Egg freezing vs embryo freezing

Both are available, embryo freezing is available through IVF if you have a partner. Embryo is a fertilised egg. You can choose to do egg freezing with or without a partner but the success rate of an egg is much lower than embryo. Depending on the age of the egg you might need several eggs for only one successful embryo to form when you eventually fertilise it with sperm.

They can do it. It depends on circumstances and reasons why as to if it's covered by Medicare or if its privately funded. There is also the legality around if you break up and what happens to them. Eg if it's eggs then solely your property. If it's embryos then joint property. Embryo freezing has greater success rates overall. Most clinics should be able to do it

Angie and Jess have both answered above. Yes, you can do both of those in NSW. They are different and if you are with the same long-term partner I would recommend embryo, better success rate. Your IVF cycle may end up being a frozen cycle anyway, it depends how things go. Look the process up.

@Angie so due to my age and low egg count, we plan to do embroyo freezing in the next few months if I don’t conceive my 2nd child and eventually do ivf with those embryos. Is it possible? Do I pay the whole ivf cost upfront or just pay for the embroyo freezing part? I want to see if I get pregnant naturally for my 2nd but at the same time would like to embryo freeze just in case things do not pan out the way we hope to.. thoughts?

The embryo is a result of IVF so you can't exactly just elect to (stimulate, then) remove and freeze it like you would eggs. So no you would have to pay the whole cost for IVF. Though if you qualify (above certain age, have been trying for certain amount of time, going with specific providers) Medicare could cover some. Edit: thanks Angie, you're right, costs up to the embryo transfer (which wouldn't have happened yet!)

@Incognito With an IVF cycle there are stages of payment. You have the medication, extraction (of eggs) and embryo transfer (putting the fertilised day 5 embryo back inside you). If you only do the up to the freeze, that’s called a frozen cycle so you pay everything up until then (so no payment for thawing the frozen embryo or the transfer). Also there is a government rebate for IVF cycles that are only granted when the embryo transfer is completed (full cycle) for your first try. https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-for-the-fertility-treatment-rebate The frozen embryo can be kept frozen for almost as long as you’d like until you’re ready to use it. You pay every 6 months with the storage fee being approx $275.

Ah all these information is so so helpful. I thought I knew some stuff but obviously not. THANK YOU LADIES. Last question, who would you recommend? Cost is a factor of course but I don’t want to compromise on the success rates of course. Before I start my ivf, Is there a particular clinic you all would recommend?

I went with Connect IVF and my main doctor Dr Sara George no longer works with them but Dr Lukic did my egg retrieval and transfer. They were pretty good for me. Only thing is not much monitoring during the five-day embryo growth phase but I think that's not necessarily uncommon anyway.

@Jenn thanks so much Jenn. Will check it out.