News | 70% of women achieved a live birth: egg freezing opens a new era of reproductive autonomy
A study jointly led by NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Fertility Center represents the largest report to date on egg-freezing outcomes in the United States. It found that women under 38 who later thawed at least 20 mature eggs had a live birth rate as high as 70%.
Spanning 15 years of real-world clinical data from 2005 to 2020, the study indicates that egg freezing is not merely an imagined insurance policy but a technology that gives women meaningful options in the face of age-related fertility decline.
The findings were published in Fertility and Sterility on May 18, 2022. Sarah Druckenmiller Cascante, MD, was the first author, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility expert James A. Grifo, MD, PhD, was the corresponding author.
Egg freezing is not a gamble: outcomes exceed conventional IVF rates
Within assisted reproductive technology, frozen eggs—rather than fresh eggs or embryos—produced higher live birth rates in this study:
The study recorded 436 embryo transfers from 605 egg-thaw cycles, resulting in 211 babies;
By comparison, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show a live birth rate below 20% for women aged 40 undergoing conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Dr. Grifo said the study emphasizes that “egg freezing is not only a tool for delaying parenthood; it also enables women to become egg donors for their future selves.”
Study details: egg freezing remained viable from ages 38 to 43
The study included 543 women whose average age at first egg freezing was 38, slightly above the recommended optimal window of age 35. Key findings included:
The overall live birth rate was 39%, with most participants aged 35 to 40 when their eggs were frozen;
Women who thawed more than 20 mature eggs had a live birth rate as high as 58%, even though this group included women at older reproductive ages;
Fourteen women who froze eggs between ages 41-43 also had successful births, challenging the conventional view that later age leaves no hope;
Among women under 38 who thawed ≥20 eggs, the live birth rate reached 70% per patient.
The study also indicated that storage duration did not reduce the quality or success rate of frozen eggs.
Genetic testing may improve outcomes and support safer singleton pregnancies
With preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), the study also found:
A significantly lower miscarriage rate;
A higher success rate per transfer;
Greater support for singleton pregnancy, reducing maternal and infant health risks associated with multiple pregnancy.
Egg freezing is increasing, and experts call for realistic expectations
Dr. Grifo emphasized: “Our data are based on real clinical practice, not theoretical modeling.” He called for more studies using data from different regions and types of fertility centers to establish more comprehensive expectations and help women make informed decisions.
The study also noted substantial growth in egg-freezing procedures around the pandemic. In 2022, nearly three times as many women began freezing cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center as in 2019.
Research team and funding
The study was led by Sarah D. Cascante, MD, and James A. Grifo, MD, PhD, with co-authors including Jennifer K. Blakemore, MD, Shannon M. DeVore, MD, Brooke Hodes-Wertz, MD, and Elizabeth Fino, MD. The work of all embryologists, physicians, nurses, and support staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center contributed to the findings.
The project was funded by the Carolyn and Malcom Wiener Foundation, supporting the clinical advancement of egg-freezing and embryo-storage research.
News | 70% of women achieved a live birth: egg freezing opens a new era of reproductive autonomy
News | 70% of women achieved a live birth: egg freezing opens a new era of reproductive autonomy
A study jointly led by NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Fertility Center represents the largest report to date on egg-freezing outcomes in the United States. It found that women under 38 who later thawed at least 20 mature eggs had a live birth rate as high as 70%.
Spanning 15 years of real-world clinical data from 2005 to 2020, the study indicates that egg freezing is not merely an imagined insurance policy but a technology that gives women meaningful options in the face of age-related fertility decline.
The findings were published in Fertility and Sterility on May 18, 2022. Sarah Druckenmiller Cascante, MD, was the first author, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility expert James A. Grifo, MD, PhD, was the corresponding author.
Egg freezing is not a gamble: outcomes exceed conventional IVF rates
Within assisted reproductive technology, frozen eggs—rather than fresh eggs or embryos—produced higher live birth rates in this study:
The study recorded 436 embryo transfers from 605 egg-thaw cycles, resulting in 211 babies;
By comparison, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show a live birth rate below 20% for women aged 40 undergoing conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Dr. Grifo said the study emphasizes that “egg freezing is not only a tool for delaying parenthood; it also enables women to become egg donors for their future selves.”
Study details: egg freezing remained viable from ages 38 to 43
The study included 543 women whose average age at first egg freezing was 38, slightly above the recommended optimal window of age 35. Key findings included:
The overall live birth rate was 39%, with most participants aged 35 to 40 when their eggs were frozen;
Women who thawed more than 20 mature eggs had a live birth rate as high as 58%, even though this group included women at older reproductive ages;
Fourteen women who froze eggs between ages 41-43 also had successful births, challenging the conventional view that later age leaves no hope;
Among women under 38 who thawed ≥20 eggs, the live birth rate reached 70% per patient.
The study also indicated that storage duration did not reduce the quality or success rate of frozen eggs.
Genetic testing may improve outcomes and support safer singleton pregnancies
With preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), the study also found:
A significantly lower miscarriage rate;
A higher success rate per transfer;
Greater support for singleton pregnancy, reducing maternal and infant health risks associated with multiple pregnancy.
Egg freezing is increasing, and experts call for realistic expectations
Dr. Grifo emphasized: “Our data are based on real clinical practice, not theoretical modeling.” He called for more studies using data from different regions and types of fertility centers to establish more comprehensive expectations and help women make informed decisions.
The study also noted substantial growth in egg-freezing procedures around the pandemic. In 2022, nearly three times as many women began freezing cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center as in 2019.
Research team and funding
The study was led by Sarah D. Cascante, MD, and James A. Grifo, MD, PhD, with co-authors including Jennifer K. Blakemore, MD, Shannon M. DeVore, MD, Brooke Hodes-Wertz, MD, and Elizabeth Fino, MD. The work of all embryologists, physicians, nurses, and support staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center contributed to the findings.
The project was funded by the Carolyn and Malcom Wiener Foundation, supporting the clinical advancement of egg-freezing and embryo-storage research.
Source:
Collected online