Fertility preservation refers to medical techniques that allow you to save eggs, sperm, embryos or reproductive tissue for future use. Whether for medical reasons or personal planning, modern preservation methods give you more control over when and how you build your family.
What is Fertility Preservation?
Fertility preservation encompasses several techniques designed to safeguard your ability to have biological children in the future. The main methods include freezing eggs (oocyte cryopreservation), sperm (sperm cryopreservation), embryos (embryo cryopreservation) or reproductive tissue (ovarian or testicular tissue freezing). The right option depends on your age, medical situation, partnership status and personal preferences. Advances in vitrification — a flash-freezing technique — have dramatically improved survival rates of frozen eggs and embryos in the past 15 years.
Preservation Options Explained
Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation): Stores unfertilised eggs. Best for women without a partner or who want flexibility about future genetic material.
Sperm freezing (sperm cryopreservation): Simple, well-established and inexpensive. Recommended for any man facing fertility-threatening treatment.
Embryo freezing (embryo cryopreservation): Eggs are fertilised with partner or donor sperm before freezing. Highest success rates but requires commitment to a specific genetic partner.
Ovarian tissue cryopreservation: A small piece of ovarian cortex is removed surgically and frozen. Suitable for prepubescent girls and when there is no time for ovarian stimulation. Tissue can later be re-implanted.
Testicular tissue cryopreservation: Experimental option for prepubescent boys facing cancer treatment, where sperm production has not yet begun.
GnRH agonists: Medication that temporarily suppresses ovarian function during chemotherapy. May offer some protection but should not replace established preservation methods.
Who Should Consider Fertility Preservation?
Cancer patients facing chemotherapy, radiotherapy or fertility-affecting surgery (oncofertility)
People with autoimmune conditions requiring treatments like cyclophosphamide
Patients undergoing gender-affirming medical treatment
Women with genetic conditions causing premature ovarian insufficiency (e.g., Turner syndrome, fragile X carriers)
Women with endometriosis facing repeated surgery
Healthy individuals choosing to preserve fertility for personal reasons (often called social or elective preservation)
Couples doing IVF who want to freeze surplus embryos for siblings or future cycles
Timing and Urgency
For medical indications, time matters. Even a single cycle of chemotherapy can damage eggs and sperm. Ideally, fertility preservation should be discussed and completed before treatment begins. Most preservation cycles can be expedited to 2-3 weeks if needed. Random-start protocols allow ovarian stimulation to begin at any point in your menstrual cycle, removing the need to wait for the next period. For ovarian tissue freezing, the procedure can be scheduled within a few days. Always raise fertility preservation with your oncology or treatment team early — many cancer centres now have fertility navigators specifically to coordinate this care.
Costs and Funding
Costs vary widely. Sperm freezing is the most affordable (£200-£500 plus storage). Egg or embryo freezing typically costs £4,000-£8,000 per cycle plus storage. Ovarian tissue freezing is more variable (£3,000-£10,000) and is offered at specialist centres. In the UK, NHS funding is available for medical indications in many regions but rarely for elective preservation. Some employers, insurance plans and cancer charities (such as Macmillan and Maggie's in the UK) provide partial or full funding. Always ask about charity funding and clinical trials.
Educational information, not medical advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to your doctor.