More women freeze eggs to delay motherhood, at $8,000 a cycle
More Australian women freeze eggs for non-medical reasons, though only 5.7 per cent use them within five to seven years.
Freezing eggs lets women preserve younger eggs for later use as their natural fertility declines with age. A Perth fertility doctor sees more women requesting the procedure for elective reasons, not medical ones.
A single cycle costs $8,000 to $12,000 upfront, plus annual storage fees. Experts warn the technology does not guarantee pregnancy or birth.
Success depends on how old the woman is when she freezes eggs and how many she stores. Research shows that among women who froze eggs between 2014 and 2016, only 5.7 per cent actually returned to use them within five to seven years.
Modern rapid-freezing techniques have improved egg survival rates, but long-term data on frozen eggs are still developing. About one in 16 Australian babies are now born through assisted reproductive technology.
- 8,000 to 12,000 dollars
- Cost per cycle
- 5.7 per cent
- Eggs used within 5-7 years
- 1 in 16
- Australian babies born via ART
- 1980
- Australia's first IVF baby
Why it mattersWomen weighing the cost and physical demands of egg freezing need to know it is not an insurance guarantee, and many never use the frozen eggs.
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