Egg freezing involves collecting eggs from a woman’s ovaries and freezing them for possible later use. Another fertility procedure will be needed if frozen eggs are used.

Pre-cycle assessment

Before egg freezing, a fertility specialist may:

• Discuss your fertility goals
• Discuss your options for achieving these goals
• Run tests such as blood tests and ultrasound scans to assess your current fertility and check if egg freezing is safe for you

Sometimes hormone levels (including AMH) are measured to try and estimate the number of eggs that might be collected. These tests can only provide an estimate and are not very accurate when predicting your chances of becoming pregnant with or without using frozen eggs (10). For more information about AMH click here.

Discussing your test results with a fertility specialist will be important when trying to decide whether or not to freeze your eggs.

The number of appointments you have with a fertility specialist before starting an egg freezing cycle will vary, although usually 1-2 appointments are needed.

Ovarian stimulation

The first step of egg freezing is ovarian stimulation.

This is where hormone injections are needed for around 8-12 days to stimulate the ovaries and mature as many eggs as possible. Other medications might be needed too.

Injections are usually given into a pinch of skin around the lower belly area. The needle is small and has been described as a tiny prick on the skin. Ice can be used to numb the area if needed.

Your fertility specialist or a member from your fertility clinic will monitor how well your eggs are maturing using transvaginal ultrasound scans and/or blood tests.

The number of appointments you need can vary, but typically women have 3-4 appointments during the 2-week period. Flexibility will be required during this time. You may need to take time off work and/or other commitments at short notice.

Some women feel worried about self-injecting incorrectly, pain, or accidentally causing harm to themselves (11). A member from your fertility clinic will teach you how to inject the hormones properly. You can also ask someone for help if needed.

The hormones used for ovarian stimulation can cause side-effects, and although rare, some complications can happen too. It is difficult to predict what someone will experience as it varies from person to person. For more information, click here.

Timing of egg collection

The timing of egg collection depends on how long it takes for your eggs to mature. This is often around 2 weeks.

Usually, a minimum of 2 days’ notice is given to prepare for an egg collection procedure.

Egg collection

Egg collection is a minor surgery. It involves inserting an ultrasound probe into the vagina, and a needle into each follicle to collect the eggs from the ovaries.

The procedure takes around 5-10 minutes, depending on how many follicles you have. What you feel will depend on the type of anaesthetic used.

Usually, you would not return to work the day of the procedure, and someone may need to pick you up from the hospital and stay with you overnight. It is generally recommended taking 1-2 days off work to recover. Some women might need more time.

Some patients experience cramping and light bleeding for a few days after the procedure. Over the counter pain relief (e.g. paracetamol or ibuprofen) may help. If pain does not improve, it is important to contact your fertility clinic.

Some clinics may offer a review appointment after your procedure to discuss the outcome. When contacting a clinic about egg freezing, you may like to ask what happens after your cycle is complete.

Egg freezing can be physically and emotionally difficult for patients. Click here for some examples of self-care that might be helpful during this time.

Egg freezing and storage

Some eggs collected may be unsuitable for freezing and will be discarded. The rest will be frozen and stored.

You will need to pay ongoing storage fees for your frozen eggs. There may also be limits on how long they can be stored. For more information, click here.

If you decide to use your eggs in the future, you will need to have another IVF procedure. See our sections about using frozen eggs and success rates.

How long does a cycle take?

Cycle times vary, however they generally take about two weeks to complete.

If you decide to have another cycle, you may want to start straight away (depending on medical advice) or wait until you feel ready. On average, women tend to have 1 or 2 egg freezing cycles (12).

All medical procedures come with some health risks. These are small for egg freezing but can be serious.

Short term

Less serious side-effects include medication/hormone related symptoms such as moodiness, hot flushes, and bloating.

Physical discomfort from blood tests and ultrasound scans may also be experienced. Some women feel more intense discomfort and require more time off work to recover than expected.

Serious complications from egg freezing are rare but can still happen. There is a very small risk of heavy bleeding (0.1%), infection (0.02%), and other health problems (0.02%) with each cycle (13).

Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS)

OHSS can arise from having an excessive response to hormone stimulation. Symptoms range from mild to severe.

Mild OHSS symptoms include (14):

• Abdominal bloating and discomfort
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Feeling a little short of breath

Severe OHSS may require hospitalisation (14). The risk of death is extremely rare (1 in 30,000 cycles) (15). To date, no death relating to OHSS has been recorded in Australia.

The risk of moderate to severe OHSS is 0.16% per cycle (13), although it happens even less often in egg freezing patients.

It is important to speak to your fertility specialist about your chances of developing OHSS and what signs to look out for before beginning a cycle.

Risk factors for OHSS include (16):

• A high follicle count before ovarian stimulation (e.g. more than 24 follicles)
• A PMOS diagnosis
• A history of OHSS
• Higher than average AMH levels

The risk of OHSS will also depend on the type of hormones used for ovarian stimulation. Your fertility specialist will be able to manage this risk using specific medications.

For safety reasons, OHSS can lead to cycles being cancelled before eggs are collected. Your clinic should be monitoring you closely during your cycle and help you manage any side-effects if they occur.

Long term

There is limited research on the long term health of women who freeze their eggs. However, it is reassuring that IVF procedures (which are also used in egg freezing) are not shown to be harmful to women over time.

Children born from frozen eggs

The long term health of children born from frozen eggs is not yet known. However, their health at birth appears to be similar to children conceived naturally or with IVF (17-19). Also, long term research into the health and development of children born from ART more broadly shows they are similar to children who are naturally conceived (20, 21).

Impact of age

Having a baby at an older age can increase some health risks for both mother and baby. For more information, click here.

Will egg freezing reduce my natural fertility?

From what we know, egg freezing does not reduce a woman’s natural fertility. However, there is a very small risk of complications that come with egg freezing which can lower a person’s chances of having a baby in the future. See the information above.

Egg freezing can be an emotional experience. This may partly be due to the hormones given. It is difficult to predict how someone might feel as everyone is different.

Some women can experience sadness, grief and anxiety. For example, they might feel sad about not being able to have a child at that time, nervous about how many eggs they may collect, or disappointed if they do not collect as many eggs as they expected. The use of needles and other medical procedures can cause discomfort too. If only a few follicles develop, a fertility specialist may suggest stopping the cycle which can also be disappointing.

Other more positive feelings can be experienced too. Some women report feeling more “in control” of their fertility, and empowered by taking action (22, 23). The process can also be less emotional than expected.

From what we know, most women who freeze their eggs have little to no regret about their decision (2, 22, 24). Although, some factors like their age at the time of egg freezing, the number of frozen eggs they have, the chances of having a baby from their frozen eggs, and how well informed they felt when deciding about egg freezing can influence how they feel about their decision overall (25, 26).

Support and coping strategies

It is important to have good support and coping strategies to use during an egg freezing cycle. You may like to bring a close friend or family member along to your appointments, and/or talk to them when making your decision.

Speaking to a counsellor from a fertility clinic or a different service provider may also be useful. When contacting a fertility clinic, you may like to ask about the counselling services available, and how much contact and support you can expect to receive before, during, and after a cycle.

Some helpful coping strategies may include:

• Trying relaxation or mindfulness activities (yoga/meditation/breathing exercises)
• Connecting with others
• Regular and gentle exercise
• Getting adequate sleep

The Better Health Channel has more information and tools to help manage stress.

How many eggs can you expect to collect?

There is no definite test to predict exactly how many eggs you will be able to collect and freeze with each cycle.

Generally, somewhere between 8-20 eggs are collected per cycle (12). However, this highly depends on a person’s age and can vary from cycle to cycle.

Some eggs collected may not be suitable for freezing (e.g. if they have not fully matured) and will be discarded. A small number of women may not collect any eggs that are suitable for freezing (27).

Age at the time of freezing has the biggest impact on the number and quality of eggs that you may collect.

YourIVFSuccess have an egg freezing calculator to help estimate the number of eggs you may collect.

Follicle counts

Estimating the number of eggs that may be collected in a cycle is done by counting the number of follicles present in the ovaries. This is done using a transvaginal ultrasound scan. Some follicles counted may not contain any eggs that are suitable for freezing.

Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH)

You may be offered a blood test to check if your AMH levels are around what is expected for a person your age.

AMH tests are used to estimate a woman’s egg reserve and how they may respond to ovarian stimulation. They can only give a rough idea and cannot accurately predict the number of eggs that will be collected, or the quality of those eggs.

It is important to go through your AMH test results with a fertility specialist.

For more information, Wiser Healthcare has a fact sheet about AMH tests.

Understanding this graph

AMH levels vary between women and change over time. Women with higher AMH levels than most women their age fall within the 'High AMH' range (75th percentile). Women with lower AMH levels than most women their age fall within the 'Low AMH' range (25th percentile) (28). While there are no standard cut-offs for AMH levels, less than 7 pmol/L is often considered low (29), and more than 33 pmol/L may suggest PMOS (30). These cut-offs are a guide and can vary between clinics.

Speak to a fertility specialist for more personalised advice and to discuss what your AMH level means for you.

How many eggs/cycles do I need?

There is no ‘magic number’ of frozen eggs that guarantee you will be able to have a baby.

Fertility specialists often recommend freezing around 20 eggs to have a good chance of having a baby from those eggs (31).

Older women will usually need to freeze more eggs than younger women to have the same chances of having a baby. For example, one study found that women who froze 20 eggs by the age of 35 had a 78% chance of having a baby from their eggs, whereas women who froze 20 eggs after the age of 35 had a 50% chance (32).

Different clinics have different success rates too. These are often published on their websites or can be requested.

Collecting fewer eggs than expected can be disappointing. Extra emotional support may be needed during this time. Attending a counselling session at your fertility clinic or with another provider may be helpful, as well as arranging a review appointment with your fertility specialist.

Having more than one egg freezing cycle may be recommended, however it may not be an option for you. Still, it can be reassuring to have some frozen eggs, even if the number is less than expected (33).

If you are thinking of having more egg freezing cycles you may want to consider:

• The chances of using your frozen eggs
• The number of children you hope to have
• The cost of having more cycles
• The potential inconvenience and side effects from having more cycles

Not every frozen egg will result in a baby.

When thinking about egg freezing you may like to consider:

• How many eggs your fertility specialist expects to collect in a cycle
• Your ideal number of frozen eggs (possibly over multiple cycles)
• The number of cycles you can and want to go through
• Your chances of having a baby from your frozen eggs
• The number of children you may want to have using frozen eggs

Chances of egg freezing working

Let’s say you freeze 10 eggs.

If the time comes for you to use your eggs (34):

• About 7-8 will survive thawing;
• 5-6 thawed eggs will become embryos; and
• 1-2 of those embryos may result in having a baby

This is a general example, and outcomes will be different for everyone. A fertility specialist will be able to give you more personalised advice.

Your chances of having a baby from frozen eggs will depend on:

• Your age when eggs are frozen
• The number and quality of your frozen eggs
• Other factors such as the quality of sperm used to fertilise your eggs

If you would like the option of having more than one child, you may need to freeze more eggs.

YourIVFSuccess have an egg freezing calculator which may help estimate your own potential success rates.

The only way to know if your frozen eggs will work is to try and use them. If they do not work and you want to continue trying to have a baby, you may want to consider other options such as IVF.

Storage time limits

The length of time eggs are stored does not appear to impact their quality (31). However, there are rules around how long they can be stored for which may differ between Australian states/territories, and fertility clinics. These rules may change over time.
Talk to a fertility clinic about their storage terms and your options available at the end of this time.

Storage time limits for frozen eggs by Australian state/territory (as at May 2026) (35-37).

Storage costs

You will need to pay ongoing storage fees for your frozen eggs (e.g. $500-$600 per year). Storage fees may change over time. This is important to consider long term when making your decision.

Age limits

There may be upper age limits for using frozen eggs which can vary across clinics. Please speak to a fertility clinic about their specific requirements.

What happens if I cannot be contacted?

It is important to advise your clinic if your address or other contact details change. Procedures will vary between fertility clinics if you are unable to be contacted after freezing your eggs. Generally, patients are responsible for maintaining contact with their clinic. You may like to ask a fertility clinic what they would do in this case.

The cost of egg freezing varies across fertility clinics.

In Australia, one egg freezing cycle is around AU$7,000-$15,000 (including medications, anaesthetic fees, and hospital fees)*. The cost for hormone medications can vary by patient.

Fertility specialist consultations are generally not included in this price (around AU$200-$400 for an initial consultation), and there may be additional costs for some blood tests and scans (around AU$300-500 combined).

If you decide to have more than one egg freezing cycle, the cost will generally be the same as the first cycle, or slightly cheaper depending on the clinic.

Ongoing storage fees will also need to be paid. These fees vary across clinics but can be around AU$500-$600 per year*.

When contacting a fertility clinic, it is important to ask for the full cost of everything you need to go through an egg freezing cycle and to store your eggs.

The cost of egg freezing can add to the difficulty of making your decision and it may be unaffordable. Consider how many cycles you can afford, and how long you would store your eggs for.

*Estimate is based on information from a range of Australian fertility clinic websites in 2026. These costs vary between clinics and may change over time. Please speak to a fertility clinic for more personalised advice.

Rebates and reimbursements

In Australia, you may be able to claim a Medicare rebate for your fertility specialist appointments, if you have a valid GP referral.

Medicare generally does not cover any cost of egg freezing for non-medical reasons. However, if your fertility specialist identifies a medical condition during your assessment that meets Medicare's requirements, you may be eligible for a rebate. It is important to speak to a fertility specialist about whether any rebates apply to you.

Private health insurance may cover some of your expenses (e.g. hospital fees) depending on the type of policy you have. However, there are still likely to be large out of pocket costs that you will need to pay for yourself. If you have private health insurance, you may like to ask them what your policy covers.

Costs of using frozen eggs

There are more expenses to consider if you decide to use your frozen eggs. These may include the costs for appointments, counselling, procedures, medications, and donor sperm (if you decide to use it). Some of these costs may have Medicare rebates. Check with your fertility clinic if there are any rebates that are available to you.

There is no clear answer to this as it will depend on the person.

You may like to consider if egg freezing is the right decision for you at this time (or in the future), given the costs, your age, and personal circumstances.

Freezing eggs at a younger age could mean more higher quality eggs are collected, but it may be unaffordable at the time. Freezing eggs at an older age could mean fewer good quality eggs are collected and more cycles may be needed.

Many women who freeze their eggs do not end up using them (38). Some become pregnant without them. Others may not find a suitable partner and do not wish to use donor sperm, or they choose not to have children (39).

If you have unused eggs, you will eventually need to decide whether to discard them, or donate them to another woman or research (no babies will be made from research – it is illegal). Your fertility specialist will be able to explain your options in more detail.

Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is generally used to fertilise frozen eggs.

If you use your eggs with a male partner who has a fertility problem, ICSI can also help improve your chances of having a baby.

From what we know, children born using ICSI have a slightly higher chance of birth abnormalities compared to children born naturally. However, this may be because of the reason ICSI is used (e.g. to treat a fertility problem), rather than the procedure itself.

For more information, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has a fact sheet about using ICSI.

The first step is to ask your GP for a referral to a fertility specialist.

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand has a list of accredited fertility clinics within Australia.

When contacting a clinic, you may like to ask if they offer counselling support before and during a cycle as this can be very helpful for some women.