New Tool Empowers Women on IVF Egg Freezing

YourIVFSuccess, a UNSW-developed website, has developed a new online calculator to help women evaluate their choices around egg freezing.

Australian women considering freezing their eggs now have access to the nation’s first independent, online calculator designed to provide clear, realistic expectations and support informed choice.

Developed by UNSW Sydney’s National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit (NPESU) and funded by the federal government, the YourIVFSuccess website’s ‘ Your EggFreezeEstimator ‘ uses real-world Australian data to help women understand what egg freezing can and cannot achieve.

Age is one of the most important factors affecting egg quality and future pregnancy success. The Estimator allows women to enter their age and the number of egg freezing cycles they plan to do. They will then receive a personalised estimate of how many eggs they can expect to freeze and their estimated chance of having a baby from those eggs.

Importantly, the tool addresses common misconceptions, including the belief that freezing a certain number of eggs guarantees a baby.

Professor Georgina Chambers, who leads the UNSW team behind the tool, said the federal government should be applauded for supporting the development of the website. The data for the site comes from the national IVF registry, with information from every IVF clinic in Australia.

Prof. Chambers also said the Estimator would help women who were deciding whether to freeze their eggs, as well as those who had already done so, better understand their chances of success.

“These are fundamentally different decisions, as those who have frozen eggs have already made that decision,” Prof. Chambers said. “By separating them, we reduce confusion and provide tailored information for women at different stages of their journey.”

Elective egg freezing typically costs around $8000 to $12,000 per cycle with an additional annual storage fee. It is not covered by Medicare, and for many women, it is both a significant medical and financial decision.

NPESU Research Fellow Oisin Fitzgerald said the tool uses real-world Australian data to make estimates.

NPESU Research Fellow Oisin Fitzgerald worked on the development of the Estimator and said the tool was the only one of its kind outside a commercial clinical setting.

“For the first time, Australian women considering egg freezing have access to a tool that provides transparency around their likely outcomes for each step of the egg freezing journey, from how many eggs they are likely to freeze per treatment cycle, through to the number of embryos they are likely to have available for transfer, and ultimately their chance of a baby,” he said.

 

Prof. Chambers and Mr. Fitzgerald from UNSW’s National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit worked on the development of the new tool.

Designed with women, for women

Research with Australian women highlighted significant information gaps, confusion about success rates and anxiety about timing and cost.

“Women told us they felt confused and unsure what success really meant,” Prof. Chambers said.

“This Estimator provides independent, evidence-based information so women can make decisions aligned with their circumstances and life goals. It sets realistic expectations and helps women understand both the potential and the limits of egg freezing.”

For the first time Australian women considering egg freezing have access to a tool that provides transparency around their likely outcomes for each step of the egg freezing journey.

The tool was co-developed in partnership with IVF clinicians, nurses and counsellors.

Dr Devora Lieberman, senior fertility specialist and one of the first clinicians to introduce egg freezing to Australia, said the Estimator provided much needed guidance on a topic critical to an increasing number of women and was something women could access before seeing a fertility specialist.

“A tool like this, grounded in Australian data, helps support balanced conversations between women and their fertility specialist,” she said.

Supporting national fertility education

Dr Petra Wale, President of the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand, welcomed the launch.

“Australians need clear, realistic information about their fertility, how it works and what factors affect success. Fertility declines with age and this needs to be discussed more openly. Egg freezing can improve the chance of a future pregnancy, but it is important women understand what it can and cannot achieve.

“The Fertility Society’s 10-Year Fertility Roadmap calls for greater public investment in fertility education. Tools like this are critical to supporting informed choice,” Dr Wale said.

The YourEggFreeze Estimator is hosted on the federal government-funded YourIVFSuccess website and builds on the award-winning YourIVFSuccess IVF Estimator , which 91% of users rated as trustworthy in a 2023 evaluation. One in five also reported they would change the timing of treatment after using the tool.

 

The launch follows the federal Health Minister Mark Butler’s acceptance of all recommendations from the recent Rapid Review of In Vitro Fertilisation Regulation and Accreditation , reinforcing the importance of transparency, patient education and evidence-based fertility care.

“Women must have clear, independent information when making significant decisions about their reproductive health and when they are planning for a family in the future,” said Rebecca White, federal Assistant Minister for Women, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health.

“The Albanese Labor government funding for the Estimator provides a new, evidence-based guidance tool, grounded in Australian data, empowering women to better understand their options and make informed choices about egg freezing.

“As we implement the recommendations from the Rapid Review of IVF regulation, initiatives like this strengthen transparency and put women at the centre of fertility care.”

The YourIVFSuccess ‘YourEggFreeze Estimator’ is available at yourivfsuccess.com.au .