Freeze and Share: affordable egg freezing with altruistic egg donation

By Carole Gilling-Smith, CEO and Medical Director of The Agora Clinic.

In the journey of life, timing is often everything. For women considering preserving their fertility, the concept of timing becomes particularly crucial.

At Agora Clinic, we understand the financial barriers many confront when contemplating egg freezing. That’s why we’re proud to announce our innovative ‘Freeze and Share’ program – a solution designed to make egg freezing accessible while fostering altruism. In the modern era, many women are considering egg freezing to preserve their fertility and keep their options open for the future.

However, the high cost of egg freezing, typically around £4,500 including drugs and the first year of storage, can be a significant barrier. At the Agora Clinic, we offer an innovative and altruistic solution: the ‘Freeze and Share’ program. This unique option not only makes egg freezing affordable but also gives women the opportunity to give others the chance to start a family.

What is egg freezing?

Egg freezing is a well-researched medical process that allows women to preserve their eggs, and the possibility of biological children in the future, at a time when they are most viable. The ideal age range for egg freezing is between 27 and 35 years old, often referred to as the ‘sweet spot’ due to the higher quality and quantity of eggs typically produced during these years.

Egg freezing is a powerful tool for women who wish to delay pregnancy for whatever reason, medical or social, but a single egg freezing cycle can cost thousands of pounds (over £4.500). This price point can be a significant barrier for many women, particularly those in the optimal age range.

At the Agora Clinic, our ‘Freeze and Share’ program offers a unique alternative. By choosing to donate half of the eggs retrieved during the freeze cycle, the participant can waive the entire fee, making the procedure much more widely accessible whilst altruistically helping women who are struggling with their fertility.

The ‘Freeze and Share’ pathway

Step 1: Deciding if this is right for you The journey begins with a fertility MOT at Agora Clinic, where you will first have a blood test and scan of your ovaries before seeing one of our fertility consultants who will discuss the process, benefits, and implications of the ‘Freeze and Share’ program and review your medical history and fertility goals, along with your test results to see if you are eligible.

Step 2: Screening and Preparation If you meet the eligibility criteria, and you would like to go ahead, you will need to undergo genetic and sexual health screening to ensure you are suitable to donate. This is a legal requirement when donating genetic material (in your case eggs) to ensure the health and safety of both the recipient and future child conceived when your eggs are used in a donation program.

Step 3: Stimulating the ovaries Our protocols are designed to minimise any risks of side-effects or potential harm. Your consultant will prescribe a course of hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. This phase lasts between 10-14 days and you will be closely monitored in one of our clinics (you can choose between Brighton, Eastbourne or Worthing) and have between 2 and 4 scan appointments.

Step 4: Collecting and freezing eggs One of our consultants will review your scan and blood test results and when they feel your eggs are likely to be mature, we will arrange your egg collection. This is a minor outpatient surgical procedure performed under sedation. Half of your retrieved eggs will be frozen and stored for your future use, while the other half will be donated.

Step 5: After the egg collection, you will go through to our recovery room where our nursing team will look after you until you are ready to go home. You will have to take this day off work and make sure someone can collect you and look after you once you are at home. Most people have very few side effects from the whole procedure and are fine to go back to normal activities, including work, the next day.

Eligibility

You can only be accepted onto the ‘Freeze and Share’ program if you are aged 35 or younger at the time of egg collection. This age limit ensures the highest quality of eggs for both the donor and the recipient, maximising the chances of successful pregnancies. You must also have a good egg reserve and you have no personal health issues or family history of conditions that could be passed on to a child.

What are the implications of donating eggs?

The ‘Freeze and Share’ program is a wonderful opportunity but requires careful consideration. The pros are financial savings, giving the gift of parenthood to another person or couple struggling with infertility and gaining more control over your reproductive choices. The cons are the emotional implications of being an egg donor (for which we provide counselling), being identifiable to any future child conceived through your donation (as required by UK law), and the need to complete screening tests that might flag up some medical or genetic issues.

Success rates and future fertility

The success of egg freezing largely depends on the age at which the eggs are frozen. For women under 35, research shows the chances of a successful pregnancy from frozen eggs are significantly higher than in older women. There are no guarantees, but our consultants will guide you through the latest statistics regarding pregnancy outcomes from frozen eggs that would apply to you. At the Agora Clinic, we are committed to making fertility preservation more accessible and achievable and would invite you to get in touch, visit our website www.agoraclinic.co.uk or sign up for one of our free webinars if you want to find out more.