Global Egg-Freezing Technology
United States
It is widely known that egg freezing is permissible in the United States, irrespective of one's marital status or sexual orientation. The process of egg freezing involves several essential steps, including a pelvic ultrasound scan, blood and urine tests, and an endocrine assessment. Subsequently, a qualified medical professional will determine the appropriate dosage of medication and instruct you to self-administer hormonal injections for a period of two weeks leading up to your scheduled egg retrieval appointment.
In certain clinics or situations, a two-week course of birth control pills may be prescribed to suppress normal ovarian function before initiating the hormonal injections.
Regarding costs, egg freezing procedures in the United States typically range from $4,500 to $8,000, although expenses may vary depending on the specific state where the treatment is sought. It is important to note that most health insurance plans in the country do not cover egg freezing, considering it an elective procedure. Public insurance plans may have specific criteria that women must meet to qualify for egg freezing coverage, while only select private insurance plans offer partial coverage for associated expenses. It is advisable to contact your insurance provider to explore the possibility of receiving financial assistance for egg freezing or conduct thorough research on insurance plans that offer such coverage.
United Kingdom
There is no legal maximum age limit for women undergoing IVF or other reproductive assisted technologies in the UK, however individual clinics set their own limits on the ages in which they will treat women. Usually the age limit is around 50 years old, with some clinics allowing women up to 54 years old to undergo treatment. Women have higher success rates in pregnancy when they use their own eggs if they were cryopreserved before the age of 36, for women older than 36 who are having issues conceiving, IVF may not be the best option, and instead they should consider using donor eggs.
The National Health Service (NHS) does offer up to three rounds of IVF for free if the woman undergoing these treatments meets the following criteria: she has been unable to conceive after 2 years of unprotected sex or she has undergone 12 cycles of artificial insemination to no avail. These guidelines for acceptance are set under NICE ( National Institute for Health Care and Excellence), so it is worth checking if you qualify, as Egg freezing and IVF with your own eggs in the UK starts at £3200 for the first cycle. For women under the age of 35 who do not have the funds to pay for egg freezing, there is an option for you to Freeze and Share your eggs, wherein of the eggs collected in one IVF cycle, half will be allocated to anonymous recipients and the remainder are for yourself. The price of the egg freezing under the Freeze and Share model is around £500 which is a fraction of the cost if you were just to freeze eggs for yourself. The problem is that the egg donation is not totally anonymous, meaning offspring have the option to find out identifiable details about the donor when they turn 18.
China
Egg-freezing in China is only permitted for medical reasons, currently, the only way women can freeze their eggs is if they or their husband is infertile or if they wish to preserve their fertility ahead of getting treatment for cancer. In order for women to freeze their eggs for themselves, it has become common practice in hospitals and other medical institutions providing these services to ask for a marriage certificate in order to proceed with treatment.While the law does not specifically state that single Chinese women are not allowed to freeze their eggs, it does state that heterosexual married couples can have up to 3 children using fertility treatments.While such restrictions are placed on women in China, the same cannot be said for men. Any man regardless of their marital status or fertility has the option to freeze their sperm
Recently, the Chinese government’s national insurance has decided to shoulder some of the costs involved with fertility treatment, with Assisted Reproductive Technologies being part of the coverage offered. This move comes as a bid to reverse the declining birth rate and increase the population. As it stands, the price of IVF in China , specifically big cities in China such as Shanghai, is $4500-$5500.The burden of the massive price of IVF in China being reduced, this policy is expected to boost participation in Assisted Reproductive Technology services and it may have the intended effect of slowing down the increasing trend of decline in child births.
Singapore
Recently, Singapore has allowed egg freezing for all women irrespective of their marital status or fertility status. This means that young single women are now eligible to freeze their eggs for their own use in the future. Previously, the Singaporean government only allowed egg freezing for medical reasons, such as women who were about to undergo cancer treatments, as chemotherapy has been shown to impact women's fertility.
With this new legislation in place, now women aged 21-35 are able to selectively freeze their eggs, however only married women would be able to use these eggs with IVF in order to conceive a child. The limitations of only married women being able to use their eggs is meant to ‘uphold the right of parenthood in marriage.’ Single women who wish to use their own frozen eggs can fertilize them abroad, as there is no law banning this. There are however, disadvantages to being a single mother in Singapore, as there would be exclusions from government pro family incentives and tax reliefs as well as no automatic inheritance rights for the child.
Korea
Egg Freezing in Korea is legal, however if a woman would like to use the eggs she has frozen, she does need consent from her husband to undergo IVF. South Korea’s Bioethics and Safety Act mandates that anyone seeking IVF treatment must obtain consent from their legal spouses, which effectively prohibits single women from getting treatment. What this means is that single women in Korea are unable to have IVF, as single motherhood or single parenthood is widely frowned upon in Korean society. The good news is that in 2018, Korea’s national health insurance expanded their policy to include fertility treatments, leading to a surge in numbers of women 18-44 freezing their eggs. In 2019, the Korean government removed the age requirements for women accessing insurance for fertility treatment, so women over the age of 44 could also benefit from this insurance policy.
The price of egg freezing services in Korea ranges from $1300-$2200, which is one of the cheapest rates in Asia. This price, coupled with the fact that Korea is a leader in assisted reproduction techniques make this a very attractive country to undergo egg freezing.
Japan
Unlike the laws regulating egg freezing in China, In Japan any woman can choose to freeze eggs for her own use, regardless of fertility or marital status. However, in order to use the frozen eggs in conjunction with IVF, you must be married. Since Japan is experiencing one of the fastest declines in birth rate in the world, the Japanese government has embraced Assisted reproductive technology in a bid to slow down or even reverse the lack of children being born.
National Insurance policies in Japan, are subsidizing 70% of costs for advanced treatments. While It is unclear what the upper age limit is for women to receive IVF in private clinics, the National Insurance policy is only subsidizing costs for women under the age of 43. The average cost for one cycle of IVF in Japan is around $4000, and the insurance policy covering IVF allows up to 6 cycles to be partially covered for women under the age of 40, and 3 cycles to be covered for women who are 40-42. It is unclear whether these insurance covers will aid in reversing the birth trend, however it is a step in the right direction.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, on the topic of egg freezing, the dual legal system must be considered. In 2022, a new fatwa ( formal ruling in Islamic law ) was issued, effectively banning non-married Muslim women from electively freezing their eggs prior to marriage. For non-Muslim women in Malaysia, single women are allowed to freeze their eggs for their own use in the future on the condition that they can only use the frozen eggs with IVF if they are married. For Malaysian women who have frozen their egg and have not found Mr. Right, they are unable to use their frozen eggs to conceive a child using IVF. There is no legislation in Malaysia banning women from transporting their eggs to clinics abroad. Even with these restrictions in place, Malaysia is an attractive destination to get egg freezing treatments done because of the wealth of knowledge of fertility treatments in Malaysia, as well as the competitive pricing of treatments. The cost of egg freezing in Malaysia goes from $2200 to $3300, and storage of eggs costs an average of $214-$320 annually. There are no such age restrictions placed on women undergoing IVF, however most clinics tend to limit the age of treatment for IVF to 53 years.
Greece
In Greece social egg freezing is allowed, and the age limit for women using their own eggs during IVF is 54 years old. Single women, married or unmarried couples are able to undergo IVF. And in terms of the number of embryos that can be transferred at once, that depends on the woman’s age. A woman aged up to and including 40 years old can have 3 embryos transferred at once, and older women may have 4 embryos transferred. Other regulations to follow is that women undergoing IVF cannot test positive for HIV and the male donating the sperm also must test negative for HIV. However, a positive HepB/C diagnosis from either the male or female would not exclude them from being treated. The cost of one round of egg freezing in Greece starts at €2250, and IVF with your own eggs starts from €3500. There are over 50 licensed fertility clinics operating in Greece, which is the one of the highest density of clinics per population in Europe. Though there are many clinics in Greece worth selecting from, for freezing your own eggs I would recommend NewLife IVF as they have not had any cases of Ovarian hyperstimulation Syndrome ( side effect of IVF stimulation) since 2011. They also have very high pregnancy success rates from IVF with women using their own eggs or donor eggs, and the physicians and embryologists are all ESHRE( European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) accredited.
Portugal
Portugal has allowed IVF for single women, heterosexual couples and lesbian couples, however this service is not accessible to gay men. Part of the reason for this is the laws governing surrogacy in Portugal require that the intended mother cannot physically carry a child, thus requiring her to use a surrogate. Obviously this prerequisite directly excludes single men or gay couples from using a surrogate, meaning that there is no point in them using donor eggs. The age limit for women undergoing IVF in Portugal is 50 years old, however there are no such limits on age for the man in the heterosexual relationships. You are not allowed to select the gender of the child when undergoing IVF. A maximum of 2 embryos can be transferred at once if the woman is under 35 years of age, but if she exceeds 35 years then only one embryo can be implanted at once. HIV positive patients may be treated, however it is up to the clinic and the doctor to assess the situation of the individual. The price of using your own eggs with IVF in Portugal goes from €4000-6000, and there are several reputable clinics in Portugal who deliver great results to their patients. Some of the clinics that have received the most praise include AVA Clinic Lisbon, IERA- Lisboa, IVI Lisboa. Czech Republic: Assisted Reproductive treatment in the Czech Republic is only for heterosexual couples, single women and gay and lesbian couples are not allowed to undergo iVF. THis is because under Czech Law IVF is seen as a couple therapy, therefore there must be a presence of two people of opposite genders in order to be treated. The age limit for a woman attempting IVF is 48 years and 364 days, meaning no embryo can be transferred once the woman turns 49, on the other hand, the male partner can be of any age. Selection of the gender is not allowed in the Czech Republic. The price of IVF using your own eggs in the Czech Republic starts at €2500 but may reach €3,800. Two embryos can be transferred at one time no matter if the eggs used are your own or if they are donor eggs. The Czech Republic is not only a beautiful country, but it has plenty of fertility centers with great reputations and great results. It is up to you to pick a clinic that you feel most comfortable with and that provides the service you need.
The Netherlands
In the Netherlands, egg freezing is closely monitored and regulated and may only be provided by licensed healthcare organizations. Women who are freezing their eggs must have them collected before they turn 40 years old, and are allowed to use them until they turn 50. Single women, heterosexual couples and same sex couples are able to use cryopreserved eggs along with other assisted reproductive technologies. The average cost of one cycle of cryopreservation is €4000, making it a much more expensive place to get treatment compared to other European countries. HIV positive people can have treatment in the Netherlands, however they need to be in a state of suppression in order to receive treatment.
Australia
In Australia, any woman of any sexual orientation and regardless of marital status can freeze her eggs. The cost of one IVF cycle in Australia varies from $(aud)6000-$(AUD)9000, which makes it a pretty affordable option compared to places like the United States. There is no age limit on women undergoing egg freezing, however most clinics will not allow a woman over the age of 45 to freeze her eggs due to the extremely low success rate of pregnancy live births. Before freezing your eggs you would be subject to a pelvic scan and blood tests to check your ovarian reserve and your hormone levels, you may also have to get some genetic testing done to see if you are a carrier of any harmful diseases.
Gender selection is illegal in Australia for family balancing purposes, however there is a company called Gender Selection Australia that provides this service. It appears that they are able to circumvent this law by having their patients fly over to California in order to perform the egg retrieval and embryo transfer( with the embryos being the gender of choice). In terms of how many embryos are able to be transferred, there is no specific legislation governing this, however most clinics only transfer one or two embryos at a time, however in specific circumstances a clinic may transfer up to three embryos at once. People prefer two embryos being transferred at once because the pregnancy rate is higher from 2 embryos being transferred compared to one embryo transfer, however there are higher risks associated with twin pregnancy compared with singleton pregnancy, so all couples should exercise caution when selecting this option.