Health risks

All medical procedures come with some health risks. These risks are small for eggs 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 health risks from egg freezing are rare but can still arise. There is a small risk of heavy bleeding (1 in 1000 chance), infection (1 in 5000 chance), and other complications (1 in 5000 chance) (13).

Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome

OHSS is another health risk which can arise from having an excessive response to hormone stimulation.

In general, the risk of experiencing moderate to severe OHSS from an ovarian stimulation cycle is 0.16% (or 1 in 625 chance) (13). For egg freezing patients, this risk lower. It is important to speak to a fertility specialist about your chances of developing OHSS and what signs to look out for before beginning a cycle.

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.

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 to manage any side-effects if they occur.

Long term

Research into the long-term health effects of egg freezing is limited. However, it is reassuring that IVF procedures in general (which includes ovarian stimulation and egg collection) are not shown to have any long-term negative health effects on a woman.

The health of children born from frozen eggs also appears similar to those conceived naturally or with IVF at birth (17-19).

The long-term health outcomes for children born from frozen eggs are not yet known. However, research suggests that the overall health and development of children born from ART is similar to children conceived naturally (20, 21).

Impact of age

Older maternal (mother’s) and paternal (father’s) age are associated with greater health risks for both mother and baby. For more information, click here.

Will egg freezing reduce my natural fertility?

From what we currently know, egg freezing does not reduce a woman’s natural fertility. There is, however, a very small risk of complications from ovarian stimulation and egg collection (e.g. severe bleeding or infection) which can lower a person’s chances of having a baby in the future. For more information, click here.