MANHATTAN — Egg freezing is becoming increasingly popular among young women as a method to preserve fertility, with the procedure involving the harvesting, freezing, and storage of a woman’s eggs until she is ready to have children. Lesley Stahl visited a fertility clinic in Manhattan with Dr. Tomer Singer, head of Northwell Health's fertility practice, to observe the egg retrieval process.
During the procedure, eggs are surgically retrieved from a woman’s ovaries, isolated under a microscope using tiny pipettes, placed onto straws, and plunged into liquid nitrogen for storage. When a woman is ready to attempt pregnancy, the frozen eggs can be thawed, fertilized, and implanted in her uterus. However, egg freezing does not guarantee a successful pregnancy or live birth.
Dr. Lucky Sekhon of RMA of New York outlined the potential outcomes for a 35-year-old woman who freezes 15 eggs. “A 35-year-old woman with 15 frozen eggs would likely see about a 90% thaw survival rate, resulting in approximately 13 surviving eggs,” Sekhon said. She added that of those 13 eggs, about 10 might fertilize, and roughly 60% would develop into embryos—yielding about six embryos. Sekhon stated that about two-thirds of those embryos would be chromosomally normal, leaving approximately four viable embryos from the original 15.
The average cost for a single cycle of egg freezing ranges from $12,000 to $13,000, according to Jennifer Lannon, co-founder of Freeze.Health. The process includes egg retrieval, freezing, storage, and later in vitro fertilization, with each step incurring costs. Lannon said in a podcast interview, “More and more every year, we're seeing employers provide coverage for egg freezing for their employees. We will continue to see that trend increase. But still, the majority of women have to pay out of pocket.”
Lesley Stahl reported that the total cost can amount to tens of thousands of dollars due to the multiple steps involved. She also said in a report, “I'm expecting that egg freezing will become so much easier that more and more women are going to do it.” Biomedical companies are working on advances intended to make the process easier and less onerous. Doctors sometimes recommend multiple cycles to increase the number of eggs available and improve future success rates.