What egg freezing does
Egg freezing, also called oocyte cryopreservation, stores a woman's eggs at the age she is today. The eggs are frozen by vitrification, a rapid method that protects them from ice damage.
Years later, when she is ready, the eggs are thawed and fertilised with sperm by ICSI. The embryo is then placed in her uterus. The eggs keep the quality they had on the day they were frozen.
Who considers egg freezing
Women choose to freeze eggs for medical and personal reasons. The common situations are:
- Before cancer treatment: chemotherapy and radiation can damage the ovaries, so eggs are collected first when time allows
- Before ovarian surgery, for example for large endometriosis cysts
- Falling egg reserve: a low AMH for age, or a family history of early menopause
- Career or education: women who wish to delay pregnancy for some years
- Not yet married or without a partner, and wishing to keep future options open
- Medical conditions such as some autoimmune diseases whose treatment may affect fertility
If cancer treatment is planned
Speak to your cancer doctor and a fertility doctor at the same time. Egg collection takes about two weeks and can often fit before treatment starts. Your cancer doctor decides whether a delay is safe.
The best age to freeze eggs
Age matters more than anything else in egg freezing. Both the number of eggs a woman has and their quality fall with age.
Eggs frozen at a younger age carry a better chance of becoming a healthy embryo later. This is because younger eggs are more likely to have the correct number of chromosomes. The decline becomes faster from the mid-thirties onwards.
So freezing earlier is usually better than waiting. Freezing later is still possible, but more eggs, and sometimes more than one cycle, may be needed. The doctor uses your age and AMH to explain what is realistic for you. Our blog on egg freezing cost and the right age covers this in more depth.
Legal age limits under the ART Act
The ART (Regulation) Act, 2021 allows ART services for women above 21 and below 50 years. Egg freezing and the later use of the eggs both fall under this law.
This matters for planning. If you freeze eggs at 30, using them later still has to fit within these age limits. In May 2026 the Delhi High Court held that the limit applies when treatment starts. Consult the doctor about how this applies to your own timeline.
The clinic must also be registered under the ART Act, and storage needs your written consent.
The egg freezing process, step by step
- TestsAMH, a pelvic scan to count small follicles, hormone tests and infection screening.
- PlanningThe doctor discusses how many eggs to aim for and whether one or more cycles may help.
- StimulationDaily hormone injections for about 8 to 12 days help several eggs mature together.
- MonitoringScans and blood tests track follicle growth and adjust the dose.
- Trigger injectionA final injection matures the eggs. Collection is timed about 34 to 36 hours later.
- Egg collectionA short procedure under light anaesthesia, through the vagina. No cut is made, and you go home the same day.
- VitrificationMature eggs are frozen in the lab the same day and stored in liquid nitrogen.
Your next period usually comes within two weeks of collection. Most women return to work in a day or two.
Questions to ask before you start
Egg freezing is a planned choice, so it helps to go in with clear expectations. These questions are worth asking at the first consultation:
- What do my AMH and follicle count say about my likely response?
- How many eggs should I aim to store at my age?
- Might I need more than one cycle, and how far apart?
- What will storage cost each year, and how do I renew consent?
- What happens to the eggs if I decide not to use them?
The doctor answers these based on your own tests, not general figures. You also get a written, itemised estimate for the cycle and storage before you start.
If you live outside Delhi, the AMH test and baseline scan can be done locally. You need to be in Delhi for most of the monitoring scans and the egg collection.
Using frozen eggs later
When you are ready, the eggs are thawed and those that survive are fertilised by ICSI. The embryos grow in the lab for a few days, and one is transferred to the uterus.
Not every egg will survive thawing, fertilise or become a good embryo. Egg freezing improves future options, but it cannot promise a baby. Results depend mainly on your age at freezing, the number of eggs stored, sperm quality and embryo quality.
Risks to know about
- OHSS: a strong response to injections can cause swelling and discomfort. Careful dosing and monitoring keep this risk low.
- Procedure risks: bleeding or infection after collection are uncommon.
- Short-term side effects such as bloating, mood changes and mild pelvic discomfort.
Egg freezing cost in Delhi
One egg freezing cycle at our clinic usually costs ₹1,50,000 – ₹2,50,000. This covers stimulation, monitoring, collection and freezing. Storage is charged separately at ₹5,000 – ₹15,000 per year.
| Treatment | Includes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| IUI, per cycle | Including washed sperm preparation | ₹10,000 – ₹25,000 |
| Egg freezing (one cycle) | Stimulation, collection and freezing; storage extra | ₹1,50,000 – ₹2,50,000 |
Medicine cost depends on the dose you need, which depends on age and AMH. You receive a written, itemised estimate before starting. Early tests can be done in your own city and shared on WhatsApp for review.