Technology revolution: Changes make egg freezing affordable for younger women
Freezing younger eggs can make a huge difference to whether a woman will be able to have not just one baby but her own biological family after the age of 35.
Egg freezing is an exciting technology. Freezing younger eggs can make a huge difference to whether a woman will be able to have not just one baby but her own biological family after the age of 35.
The technology is sound – but one truth is certain: what goes in is what comes out. Experts are well aware that younger women (25 to 34) are the best candidates for elective egg freezing; when they have higher numbers of excellent quality eggs.
But in recent times many younger women have despaired at the cost of egg freezing treatment. For some women, high up-front treatment costs make accessing elective egg freezing out of their financial reach. Even women who have chosen to freeze eggs may have been limited in the number of eggs they could afford to save for the future as choosing to have several cycles of treatment became too expensive.
Women’s Health Melbourne have partnered with Life Fertility Clinic Melbourne to make egg freezing cost effective for women. As an independent bespoke laboratory, Life Fertility is not corporately owned. There is no getting away from the fact that egg freezing technology is expensive. However, reassuringly our patients now pay for no corporate margins.
Treatment costs:
Separating out the elements of egg freezing helps women to better understand their investment. It also allows providers to strategize and analyze how costs can best be reduced to help women afford egg freezing. It actually takes the team effort of around 25 different professionals with varied skill set and essential contributions to help you freeze your eggs. From administrative support, Medical doctors, Nurses, Sonographers, Hospital staff, and of course Advanced Laboratory Scientists.
Cost elements include:
Specialist consultation, cycle management and surgery fee
IVF unit nurse support, counselling and in treatment monitoring
Surgical bed fee and anaethetist costs
Science and Laboratory costs
Medication costs ($1500-2500, depending on your prescribed regimen). We help you source medications from the most cost effective pharmacies in Melbourne.
Long term safety maintenance and storage costs (waved by Life Fertility Clinic Melbourne for the initial 12 months)
Reducing medication costs for younger women:
A major factor in the cost of egg freezing is medication costs. How much medication you need depends on your ovarian reserve. Younger women who have more eggs often need less medication.
Choosing the right private health insurance can reduce the cost of egg freezing for women
Previously, private hospital admission costs and anaesthetist fees were included in global costs for elective egg freezing. These cost are now charged separately but may be covered by private health insurance companies for women who have the right level of private health insurance cover.
If you are thinking about egg freezing – you can now consider investing in private health insurance that will reduce your cost of treatment.
Some medication costs may also be claimable with private health cover.
Medicare benefits at this time are not able to be claimed for elective egg freezing, but can be claimed for medical egg freezing.
Individualised care
At Women’s Health Melbourne, our approach to egg freezing is personalised and individualised. We prepare you holistically to get the most out of each egg freezing cycle you can. This means working in advance to optimise egg quality using pretreatment supplmentation, engaging with our holistic allied health team, and having a CREI Board certified specialist overseeing your care strategically with your best interests in mind.
By optimising your outcome per cycle, we hope to help you reach your goal within the scope of a lower number of treatments. Our ambition when it comes to egg freezing is to provide great value and excellence in patient care.
Reviewed by Dr Raelia Lew
RANZCOG Board Certified CREI Fertility specialist, Gynaecologist and the Director of Women’s Health Melbourne.
Co-host of the Knocked Up Podcast, Co-founder of Lovers intimate wellness solutions. Raelia has a PhD in Preconception Health Promotion and Genetic Screening. Raelia is a leading Australian expert in IVF and egg freezing, pioneering a bespoke model of care.