Mic Money (part of .Mic), a news outlet tailored to millennials, turned to Shady Grove Fertility last week to create its self-proclaimed “don’t get screwed guide to paying for a fertility back-up plan.” Shady Grove Fertility Egg Freezing Program Director, Michele Purcell, MHA, RN, was interviewed by D.C.-based Mic Money writer, Anna Bahney for the article, How much does it cost to freeze eggs? Your must-read guide to this popular fertility move.
In the article, Bahney hits all of the hot spots for women who are considering egg freezing. According to Bahney, “Managing a ticking biological clock while also staying on top of your education, building your career, and searching for the right partner—or not—can be overwhelming.”
In this guide, Bahney not only covers the various medical and decision-making steps along the egg freezing journey from a patient need-to-know perspective, but she also covers the costs associated with each step of the egg freezing process.
The key takeaways if you’re wondering how much it costs to freeze your eggs:
- Age is important: a 30 year old woman has a 20 percent chance of having a baby each month. And by the time she is 40 that percentage decreases significantly. The sweet spot to freeze is in your early- to mid-30s. As stated by Purcell in the article, “Unfortunately, your body doesn’t give you a heads up and say, ‘Hey your ovaries are going to start deteriorating!'”
- The consultation with a physician is important: understanding your current fertility is a major factor when it comes to egg freezing. Basic diagnostic testing is often covered by insurance and results provide your physician with insight into your current fertility, which will inform if you should freeze your eggs now and how many cycles you may need.
- How many eggs and how many cycles you will need is important to consider: for the average 37 year old with a good ovarian reserve (egg supply), we recommend freezing 20 mature eggs. Discuss how many cycles you may need with your physician, it could be one or it could be five, but it’s all dependent on your ovarian reserve.
- Get a cost breakdown: make sure you understand everything from a cost perspective, from the diagnostic testing, medications, storage, and when you come back to use your eggs to have a baby.
- Do your research: anyone can freeze an egg, but can they thaw an egg? Make sure the fertility center or clinic you pursue has thaw data and, even better, patients who have had children from frozen eggs. This technology is sensitive and at SGF, we have had thousands of egg thaw cycles from couples pursuing fertility treatment, frozen eggs from women who have donated their eggs, as well as elective egg freezing patients. In fact, this past February SGF physicians published the largest study of its kind regarding thaw data and pregnancy outcomes of frozen eggs in the esteemed fertility journal, Fertility and Sterility.
If you are considering freezing your eggs but still have questions, we recommend starting with diagnostic testing and a physician consultation to get your questions answered. Read the full article on Mic.com or call 1-877-411-9292 to schedule an egg freezing consultation.
