Egg freezing:
Key considerations and how to interpret clinic success rates

If you’re not ready to become pregnant right now but would like to preserve your fertility options for the future, egg freezing may be worth looking into. 

As its name suggests, egg freezing involves collecting and freezing your eggs for future use. It effectively allows you to take control of your own fertility, and gives you the ability to choose when you’d like to pursue parenthood. 

However, there are several factors to think about when searching for the right fertility clinic. 

For example, it’s important to do your research and know your answers to questions like: how many eggs would you like to freeze? And do you understand how to interpret frozen embryo transfer success rates? 

Here we take a look at these key considerations in more detail, answering some of the questions we’re most commonly asked to help you make a more informed decision.

Egg freezing: What do I need to consider? 

Before deciding to go ahead with egg freezing, it’s important to stop and ask yourself these three key questions:

• What quality are the eggs you’re looking to freeze? Your age when deciding to freeze your eggs can impact their overall quality and the total number you may be able to store. 

• How many eggs will you ideally need to store and retrieve later on? Some women may need more than one round of egg retrieval to reach a comfortable number of eggs in storage.

• Are you likely to return to use these eggs in the future? Life circumstances can change over time, so it’s important to consider realistically how likely you’ll be to use these eggs in the future.

While it may be difficult to know the answers to these questions right away, our team are always here to help. By getting in touch with us and talking to one of our consultants, you’ll soon have greater clarity on whether egg freezing aligns with your personal needs.

Understanding egg freezing success rates

Finding reliable frozen egg birth statistics can be challenging because only a small percentage of women who freeze their eggs actually return to use them. 

According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), between 2020 and 2022, around 7,695 women in the UK chose to freeze their eggs privately, yet only about 1,050 of them (14%) thawed and used those eggs. As a result, this makes the overall success rates difficult to interpret.

Older data also may not reflect current standards, as egg-freezing technology has improved significantly over recent years. 

As such, the HFEA advises looking at the success rates for fresh IVF cycles (using your own eggs in your age band) as a more reliable indicator, due to the much higher number of fresh embryo transfers that take place each year.

Medical vs elective egg freezing

Another reason egg freezing rates can be difficult to interpret is due to many clinics historically including emergency egg freezing in their data. 

Emergency egg freezing often involves women who are unwell at the time of freezing or receiving treatments like chemotherapy, which can impact egg quality and skew the overall data slightly. As a result, their outcomes may not be comparable to those of an otherwise healthy individual choosing to freeze their eggs (known as elective egg freezing). 

For this reason, it’s essential to examine the data closely to help determine how it was collected and get a clearer picture of what your success rate is likely to be.

Choosing the right clinic for egg freezing

When deciding which clinic to freeze your eggs at, there are some key questions you’ll need to ask in advance. These include:

1. What is their expertise in egg freezing and thawing? 

Look for proven survival rates of frozen eggs. At Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic, for instance, our egg survival rate exceeds 85%, which is above the universal standard.

2. How does the clinic perform in related treatments, such as IVF?
   The HFEA suggests reviewing a clinic’s success rates for fresh IVF in your age bracket, as this can be a useful reference point. Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic prides itself on high IVF success rates, which you can learn more about on our dedicated page.

3. How personalised is the care plan they offer?
   Make sure the clinic you choose can tailor its protocol to suit your age, ovarian reserve and future family plans. This can often be the difference between having an experience that’s frustrating and impersonal, instead of one that truly meets your needs.

Our egg freezing process: What to expect

If you decide to freeze your eggs with us at Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic, your support team will remain the same throughout the entire egg retrieval process, so you’ll receive consistent care from the moment you step through our doors. 

Here’s what our usual egg freezing process looks like: 

Access dedicated, personalised care at Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic

At Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic, our approach will ensure you’re guided by our small, dedicated team of professionals who understand every aspect of the egg freezing journey. 

By freezing your eggs with us, you’ll receive access to: 

• Consultants with a specialist interest – our fertility specialists have a deep understanding of egg-freezing protocols and will provide you with a personalised plan that focuses on your age, ovarian reserve and future goals (such as the number of children you’d like).

• Dedicated nurse – your nurse will help you learn how to self-inject, manage your medication and answer any questions or concerns you might have. They’ll stay in close contact with you during your stimulation phase and throughout your treatment.

• Continuity of care – you will remain with the same team until the entire egg freezing process is complete. This means you’ll be able to make decisions with confidence, surrounded by a team who will understand your history and priorities.

Why choose Bourn Hall for egg freezing

If you’re considering egg freezing, finding the right clinic is crucial to your overall success. 

Here at Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic, our survival rates are higher than the national average and we consistently achieve excellent IVF outcomes. As such, choosing to freeze your eggs with us will provide you with access to one of the UK’s most trusted fertility clinics. 
Our goal is to offer complete clarity, transparency and full support, helping you make the best decisions for your future. Simply get in touch with our team to get started.