How much does egg freezing cost, can I get it done in the UK and which celebrities have frozen their eggs?
Egg freezing can alleviate any worries about egg count or quality in later life, here's the lowdown on pricing in the UK
EGG freezing is exactly as it sounds - your eggs are cryogenically frozen to stop them from ageing.
That way, when it comes to the time that you want to start a family you won't have to worry about your egg count or quality. Here's what you need to know about the procedure.
How much does egg freezing cost and can you get it done in the UK?
Women in the UK can get their eggs frozen, but the procedure can come at a price.
Egg freezing is not normally available on the NHS unless you are having medical treatment which could affect your fertility - for example cancer treatment.
Women who have been diagnosed with cancer or another condition of the womb often chose to freeze their eggs because treatment risks damaging the ovaries, which produce the eggs, permanently.
In order to retrieve eggs for freezing, a patient undergoes the same hormone-injection process as IVF.
The only difference is that following egg retrieval, they are frozen for a period of time before they are thawed, fertilised and transferred to the uterus as embryos.
Privately, egg freezing carries quite a hefty price tag.
Most private clinics charge between £3,000 and £4,000 for the procedure and women who considering the process will also want to make sure that there are no surprise costs that aren’t included in their original cost.
As a general rule of thumb, the below should be factored in to the price:
- Testing
- Monitoring
- Medication
- Egg extraction
- Egg thawing
- Fertilisation
- Embryo transfer
Which celebrities have frozen their eggs?
Recently, it was revealed that Rita Ora, 26, isn’t taking any chances when it comes to starting a family and had her eggs frozen years ago.
Other celebs who've reportedly decided to freeze their eggs in the past include:
- Olivia Munn
- Sofia Vergara
- Maria Menounos
- Kim Kardashian
- Celine Dion
