The London Women’s Clinic, one of the UK’s most established IVF centres, has published a comprehensive 15-year study on the effectiveness of IVF using eggs that have been frozen and later thawed, an approach that the HFEA had not previously recommended.
A significant study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online, has definitively shown that egg freezing is a reliable treatment option for women wishing to extend their fertility or delay pregnancy plans.
Previously regarded as less dependable and even labelled as potentially unethical, the study revealed consistent and predictable outcomes that are as effective as traditional methods, considering data from over 2,280 patients.
‘When our results are considered alongside those from other large centres, in the USA, we have a body of evidence which is consistent in its findings and reassuring for patients,’ said Professor Nick Macklon, Medical Director of the London Women’s Clinic and an author of the study. ‘The consistency of the results suggests that the doubts still commonly expressed about the reliability of egg freezing are misplaced.’
The UK regulator, the HFEA, highlighted a significant increase in egg freezing in its 2022 annual report on treatment trends, noting an 81% rise in egg freezing treatments over that year.
The HFEA attributed this general increase in egg storage cycles in part to advances in freezing techniques, particularly the fast-freeze method known as vitrification. Improved survival rates, according to the HFEA, have given women greater confidence in freezing eggs.
The London Women’s Clinic study found that among patients who had frozen and thawed their eggs, one in four had a baby, a success rate that rose cumulatively to one in three when all embryo transfers were considered. This figure increased even further to 57% in those who had stored their eggs before the age of 35. These outcomes are comparable to those of standard IVF using fresh eggs, when factors such as age, egg quality, and egg quantity are considered.
‘It thus seems reasonable to conclude,’ said Professor Macklon, ‘that based on our results and those of other studies, egg freezing and thawing can provide a very real opportunity for women to achieve pregnancy and live birth at a time of their choosing.’
