The price of buying time: What egg freezing costs in India
For many urban women, egg freezing is increasingly becoming part of long-term life planning, much like buying insurance or investing for retirement. But unlike most financial goals, this one comes with a biological deadline, and it isn’t cheap.The procedure typically costs ₹1.35- ₹3 lakh per cycle, with annual storage fees of ₹10,000–30,000 and potential IVF expenses later.
For women considering it, egg freezing is a significant out-of-pocket commitment that sits at the intersection of healthcare, personal choice and financial planning.For Delhi-based Dr Aastha Gupta Aggarwal, freezing her eggs was a decision planned well in advance. Working in fertility care herself, she set a personal deadline: if she had not found the right partner by 30 or 31, she would preserve her fertility.
She eventually went ahead with the procedure about eight years ago.With more clinics now offering the service, prices have even softened, according to Gurugram-based fertility specialist Reubina Singh. Singh froze her eggs in 2014 for around ₹1.5 lakh and says many of her patients today pay about ₹1.35 lakh.Egg freezing is not a single bill but a series of medical steps spread across about two weeks.Vadodara-based Tanaya Narendra, an embryologist who underwent egg freezing herself last year, said the expenses build up in stages.The process begins with hormone injections for about 10 days to stimulate the ovaries so multiple eggs mature at once.
This is the most expensive part of the cycle and cost Narendra about ₹80,000. The eggs are then retrieved in a short procedure under anaesthesia and frozen using cryopreservation techniques.“This procedure cost me about ₹45,000.
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