Recently, Sarah Elizabeth Richards, a trusted voice and thought leader when it comes to egg freezing, interviewed Dr. Joseph Doyle of the SGF Rockville, MD office about egg freezing for an article on Pregnantish: How Many Eggs to Freeze? There IS a Magic Number.
A Brief History of Egg Freezing
Egg freezing at Shady Grove Fertility has been available in one form or another since 2009. It was first used by women who needed to preserve their fertility prior to cancer treatment and was timed with the adoption of vitrification technology, the best technology available to freeze eggs. It was also used to freeze the eggs of egg donors. With the large amount of data from our egg donors and therefore the experience we had using vitrification for eggs, we introduced the SGF Egg Freezing Program.
In 2011, ASRM (the American Society for Reproductive Medicine) lifted the experimental label on egg freezing and it became a standard option in the fertility community. It wasn’t until October 2014 when Apple and Facebook announced they would cover the cost of freezing eggs for female employees, however, that egg freezing really took off.
Changes in Egg Freezing
Initially, there were many unknowns associated with egg freezing. The first, as mentioned by Richards, was how many eggs to freeze. Many factors are evaluated to mathematically determine a healthy number. As the largest fertility center in the nation, with years of data to support our recommendation, there is a “magic” number.
But first, why does the number of eggs to freeze matter? And how much does it cost?
Freeze Enough Eggs to Have a Baby
You want to freeze enough eggs to ensure you are able to use those eggs to have a baby in the future, but how much is enough? For women under 35, saving 20 eggs gives an 85 percent cumulative chance of bringing home one baby. It’s an 80 percent chance for women ages 35 to 37. Dr. Doyle also explained that women 38 to 40 should bank 30 eggs to have a 75 percent chance of giving birth to one baby.
But it’s important to think of your frozen eggs as your backup plan. According to Dr. Doyle, “I tell my patients ‘Once you have frozen eggs, don’t put family-building completely on the back burner. They’re supposed to be Plan B. But if you wait until you’re 45, that’s Plan A.”
More Financial Options
Originally, there weren’t many choices for women to freeze their eggs. Now, at SGF, women have two options to pay for egg freezing—a single cycle and flat-fee option that guarantees a certain number of eggs or cycles, whichever comes first. However, at SGF, women also have the option to schedule monthly payments with our exclusive partner, Fertility Finance. For example, if a woman wishes to finance the cost of a single egg freezing cycle, the estimated cost with 10% interest would be $195/month.
Call 1.877.411.9292 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph Doyle or one of our 39 fertility specialists.
About Sarah Elizabeth Richards
Often sharing her experience and latest news about egg freezing in The New York Times, Marie Claire, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Today.com. Sarah Elizabeth Richards also authored the book Motherhood, Rescheduled: The New Frontier of Egg Freezing and the Women Who Tried It, which chronicles the accounts of four women who elect egg freezing, and examines how life might change if a woman could stop the biological clock.
