If you want to have a family one day but aren’t ready right now, or if you have a medical diagnosis that could make getting pregnant more difficult down the line, egg freezing can offer more flexibility for family planning. Egg freezing, also known as oocyte preservation, gives you control over your reproductive future by freezing your youngest and healthiest eggs. You can keep these eggs cryopreserved indefinitely or access them at any time whenever you’re ready to make embryos, giving you peace of mind.
If you’re seriously considering egg freezing, you may also be curious about how much egg freezing costs and if it’s covered by insurance. Here are some financial basics to know about fertility preservation at CCRM Fertility, as well as factors to consider about the process, insurance coverage, and more.
Best age to freeze eggs
Though there’s no optimal age to freeze, studies have shown that women have the most success when eggs are frozen at age 34 or younger (74% success rate).
Women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have, and both quantity and quality decrease with age. At age 25-29, there’s a 25% chance of conceiving naturally per month, which decreases to just 5% by age 40.
Even if you don’t want a family right now, it’s better not to delay egg freezing. The sooner you do it, the more likely you are to have success should you need those eggs when you are ready to try for a baby.
Egg freezing success rates by age
Older women need to retrieve more eggs than their younger counterparts since they’re less likely to produce chromosomally normal eggs, a requirement to make a chromosomally normal embryo. The general rule is that the younger you are, the more eggs you’ll retrieve per cycle. The more eggs you freeze, the higher chances you have of successful pregnancy and live birth using those eggs. (Check out CCRM’s success rates here).
One of the largest studies on the efficacy of egg freezing showed that:
- Women 35 years and younger who froze 10 eggs had a 61% chance of live birth
- Women 35 years and younger who froze 15 or more eggs had an 85% chance of live birth
How much does egg freezing cost?
Egg freezing costs can vary based on individual treatment needs, medication requirements, and additional testing or procedures, as well as insurance coverage, if any. Below is a general range of egg freezing pricing at CCRM (testing and storage fees not included):
Is egg freezing covered by insurance?
Egg freezing is not covered by most employer-sponsored insurance plans in the US because it’s considered elective, an ‘optional’ procedure that’s not medically required. Notably, only about 20% of large companies in the US cover the procedure in their employee-based insurance plan. Some insurance plans, however, may cover some parts of an egg freezing cycle, including initial steps in the process such as diagnostic or ovarian reserve testing and the physician consultation.
It’s more likely that insurance will cover the costs associated with egg freezing due to medical illness that can cause infertility, such as a cancer diagnosis or another condition that can affect their ability to conceive. (Learn more about oncofertility options at CCRM here).
State mandates with egg freezing coverage
21 states have fertility preservation mandates, which means they may cover some aspects of medically necessary egg freezing (and/or sperm freezing) for qualified patients. States with a mandate that have CCRM clinic locations include New York, New Jersey, California, Colorado, and Illinois.
Specifics of insurance coverage for medically necessary oocyte preservation varies by state and insurance plan (for example, you can read more about California’s new SB729 mandate for medically necessary fertility preservation here).
Always check with your CCRM provider, financial counselor, and insurance company to confirm your options.
Supplemental employer-sponsored insurance
A typical employer-sponsored insurance plan won’t cover elective egg freezing, but some larger companies offer add-on fertility benefits for employees by partnering with a specialty benefits manager, such as:
- Carrot
- Progyny
- WIN Fertility
- Maven
All these supplemental insurance plans are accepted at CCRM, but coverage varies by employer and benefits manager. Check with your HR department before you start your cycle to ensure you’re aware of your estimated spend.
Affording egg freezing at CCRM
Providers within the CCRM network emphasize personalized, compassionate care, and they work with each patient to develop a customized treatment protocol to help you achieve your family-building goals. Patients also have access to a care team that includes a dedicated financial counselor, who offers transparency in pricing with a detailed cost estimate that outlines out-of-pocket expenses, as well as shares resources to supplement costs.
In addition to financial counselors, fertility financing options for egg freezing at CCRM also include:
- Self-pay discounts
- Partnerships with financing platforms like Future Family (payment plans begin at $199 a month for 60 months)
- Discount programs for eligible military families and oncofertility patients
CCRM has also partnered with Sheer Health, a healthcare platform that helps patients navigate and understand fertility coverage. This complimentary service verifies your insurance coverage upfront, so we maximize potential benefits and provide a concise cost estimate up prior to starting a cycle. This means you get every dollar of coverage you’re entitled to as you build your family.
The bottom line
Whether you’re focused on your career, health, or still waiting for the right time or partner, CCRM can help you achieve your future family-building goals through egg freezing, truly one of the most empowering gifts you can give yourself today for the family you may want tomorrow.
We’re here to guide and support you — financially, emotionally, physically — every step of the way.
If you’re ready to book your consultation for egg freezing at CCRM, call us at (877) 201-6931 or schedule an appointment online at the CCRM location near you.
