Egg Freezing: UK Costs and Regulatory Framework

In the UK, the land of free medical services, egg freezing is not available on the NHS. They offer IVF and ICSI on very strict criteria. If couples are eligible for NHS IVF treatments (with or without ICSI), couples are allowed a max of one fresh IVF cycle and a max two embryo transfers (one fresh and one frozen). Private clinics are your go-to for your egg-freezing needs. Simply walk down Harley street in London and you’ll find fertility clinics on every corner.

There is a law about egg freezing which was introduced in 2008, called the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. This act is enforced by the HFEA and licences clinics to treat patients and store their eggs.

How is egg freezing regulated in the UK?

In May 2022, there was a win for egg/embryo storage rights (a win for us, who thought we would see the day)! In the past, people egg freezing for social reasons could only store them for 10 years before being destroyed. It was different for those doing egg-freezing for medical reasons who were allowed storage for up to 55 years. Now all frozen eggs can be stored for up to 55 years!

Costs

Egg freezing has not been introduced into the NHS and the only way is it get it done privately. And we know any private medical procedure comes with its costs, with the average cost of the whole treatment being around £7,000-£8,000 pounds. Each clinic will quote you a different number based on the costs and the value of their own services.

Before embarking on an egg-freezing journey, make sure to get a full treatment plan costs breakdown from your clinic so that you’re not shocked by the hidden extra payments they might sneak in there on the final bill. However, do bear in mind costs are always variable depending on our ovarian reserve, medical condition and other factors so this is why clinics might not be able to give you a final figure until all the results come through.

If you are curious about the individual breakdown of each process cost, head on over to our blog about this very topic. We have done the work, spoken to multiple clinics and collected their average costs for each part of the process so you do not have to! We have created a handy clinic discovery page (like booking.com but for fertility clinics) to help make this first step easier for you.

Amilis - who are we?

Here at Amilis, we are looking to break down the barriers to information women struggle to find on fertility - we are talking stats, costs and everything else the internet hides from us. You can find a clinic we have partnered with on our website and through us secure a free initial consultation with them.