Understanding the differences between embryo and egg freezing will help you take control of your reproductive future.
Egg freezing and embryo freezing are both fertility preservation methods that can help you achieve pregnancy in the future. People may choose these options for a variety of reasons, such as undergoing cancer treatments like chemotherapy, having health conditions that compromise fertility, prioritizing career goals, waiting for the right partner, and many more. Deciding between the two is a deeply personal choice. Understanding their differences can help you make an informed decision about your reproductive future.
Both egg freezing and embryo freezing are used in assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures. ART is an umbrella term for fertility treatments involving eggs and embryos to help you get pregnant if you experience infertility or other fertility issues. The most common ART type is in-vitro fertilization (IVF), where egg and sperm are combined in a lab to form an embryo that is later transferred into the uterus.
What is egg freezing? Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, involves collecting a woman’s eggs from her ovaries and freezing them for future use. When a woman is ready to use her eggs, they are thawed, fertilized, and transferred into the uterus (1 ).
Reasons for egg freezing include aging, reproductive health conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS ) and endometriosis , medical treatments that affect fertility, or desire to delay parenthood.
The process involves daily hormone injections over 8 to 14 days to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs. 34 to 36 hours after the final injection, a needle is inserted into the ovaries to suction and extract the eggs (2 ). They are then frozen and stored for later use.
>> RELATED : What Does No LH Surge Mean for My Fertility?
What is embryo freezing? Embryo freezing or embryo cryopreservation is the process of fertilizing collected eggs in a lab with either a partner or donor’s sperm to create embryos. Similar to egg freezing, embryo freezing starts with egg retrieval after hormone injections. Once eggs are removed from the ovaries, they are combined with sperm in a lab to form embryos. If the sperm is not able to fertilize the egg on its own, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a technique where sperm is injected directly into the egg, is used. After the embryos are formed, they are frozen and stored for future use.
Embryo freezing is common after a patient undergoes IVF or ICSI. Leftover embryos from these treatments can be frozen for future use if the treatment doesn’t work or if they want to try for another child.
In both embryo and egg freezing, cryopreservation is used to preserve them. The water inside the cells is replaced with a freezing solution to prevent it from crystallizing. The embryos and eggs are frozen using a slow freezing method or a fast freezing process called vitrification, and are stored in liquid nitrogen (3 ).
Key differences between egg and embryo freezing Here are important differences between egg and embryo freezing:
Biological stage: An egg is unfertilized, but an embryo is fertilized. Embryo freezing requires sperm, while egg freezing does not. A thawed embryo can be transferred directly back into the uterus but a thawed egg must be fertilized before implantation.
Cost: Both procedures are expensive, but cost structures differ. Embryo freezing will have more upfront costs while egg retrieval will have more costs later on to thaw and fertilize. Both will also have costs for annual storage, over $500 each year. Insurance and some employers may offer fertility benefits to reduce the costs (4 ).
Embryo freezing can cost from $11,000 to $15,000, excluding medications. There will be upfront costs for lab fertilization. However, you know how many viable embryos you have after each cycle, which could potentially reduce the need for additional egg retrievals.
Starting costs for a single cycle of egg freezing can be around $10,000 to $15,000 (5 ). Medications used for egg freezing will add an additional $4,000 to $6,000 per cycle (6 ). There’s no fee for lab fertilization initially but there will be a fee for embryo creation in the future. There’s also no certainty of eggs viability before they are frozen so this could potentially lead to multiple egg retrieval cycles.
Reproductive autonomy: Eggs can be frozen without needing to be fertilized first, while embryos belong to two people. One person could withdraw consent for the embryos to be used at any time before they are transferred. Since egg freezing doesn’t require sperm, it grants more autonomy to the individual whether they have a partner or not.
Success rates: Embryo freezing has been practiced longer than egg freezing and has more extensive data with high success rates. Since egg freezing is newer, it has less data available but studies suggest they both have highly similar birth rates (7 ). However, embryos when thawed have a greater rate of survival after freezing. Over 95% of embryos typically survive after being frozen compared to 90% of eggs. Both don’t guarantee future pregnancy (8 ).
>> MORE : What to Know About Holistic Fertility Options
Embryo freezing vs. egg freezing: the bottom line Both embryo and egg freezing operations are similar. They involve hormone injections, ultrasound monitoring appointments to check follicle and egg growth, and egg retrieval. These processes can be invasive and take a physical and emotional toll causing bloatedness, fatigue, mood swings, and headaches. Plus, they are also both expensive and don’t guarantee future conception. However, they both present reliable options to get pregnant in the future. It’s important to check your clinic’s success rates for both procedures and discuss with a fertility specialist to determine which path is best for you.
Embryo freezing and egg freezing empower you to start a family when you’re ready. Everyone’s fertility is unique, so understanding the differences between these options enables you to make informed, personalized decisions for your future.
