A quarter of women return for frozen eggs

This article was last updated on December 6, 2024

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A quarter of women return for frozen eggs

Of all women who have eggs frozen, more than a quarter return to the hospital to use them. That shows research from the academic hospital in Maastricht.

The women who returned (25.5 percent) had an average of two replacements. This led to a positive pregnancy test for almost half and a baby was actually born for 34.6 percent. The eggs were in the freezer for an average of 3.5 years.

According to researcher Elena ter Welle-Butalid, the figures are useful for those considering having eggs frozen. It can help women make the often difficult choice about applying this treatment. We also see that these women prefer to be on the safe side.”

Much or little?

“Of course, it depends on the perspective whether a quarter is a lot or a little,” she explains. “If the desire to have children is great, women will be confident enough to try. On the other hand, of course, women who have doubts about wanting to have children will probably find the percentage low and may therefore not do it.”

Ter Welle-Butalid also regularly discusses egg freezing with young women who have cancer. “They then say: the chance that I would get cancer at my age was also small, so we are going to try this too.”

Costs

There are costs associated with having eggs frozen, which are only reimbursed if there is a medical reason for it, such as for women with cancer whose fertility is at risk during treatment. Anyone who wants to have eggs frozen because the desire to have children is postponed, for whatever reason, must pay for it themselves. This often runs into thousands of euros.

More than 1,100 women were followed for the research in Maastricht. Two-thirds of them were women undergoing cancer treatment.

A standard period is agreed for the storage of eggs, which may vary. Only when a woman clearly indicates that she no longer wants to use them are the eggs usually destroyed. “Or at death, or when women are clearly too old,” explains Ter Welle-Butalid.