep, we offer our members partnerships and discounts to lighten the financial load of egg freezing, as well as access to our member community.

The benefits 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.

New York City is a hub for fertility treatment, with some of the nation's leading egg freezing programs and most experienced fertility specialists. While having multiple options is beneficial, it can also make choosing the right clinic feel overwhelming. This guide will help you understand what to expect when freezing your eggs in NYC, from costs and clinic selection to practical logistics.

In this article, we'll cover the top NYC fertility clinics for egg freezing, typical costs in the metro area, insurance considerations specific to New York state, where to get your meds, and practical tips for managing treatment in the city. 

Cost of egg freezing in NYC

In New York City, the total cost of egg freezing typically ranges from $10,000 to $15,000 per cycle, not including medications which can add another $3,000 to $6,000. This base cost usually covers:

• Initial consultation and fertility testing
• Monitoring appointments (bloodwork and ultrasounds)
• Egg retrieval procedure
• Anesthesia
• Vitrification

Additional expenses to consider:

• Annual storage fees
• Pre-testing bloodwork
• Future egg thawing, fertilization, and embryo transfer

Some NYC clinics offer financing options, including payment plans and loans through third-party providers. Some also provide package deals for multiple cycles, which can reduce the per-cycle cost for patients who may need or want to freeze eggs more than once.

Keep in mind that Manhattan-based clinics typically charge premium rates compared to other cities. Not only are salaries higher for staffing in NYC, but real estate is also more expensive.Learn more about egg sharing, which makes egg freezing entirely free when you donate a portion of the eggs to a family that could not otherwise conceive. Is egg freezing covered in New York state?Under New York state law, egg freezing must be covered by insurance when a medical treatment may directly or indirectly cause infertility. This includes treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or other medical treatments that could affect reproductive organs. The law also applies to people undergoing gender-affirming care that might impact fertility.If you qualify for egg freezing coverage under this law, insurance companies:

• Cannot impose age restrictions
• Cannot set annual dollar limits
• Must cover standard services including collecting, freezing, preserving, and storing eggs
• Can require preauthorization and medical necessity review
• Can apply standard copays and deductibles

Note: These insurance requirements don't apply to self-funded Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plans which are common with large employers, although some of these plans may choose to offer fertility coverage. To understand your specific coverage, check with your insurance provider or employer's benefits department.

However, if you're freezing your eggs for non-medical reasons (often called "elective" egg freezing), you'll likely need to pay out of pocket unless your employer specifically offers it as a benefit. Some large employers in New York City, particularly in tech and finance, include subsidized egg freezing coverage in their benefits packages.

New York now requires employers to give paid time off for fertility treatments

Starting January 1, 2025, private sector employees in New York State are entitled to 20 hours of paid leave annually for fertility treatments. This leave is separate from existing sick leave or other paid time off.

Key points about using New York’s Paid Prenatal Leave for egg freezing:

• It covers fertility treatment and care
• Must be paid at your regular rate of pay
• Can be taken in hourly increments
• No medical documentation required
• Available immediately upon hiring
• Cannot be denied when requested
• Protected from retaliation

The 20-hour allowance runs for 52 weeks from your first use, not the calendar year. Unused hours don't carry over. The 20-hour allowance should cover most or all appointments in a typical egg freezing cycle, including consultations, monitoring visits, and retrieval day.

Best egg freezing clinics in NYC

There are dozens of great fertility clinics in NYC and the surrounding areas. We recommend narrowing it down to a few clinics near you and then deciding based on the factors that matter the most. We all have different priorities and preferences – some people want a smaller, more boutique-style clinic, others insist on a female doctor, and others just want the shortest commute. 

‍Read more in What to Look For in an Egg Freezing Clinic

‍Here are the NYC-based clinics we often work with:

‍Sama Fertility (Midtown)
‍115 E 57th St.
New York, NY 10022

Extend Fertility (Midtown)
‍200 W 57th St #1101
New York, NY 10019

Global Fertility & Genetics (Midtown)
‍115 E 57th St suite 420 & 430
New York, NY 10022

Kindbody (Bryant Park)
‍16 E 40th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10016

Kindbody (Flatiron)
‍102 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10011

Spring Fertility (Bryant Park)
‍114 W 41st St 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10036

Neway Fertility (Upper West Side)
123 W 79th St.
‍New York, NY 10024

If you work with Cofertility to freeze your eggs, we can help you get the best deal and find the right clinic.

Where to get egg freezing medications in NYC

During your egg freezing cycle, you'll need several specialty medications for ovarian stimulation. These are not medications you can get at your typical CVS or Walgreens drugstore but instead come from a specialty or mail-order pharmacy. 

Your fertility clinic may recommend specific fertility pharmacies, though important to note that New York City and the surrounding area offers multiple options for obtaining these prescriptions in-person, including:

‍Metro Drugs
‍243 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 794-7200

‍Apthorp Pharmacy
‍2191 Broadway
New York, NY 10024
(212) 877-3480

‍Prima Pharmacy
‍8 East 41st Street
New York, NY 10017
(718) 230-3535

‍Mandell’s Clinical Pharmacy
‍7 Cedar Grove Ln #20
Somerset, NJ 08873
(877) 252-0553

‍Dobbs Ferry Pharmacy
‍18 Cedar Street
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
(800) 941-8380

Specialty fertility pharmacies offer several important advantages. Their staff is specifically trained in fertility medications and can provide detailed injection training to help you feel confident administering your medications. These pharmacies often secure better pricing through their high-volume purchasing, and they deeply understand the time-sensitive nature of fertility treatments. Many offer convenient pick-up options or same-day delivery throughout NYC to ensure you get your medications when you need them.

However, some patients prefer national mail-order pharmacies that deliver directly to your home or office. Popular options include Schrafts, Freedom Fertility, SMP Pharmacy, and Alto Pharmacy. These companies typically require 24-48 hours for delivery to NYC addresses but may have same-day availability.

Freeze your eggs 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:

1. Our Split program offers women a chance to freeze their eggs for free when donating half of the eggs retrieved to a family who cannot otherwise conceive. 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.
2. Our self-pay Keep program allows women to freeze their eggs and keep them all for their future use. Through Keep, we offer our members partnerships and discounts to lighten the financial load of egg freezing, as well as access to our member community.

The benefits 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.

When we founded Cofertility, we set out to solve a problem: egg freezing was too expensive, too isolating, and too complex for many of us to access. We believed there had to be a better way. By reimagining the entire experience—from cost to care to community—we've created programs that work for more women.

This year, Goop recognized Cofertility as one of the best egg-freezing services, highlighting our commitment to making fertility preservation more accessible while maintaining the highest medical standards. This recognition means a lot to us, but what matters most is what it represents: a new way forward for women considering egg freezing.

We've built something different. Through our Keep and Split programs, we're proving that excellent fertility care can be both accessible and affordable. Here's a closer look at what sets Cofertility apart and why we're considered the top choice for women considering egg freezing in 2024.

Two groundbreaking programs that put women first

Cofertility offers two distinct programs designed to meet different needs and preferences. The Keep program provides traditional egg freezing services, allowing women to store all their retrieved eggs for future use. By freezing your eggs through Cofertility’s Keep program, you’ll gain access to:

• Preferred and vetted fertility clinic recommendations in many major areas, with discounted or free consultations 
• Skip the line — many fertility clinics have months-long waitlists for egg freezers. If you work with one of our partner clinics, we’ll help get you through faster
• Special discounts on long-term egg freezing storage
• Dedicated, 1:1 support from our Member Advocates to help you through every step of your egg freezing journey
• Access to our members-only community of women in all stages of their egg freezing journey and direct, free access to fertility experts 
• Financial support and resources through our financing partner, Sunfish (waived application and membership fees for all Cofertility members)

Cofertility believes in complete transparency about costs. The Keep program provides detailed pricing upfront, including:

• All medical procedures
• Necessary medications
• Storage fees
• Additional services

What truly distinguishes Cofertility is our Split program—a first-of-its-kind approach that makes egg freezing entirely free, including medications and storage, while maintaining the same high standards of care. Through Split, women can freeze and store their eggs at no cost by donating half of the retrieved eggs to a family who cannot conceive otherwise. This program maintains the same exceptional standards as Keep while making fertility preservation accessible to more women. 

Why the Split program is revolutionary

The Split program earned particular praise for its innovative approach to making egg freezing accessible. Unlike traditional egg freezing services that can cost $15,000 or more, Split provides:

• Free egg freezing and storage
• Free medications
• Free genetic screening
• The opportunity to help another family
• The same high-quality care as the Keep program

This program removes financial barriers while allowing women to preserve their fertility and help others build families.

Quality care without compromise

At Cofertility, medical excellence is non-negotiable. We partner exclusively with the nation's top fertility clinics, ensuring every patient receives care from board-certified reproductive endocrinologists and experienced embryologists. These partnerships mean patients benefit from:

• State-of-the-art laboratories and freezing techniques
• Rigorous quality control standards
• Comprehensive genetic screening
• Industry-leading success rates

Personal support from dedicated Member Advocates

At the heart of Cofertility's exceptional experience are our Member Advocates—experienced professionals who guide you through every aspect of your egg freezing process. Our Member Advocates provide personalized, one-on-one support from your first consultation through egg freezing and beyond.

Each Member Advocate brings extensive knowledge about fertility care and a deep commitment to supporting women through this significant decision. They're not just coordinators; they're advocates who:

• Help you understand your options between our Keep and Split programs
• Connect you with top clinics that match your needs and location
• Coordinate all medical appointments and scheduling
• Answer questions about medications and procedures
• Provide emotional support throughout the process
• Help you join our community of others going through similar experiences

Many of our Member Advocates have personal experience with fertility treatment, bringing both professional expertise and genuine empathy to their roles. They understand the questions, concerns, and emotions that come with egg freezing because they've been there themselves.

This personalized support makes a real difference. As one member noted, "Having someone who knew exactly what to expect, could answer all my questions, and was always available made me feel so much more confident about my decision to freeze and donate my eggs."

Our Member Advocates are available through text, email, or phone—whatever works best for you. They're known for their quick response times and willingness to go above and beyond to support our members. Whether you need help understanding a medical term, want to adjust your medication schedule, or just need someone to talk to, your Member Advocate is there.

Founded and run by women

In an industry historically dominated by male leadership and corporate interests, we aim to be different. Our female founders brought both professional expertise and personal understanding to reimagine egg freezing from the ground up.

What makes Cofertility different is that we've experienced these challenges firsthand. We understand the anxiety of waiting rooms, the complexity of insurance paperwork, the stress of scheduling appointments around work, and the weight of making decisions about your future fertility. This perspective shapes everything we do:

• We design our programs around women's actual needs and schedules
• We explain medical information clearly, without condescension
• We build supportive communities rather than leaving women to navigate this alone
• We prioritize transparency in pricing and medical information
• We create inclusive spaces for all paths to parenthood

This female-led approach extends throughout our organization. Our team brings together women with deep experience in healthcare, technology, and fertility services. Many have gone through fertility treatment themselves. This collective experience helps us anticipate and solve problems before they affect our members.

Being women-founded and women-led isn't just about representation—it's about fundamentally changing how fertility care works. We're proud to be recognized as the best egg freezing service, but we're even prouder of why: we're creating the fertility care experience that women deserve.

Making egg freezing work for you

Being named the best egg freezing service by Goop is an honor, but our real measure of success is in the women we serve every day. Whether you choose our Keep program or our innovative Split program, you'll find the same commitment to excellence, personal support, and genuine care that earned us this recognition.

The future of fertility care shouldn't be defined by barriers and limitations. It should be shaped by choice, accessibility, and support. At Cofertility, we're proud to lead this change, but we're even prouder to support women as they make important decisions about their fertility.

Ready to learn more? Reach out to us. We'll help you understand your options, answer your questions, and guide you toward the program that best fits your needs. You can also join our community to connect with others who are considering or going through egg freezing.

Your fertility decisions are personal, but you don't have to navigate them alone. Let us show you why we're considered the best in egg freezing—not just for what we do, but for how we do it.

The demands of medical school can make it seem like there's never a good time to focus on personal goals like proactive family planning. But if egg freezing is on your mind, understanding the best timing can make the process much smoother. Medical school actually offers some unique advantages. You are better positioned to understand everything involved in the medical procedure.

When it comes to egg freezing, your age is the most important factor influencing future success rates with frozen eggs, so acting while you're younger (under 35) gives you the best possible options. Additionally, certain phases of med school might have slightly more flexibility than the intensity of residency.

So, when should you consider freezing your eggs during medical school? Optimal windows include summer breaks (most time available), fall/spring breaks (if you're a meticulous planner), or potentially elective periods (depending on your choices). Let’s dive in to learn more.

A quick overview of egg freezing

The egg freezing process itself typically takes a few weeks. It begins with ovarian reserve and fertility testing along with a consultation with a fertility doctor where you map out the plan. Once you’re ready to go, you'll take hormonal medications for about 10-12 days to encourage the development of multiple mature eggs. During this time, you'll have regular monitoring appointments to track your progress.  Once the eggs are ready, they'll be retrieved in a short, outpatient procedure under sedation.  After retrieval, your eggs are frozen and stored for future use.

A guide to the ideal timing during medical school

Here's the essential timeline to keep in mind:

2-3 months before your egg freezing cycle:

• Initial consult: Discuss your goals, the process, and costs with a fertility doctor.
• Baseline testing: Bloodwork and ultrasound to assess ovarian reserve.
• Stop birth control: Depending on the type of birth control you are taking, you may need to stop taking it ahead of the egg freezing cycle. 

The egg freezing cycle:

• Medications and monitoring: Begin ovarian stimulation with daily hormone injections for 10-12 days. This phase requires several monitoring appointments (ultrasounds and blood tests) at your fertility clinic or a local remote monitoring clinic. If you work with Cofertility in our Split program, we can work with you and your program to find the most convenient place for these appointments, including at your hospital.   
• Egg retrieval: Short, outpatient procedure under sedation where eggs are retrieved and frozen.
• Recovery: Expect a few days of cramping and/or bloating. Most people can return to light activities soon after.

Expect about 3 to 6 monitoring appointments (which last no more than an hour) and one day for the retrieval.  Ideally, you'll want to align the cycle with a break in your medical school schedule– such as spring break, summer break, or otherwise– to ensure you have the flexibility you need for appointments.

The key is being proactive! Don't wait to start the conversation with a fertility clinic. The earlier you plan, the less stressful it will be. Since medical schools publish their calendar in advance, use one of the week-long breaks as a target for the egg retrieval. You can then work backwards from that date to start the cycle. 

Be your own advocate with your school's administration about needing some flexibility for medical appointments. If you work with Cofertility, we can help you map out the egg freezing schedule and find a cycle start date that works with your schedule. 

If you join our Split program, you will be assigned a Member Advocate who will take the extra steps to understand your busy schedule and help schedule appointments in the most convenient way possible. In some cases this means reaching out to the hospital(s) connected to your medical school program for availability to perform labs and ultrasounds.

Freeze your eggs 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:

1. Our Split program offers women a chance to freeze their eggs for free when donating half of the eggs retrieved to a family who cannot otherwise conceive. 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.
2. Our self-pay Keep program allows women to freeze their eggs and keep them all for their future use. Through Keep, we offer our members partnerships and discounts to lighten the financial load of egg freezing, as well as access to our member community.

The benefits 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.