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Start with your current plans
Egg freezing preserves unfertilized eggs. Embryo freezing preserves embryos after eggs have been fertilized and cultured. Both belong to fertility preservation, but the stage preserved and the decisions made before storage are different.
The hospital’s preservation information discusses women planning for later treatment as well as patients already considering IVF. A consultation should begin with your age, ovarian findings, reproductive history and present plans rather than a preference for one label alone.
The main differences to discuss
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| Question | Egg freezing | Embryo freezing |
|---|---|---|
| What is stored? | Unfertilized eggs. | Embryos after fertilization and development. |
| When is the sperm source considered? | Fertilization belongs to later treatment. | A sperm source is needed for the fertilization stage before embryos are stored. |
| Where does embryo testing fit? | Egg preservation takes place before embryo development and any embryo biopsy. | Any proposed PGT is planned within the embryo treatment pathway. |
| What happens when treatment resumes? | Warming, review of the eggs, fertilization and embryo development precede transfer planning. | Embryo findings and the proposed transfer plan are reviewed before warming and transfer. |
When the timing is not immediate
Someone who is not ready for an immediate transfer may still wish to discuss preservation. The relevant assessment includes ovarian reserve and the possibility that more than one retrieval may be considered. The number of eggs or embryos obtained is an individual outcome, not a fixed allowance promised by the name of a programme.
The egg-freezing and later treatment case follows one patient through freezing, warming, fertilization, embryo development and an initial positive pregnancy test. Its stages help explain the sequence; they do not establish another patient’s expected result.
Storage periods and later costs
The approved egg-freezing package includes one retrieval and one year of egg storage. Embryo storage under the PGT-A packages is one year for the single-cycle plan and two years for the two-year plan. Storage begins on the freezing date and renewal after the included period is separately quoted.
The egg-freezing package does not include embryo transfer or PGT-A. Request a written quotation that distinguishes the initial preservation treatment, medication, included storage and later procedures. See the package inclusions and additional services.
Questions for the consultation
- Are you planning to preserve eggs, to create and preserve embryos, or to proceed toward transfer?
- What do your AMH, ultrasound and previous treatment records show?
- If embryos are being created, what sperm and genetic information needs review first?
- Which stages are included in the quotation, and which are later treatment?
- When does the included storage period end, and how are renewals arranged?
For the clinical steps of an egg-freezing cycle, follow the egg-freezing journey. For sperm preservation as well as egg and embryo options, use the fertility preservation overview.