Preserving your fertility as a couple

The decision of when to start a family is a significant one. If you’re in a committed relationship, have someone in your life you know you want to co-parent with or are planning on using a donor in the future, then freezing fertilised embryos is an option for preserving your fertility.

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Fertility preservation for couples

Many people today are choosing to delay having a child until later in life. If you’re in a committed relationship, have someone in your life you know you want to co-parent with or are planning on using a donor in the future, then freezing fertilised embryos is an option for preserving your fertility.

To freeze embryos, you will need to undergo a partial IVF cycle where eggs are retrieved from the ovaries, fertilised with sperm in a lab and left to develop into mature embryos over a five to six day period.

Treatment

How does embryo freezing work?

To freeze your embryos, you will have to go through a partial IVF cycle, taking you up to the fertilisation stage. The embryo freezing process can take up to four weeks and looks something like this:

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Step one

Fertility assessment and consultation

The first step in your embryo freezing journey is a fertility assessment. This will provide you with the answers you need to make empowered choices about your future fertility.

For females, this includes an anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) blood test followed by an antral follicle count (AFC) trans-vaginal scan. Together, these provide an accurate measure of your fertility health and your likely response to the medication used in fertility treatments.

For males, this is a semen analysis which assesses your sperm for density (the number of sperm in your semen sample), mobility (how well they swim) and morphology (the size and shape).

Step two

Stimulating the ovaries

Following your fertility assessment, you'll attend some nurse planning appointments where we'll show you how to use the medication required throughout your embryo freezing treatment.

This begins with a daily injection administered at home to stimulate follicular growth within the ovaries. This increases the number of eggs that are collected.

In most cases, this is a 14-day course of hormone medication.

Suppressing your natural menstrual cycle

Step three

Suppressing the natural menstrual cycle

A second daily injection is then added at home to stop natural hormone production and control when your eggs are released.

Step four

Monitoring progress

Pelvic scans will be performed to check the development and growth of the follicles in the ovaries. This will determine when the eggs are collected from the follicles.

Step five

Egg retrieval

Once the follicles have reached the correct size, an injection will be given to mature the eggs for collection. A needle is then gently guided through the vaginal wall to capture the eggs one by one. Don’t worry, you will be sedated for this part of the procedure to ensure you don't feel any pain or discomfort.

Step six

Fertilisation

Healthy eggs are combined with sperm in the lab where they reach and penetrate the egg naturally. A method called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where a single healthy sperm is injected directly into the egg. This procedure may be used for cases of low sperm count or quality.

Step seven

Embryo development

Fertilised eggs are left for five to six days to develop into mature embryos. These are monitored using an EmbryoScope™ which helps us select the strongest embryos for freezing.

Healthy embryos are then rapidly cooled using a method known as vitrification. They are then stored safely in liquid nitrogen until you're ready to use them.

How much does embryo freezing cost?

You'll find a breakdown of a typical embryo freezing cycle below, as well as the cost of a fertility assessment to help provide you with the answers you need to plan for your future.

*Any medication required throughout your treatment will be an additional cost. **All prices are subject to a regional variation.