Physician-Led, Comprehensive Surrogacy and Egg Donation
Egg Freezing in Connecticut: How Much It Costs and What to Expect at NEFI
Egg freezing has shifted from a niche medical procedure to one of the most in-demand fertility services in the US — and for good reason. Whether you're not ready to have children yet, facing a medical situation that could affect your fertility, or simply want to know your options are protected, freezing your eggs is one of the most powerful decisions you can make for your reproductive future. If you're in Connecticut, here's everything you need to know about how it works, what it costs, and what to expect at New England Fertility Institute in Stamford.
What Is Egg Freezing and How Does It Work?
Egg freezing — medically known as oocyte cryopreservation — is the process of stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, retrieving those eggs, and freezing them at the unfertilised stage for future use. When you're ready to use them, the eggs are thawed, fertilised with sperm in the laboratory, and the resulting embryo is transferred to the uterus.
The key advance that made egg freezing reliable is vitrification — a flash-freezing technique that cools eggs so rapidly that ice crystals do not form, preserving cellular integrity far more effectively than older slow-freeze methods. A 2023 landmark study in Journal of Clinical Medicine confirmed that vitrified oocytes produce fertilisation rates, embryo development rates, and live birth rates comparable to fresh eggs — leading the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) to remove the "experimental" label from egg freezing in 2012. It is now a mainstream, evidence-based procedure.
Egg quality declines with age — and this is the most important biological fact behind egg freezing. A woman who freezes eggs at 32 preserves the fertility profile of a 32-year-old regardless of when she uses them. Freezing earlier means more eggs, better quality eggs, and higher success rates when it matters.
Who Should Consider Egg Freezing?
Egg freezing is relevant for a wide range of individuals and situations.
- Women in their late 20s and 30s who are not yet ready to have children but want to protect their options.
- Women facing cancer treatment — chemotherapy and radiation can permanently damage egg-producing cells, and freezing eggs before treatment begins is now a standard oncofertility recommendation.
- Women with endometriosis or diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), where ovarian function may decline faster than average.
- Transgender men before gender-affirming hormone therapy, which can affect fertility.
- Same-sex female couples who want to freeze eggs for reciprocal IVF — where one partner's eggs are used to create embryos carried by the other.
- Women at risk of early menopause due to family history or genetic conditions such as Turner syndrome or fragile X premutation.
The Egg Freezing Process at NEFI: Step by Step
Step 1 — Initial consultation and ovarian reserve testing.
Your journey begins with a free consultation at NEFI's Stamford clinic. Your doctor will assess your ovarian reserve using two key markers: antral follicle count (AFC) via transvaginal ultrasound, and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) via blood test. These measurements predict how many eggs are likely to be retrieved in a cycle and help set realistic expectations.
Step 2 — Ovarian stimulation.
For approximately 10–14 days, you self-administer hormone injections (FSH and LH) to stimulate the ovaries to develop multiple follicles simultaneously. During this period you attend the clinic for monitoring appointments — typically every 2–3 days — involving blood tests and ultrasound to track follicle growth and adjust medication dosing. NEFI's minimally invasive approach means stimulation protocols are tailored individually, avoiding over-stimulation while maximising egg yield.
Step 3 — Trigger shot and egg retrieval.
When follicles reach optimal size, a trigger injection is administered to finalise egg maturation. Exactly 36 hours later, egg retrieval takes place. This is a brief outpatient procedure performed under light sedation — a thin needle is guided through the vaginal wall using ultrasound to aspirate the fluid from each follicle. The procedure takes approximately 20–30 minutes and most patients return home the same day.
Step 4 — Egg assessment and vitrification.
In the embryology laboratory, retrieved eggs are assessed for maturity. Only mature (MII) eggs are suitable for freezing. Mature eggs are vitrified within hours of retrieval and placed into storage. You receive a report confirming how many mature eggs were successfully frozen.
Step 5 — Storage.
Your frozen eggs are stored at NEFI's accredited facility in liquid nitrogen at −196°C. Research supports long-term storage without significant degradation of egg quality — a 2023 study in Reproductive BioMedicine found no significant difference in clinical outcomes between eggs stored for shorter versus longer durations when vitrification was used.
How Much Does Egg Freezing Cost in Connecticut?
Egg freezing costs in the US typically include three components:
- The stimulation cycle itself (including monitoring, medication, retrieval, and laboratory fees)
- Annual storage fees for the frozen eggs
- Future thaw and fertilisation costs when you're ready to use them
At NEFI, transparent pricing is a core commitment. During your initial consultation, your team will provide a detailed cost breakdown specific to your situation — including whether your insurance covers any portion of the process. Connecticut has relatively strong fertility insurance mandates compared to many US states, and NEFI's team will help you navigate what your plan covers before you commit to any costs.
How Many Eggs Do You Need?
This is one of the most common questions — and the honest answer is that it depends on your age and your family building goals. As a general guide, reproductive specialists often target 10–20 mature eggs to give a reasonable chance of at least one successful live birth. Younger women (under 35) tend to need fewer eggs because egg quality is higher; women over 38 typically need more eggs to achieve the same outcome.
A 2025 study in Human Reproduction modelling egg freezing outcomes by age found that women under 35 had a cumulative live birth rate exceeding 70% with 10–15 vitrified oocytes, while women aged 38–40 required 20–25 eggs to reach similar cumulative success rates. This underscores why earlier freezing is almost always more efficient — fewer cycles, more eggs per cycle, higher quality per egg.
Egg Freezing for LGBTQ+ Individuals and Couples
NEFI's egg freezing programme serves individuals and couples of all family structures. For same-sex female couples, egg freezing is often the first step toward reciprocal IVF — a process where one partner freezes eggs, which are then fertilised and transferred to the other partner's uterus, allowing both partners to be physically involved in the pregnancy. For transgender men considering egg freezing before hormone therapy begins, NEFI provides sensitive, affirming care with full respect for gender identity throughout the process.
For the full picture on building a family through NEFI's surrogacy and donor services, read our complete guide: How Surrogacy Works in the US: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide for Intended Parents
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best age to freeze eggs? The earlier, the better — in terms of egg quality and quantity. Most reproductive specialists consider the late 20s to mid-30s the optimal window. Egg freezing is still viable and beneficial in the late 30s, but typically requires more eggs (and potentially more than one cycle) to achieve the same cumulative success rate.
Does egg freezing affect future natural fertility? No. The eggs retrieved during a freezing cycle are those that would have been lost naturally in that menstrual cycle anyway — egg freezing does not deplete your ovarian reserve beyond what would occur naturally. Your remaining follicles and future cycles are unaffected.
How long can eggs be stored? Research supports long-term vitrified egg storage without significant quality degradation. There is no legal maximum storage duration in Connecticut, and NEFI will discuss storage terms at your consultation.
Is the egg retrieval process painful? Most patients experience mild to moderate discomfort during the stimulation phase — bloating, pelvic pressure, and sensitivity are common. The retrieval procedure itself is performed under sedation and is not felt. Some cramping for 1–2 days afterwards is normal. Most patients return to normal activities within 24–48 hours.
Your Future Self Will Thank You
Egg freezing is one of the few decisions in reproductive medicine where acting early has a clear, measurable advantage. The eggs you freeze today are the eggs of today — younger, more numerous, and higher quality than the eggs of five or ten years from now. NEFI makes the process straightforward, transparent, and deeply supported from the first conversation to the day you're ready to use them.
Written and reviewed by: Dr. Gad Lavy, MD, FACOG