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Egg freezing: What to know about the costs and questions to ask

Here’s what to know about egg freezing costs, which questions to ask, some ways to pay and the emotional cost too

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More Americans are choosing to freeze their eggs. News4’s Susan Hogan tells what to know about costs, the questions to ask and how to potentially get help paying.

When Kristen Kelly was in her mid-30s, she was single, had a good career and wasn’t thinking yet about having kids. That all changed when her girlfriends gave her a wakeup call.

“I was on a girls’ trip and essentially my friends had an intervention,” she said.

They told her if she wants to have kids someday, she needed to freeze her eggs soon.

Realizing how much harder it could be to get pregnant as she got older, Kelly decided to freeze her eggs and wait for Mr. Right – who came along soon after she started the process.

“We got married within a year and we both got tested and tried to have kids for six months,” she said. “And it was like, you know what? The clock’s ticking. I’m 38 now. We should probably … I’ve got these eggs frozen.”

Egg freezing jumped by more than 880% in the U.S. in 2021 from the prior year. Here’s what to know about the real costs of egg freezing and what to know before you start.

Women who freeze their eggs at a younger age have a higher chance of pregnancy because egg quality decreases with age, fertility experts say. But freezing your eggs isn’t cheap:

  • One cycle of egg freezing can cost $5,000 to $8,000 on average
  • The cost of medications can range from $4,000 to $6,000
  • Then, egg storage can cost $500 to $1,000 per year

“Cost is a big factor when patients are coming to me seeking fertility preservation or fertility treatments, and how we decide to move forward, said Dr. Anne Martini, with CCRM Fertility.

The reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist said it’s important for anyone considering egg freezing to look at the cost, especially because multiple egg freezing cycles may be necessary.

What to ask a fertility clinic about egg freezing

Martini recommended asking clinics about their success in having babies by using eggs at their facility.

Fertility IQ advised asking a clinic about their oocyte cryosurvival rate, which is the percentage of frozen eggs that survives when a lab warms them. A passable score is about 80%, they say.

They also recommended finding out if the clinic runs its own internal frozen egg donor program; those with such a program are generally more experienced, they said.

Health insurance may cover some parts of the egg freezing process, including diagnosis and a consultation with a doctor. But since egg freezing is considered elective by most insurance companies, the rest of the cost is likely yours to pay.

Some ways to pay for egg freezing

Here are some possible ways to pay:

  • Shared egg freezing allows people to freeze their eggs for free if they participate in some egg donor programs
  • Financing, including loans and payment plans are often available
  • Employee benefits can help
  • Check your flexible savings account and health savings account

Beyond the financial toll, here’s what else to consider

Figuring out how to pay for egg freezing can be tough. Then there’s the emotional toll. Patients take daily shots, plus medications that can wreak havoc on your hormones. Also, the first round sometimes doesn’t work.

“There are some very high highs in my job and some very low lows, and you have to have hard conversations,” Martini said.

Kelly, who froze her eggs, paid out of pocket and used her HSA. In the end, it was all worth it for her family, which now includes two healthy children.

“I'm so thankful that we have our two boys, and they're wonderful. But, I mean, it was a challenge to get there, and it was expensive. And I realize that there's not a lot of people that are able to financially afford it,” she said.

D.C. and some states, including Maryland, require health insurance coverage for fertility preservation including egg freezing, but only as a preventative measure for some medical conditions, such as prior to cancer treatments.

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