Egg freezing: age limits, procedure and costs

What is egg freezing?

Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) involves collecting eggs (the female reproductive cells) after hormonal stimulation, then freezing them so they can be used later in in vitro fertilisation.

The technique used is vitrification: ultra-rapid freezing that prevents ice crystals forming inside the cell. It has markedly improved egg survival after thawing. The eggs are then stored in liquid nitrogen at –196 °C, with no technical limit on storage time.

There are two situations:

• fertility preservation for a medical reason, before a treatment that risks damaging the ovaries (chemotherapy, ovarian surgery, severe endometriosis);
• egg freezing without a medical reason, often called "social" egg freezing, for a woman who wishes to postpone a pregnancy.

This article mainly covers the second. The European ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) guideline on female fertility preservation (2020) covers both situations.

What are the age conditions in France?

The ages were set by decree following the 2021 bioethics law. They are restated by the Agence de la biomédecine (French Biomedicine Agency) and the official website sante.fr.

No medical justification is required. Egg freezing is open to women in a couple as well as single women.

At what age should you freeze your eggs?

Egg quality declines with age, more markedly after 35: a growing proportion of eggs carry chromosomal abnormalities. The number of eggs collected at each retrieval also decreases.

In practice, the earlier freezing takes place within the legal window, the higher the chances of a birth; they also increase with the number of mature eggs stored. A personalised estimate is given to you at the fertility (ART) centre.

An assessment of ovarian reserve (AMH blood test and follicle count on ultrasound) helps estimate the number of eggs that can be expected. It does not measure their quality. See "Ovarian reserve: definition, assessment (AMH, AFC) and impact on fertility". The ultrasound can be carried out at the practice, and the AMH test is prescribed at the consultation.

What does the process involve?

1. Preliminary consultations

The process takes place in a medically assisted reproduction (MAR) centre authorised by the regional health agency (ARS). Egg freezing without a medical reason is restricted there, except by special exemption, to public or private non-profit establishments. The list is available on the Agence de la biomédecine website procreation-medicale.fr. Dr Kadoch can refer you to a centre suited to your situation.

The first consultation includes full information on the technique, the real chances and the risks, an ovarian reserve assessment, and blood tests (including serology). A written consent form is signed.

2. Ovarian stimulation

It usually lasts 10 to 12 days. The woman gives herself daily subcutaneous hormone injections to make several follicles mature at the same time. Ultrasound scans and blood tests are used to adjust the doses. A final injection, known as the trigger, prepares the final maturation of the eggs.

3. Egg retrieval

It takes place about 36 hours after the trigger, under local or light general anaesthesia. The follicles are aspirated through the vagina under ultrasound guidance. The procedure takes about fifteen minutes and you go home the same day.

4. Vitrification

The laboratory identifies the mature eggs, which are the only ones frozen. Their number may be lower than the number of follicles seen on ultrasound.

A second stimulation is sometimes offered if few eggs are obtained.

What are the risks?

They are rare.

• Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: swollen abdomen, rapid weight gain, breathlessness.
• Complications of egg retrieval: bleeding, infection, very rarely injury to a nearby organ.
• Torsion of a stimulated ovary, rare but an emergency.
• Risks related to anaesthesia.

Stimulation does not cause early menopause: it uses follicles that, without treatment, would have disappeared during the cycle.

What are the costs and what is covered?

According to the Agence de la biomédecine and the sante.fr website:

The law prohibits storage fees from being paid or reimbursed by the employer or by any person on whom the woman is financially dependent.

Waiting times for the centres can be long: it is useful to plan ahead, especially as 37 approaches.

What happens to the eggs afterwards?

Each year, the centre asks the woman about her intentions. She can:

• continue storage;
• use her eggs as part of MAR treatment;
• donate them to another person waiting for egg donation;
• donate them to research;
• end storage.

If there is no reply for 10 consecutive years, the eggs are destroyed. At 45, if they have not been used, the woman is asked to choose between donation, research or ending storage.

Will the frozen eggs actually be used?

International studies show that only a minority of women come back to use their eggs. In a study published in 2025 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, covering all egg freezing cycles reported in the United States, only 5.7% of women who froze their eggs between 2014 and 2016 had returned to thaw them 5 to 7 years later. Among those who used them, 78.5% obtained at least one embryo and the cumulative live birth rate was 28.9%, decreasing with age at freezing.

Egg freezing is therefore partial insurance, not a guarantee. It should not lead to postponing a possible pregnancy indefinitely. When the eggs are used, they are fertilised by IVF with micro-injection (ICSI): see "In vitro fertilisation (IVF): procedure, stages and treatment".

And for a medical reason?

When a treatment threatens fertility (cancer, surgery for a bilateral or recurrent ovarian cyst, ovarian endometriosis), preservation can be offered outside the age limits for egg freezing, urgently if necessary, and storage is then covered. The ESHRE guideline details the options: freezing of eggs, embryos or ovarian tissue. See "Benign ovarian cyst: symptoms, diagnosis and management" and "Endometriosis in Paris: diagnosis, medical treatment and surgery".

Frequently asked questions

General information article: it does not replace a medical consultation. In an emergency, call 15 or 112 in France, or your local emergency number.