If you are 35, you should aim to freeze at least 10 eggs. One egg freezing cycle resulted in 12 eggs frozen on average for this age group. So many women only needed to do one cycle of egg freezing to achieve the optimal egg number!
"Studies suggest that women who freeze their eggs before age 35 have a better chance of a successful pregnancy than those who freeze their eggs after age 35." This is because the more eggs retrieved and frozen, the better the chance of a successful pregnancy.
There is no actual age limit or cutoff for freezing your eggs, although the potential of those eggs turning into a live birth reduces in the 40s. According to research, women who are under age 36 when freezing their eggs have a 95% survival rate for their eggs once they are thawed.
For women 31–35, we recommend freezing 12–24 eggs. For women 35 and older, the data are more limited and less clear—while 12–24 eggs may be sufficient in many or even most cases, a cautious approach would be to aim for freezing 24 eggs or more.
If she'd always dreamt of a big family, she should consider freezing 25 eggs, for over a 1 in 2 chance of having three children. (Of course, keep in mind that baby #1 might be conceived naturally, so she might only need to use her frozen eggs for the second or third child.)
Amy Schumer's IVF cycle resulted in one viable embryo even though 35 eggs were retrieved after simulation, she revealed via an Instagram post on Saturday. The comedienne is upbeat and feels lucky to have one good embryo but also realizes the steep drop from the number of eggs.
The woman's age has a crucial importance for egg quality. This fact cannot be emphasized enough. Studies have shown that the ability to have children for women aged 36 are only half as good as in women who are 20 years of age. For women of 39 years of age, chances are further halved compared to the 36-year-old.
To give yourself the highest chances of success, we typically recommend freezing your eggs in your late 20s or early 30s. However, if you're diagnosed with an illness that may decrease the quality and quantity of your eggs, you might want to consider freezing your eggs even sooner.
Cost of egg freezing
At IVF Australia, an Elective Egg Freezing Cycle costs $6,000. This includes cycle management, surgeon's fee, initial freeze and first six months' storage (up to 10 eggs retrieved).
ACOG states that a female's fertility gradually and significantly drops around age 32. They will have around 120,000 eggs, with a 20% chance of conceiving per cycle. ACOG further states that a female will experience a rapid decline by age 37, when egg count drops to around 25,000.
Realistically, you can always undergo IVF unless you have experienced ovarian failure and/or menopause. However, pregnancy success rates using your own eggs drops considerably for women over 40.
The most logical time to freeze eggs may differ from when egg quality is best, according to an Australian review of the data. The most balanced and logical time to freeze eggs is between 32–38 years of age, experts say.
Technically, there is no time limit on egg freezing. Most clinics will try to work with the patient. However, some clinics prefer to stop egg freezing at particular ages, especially over 42. There will be too few quality eggs at this point.
In addition to being expensive, egg freezing can also be uncomfortable and inconvenient. A woman needs to take injectable medicines to stimulate egg production for 10 to 12 days, and to have repeated blood tests and ultrasounds. Finally, the eggs need to be retrieved during an in-office procedure.
IVF is most successful for the women in their 20's and early 30's . Success rates start steadily decreasing once she reaches her mid 30's.
The optimal age range for egg freezing is between ages 30 and 34, according to a 2015 study in the journal Fertility and Sterility®. The study found little added benefit to freezing eggs between ages 25 and 30.
IVF specialists have successfully fertilized eggs that were frozen for 14 years. Others have successfully created embryos from eggs frozen for 10 years. This conception success for other women is enough proof that the number of years you wait does not affect your chance of achieving a pregnancy with frozen eggs.
Women under 35 should freeze 20 mature eggs for an 85% chance of having at least one child. Women 38 to 40 should freeze 30 mature eggs for a 75% chance of having at least one child. Women 40 to 42 should freeze 30 mature eggs for a 50% chance of having at least one child.
By 30, a woman's fertility starts to decline, and after 35 the rate accelerates. Specifically, before 30, women have an 85 percent chance of conceiving within a year; at 30, those odds drop to 75 percent; and at 35 the chance drops to 66 percent, research has found.
After age 35, there's a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications that might lead to a C-section delivery. The risk of chromosomal conditions is higher. Babies born to older mothers have a higher risk of certain chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome. The risk of pregnancy loss is higher.
The study published by the University of St. Andrews and Edinburgh University in Scotland found that women have lost 90 percent of their eggs by the time they are 30 years old, and only have about 3 percent remaining by the time they are 40.
IVF Success Rates by Age
For women younger than 35, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 54.5%. For women ages 35 to 37, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 41.1%. For women ages 38 to 40, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 26.7%.
IVF success rates for women aged 35 to 37 when using their own eggs is 40.8%. Live births based on the first embryo transfer is 31.6%. For a second or subsequent embryo transfer, the percentage of live births increases to 44.7%.