Egg Freezing in Jersey City, NJ | Damien Fertility Partners
Oocyte cryopreservation has been a mainstream, non-experimental fertility treatment since 2013, when the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Practice Committee determined that oocyte freezing was no longer experimental and allowed for its routine use. In New Jersey, interest in egg freezing has climbed alongside broader use of assisted reproductive technology generally: 5.6% of all infants born in New Jersey in 2022 were conceived through assisted reproductive technology, the second-highest state rate in the country, behind Massachusetts.
Most patients considering egg freezing want to know the same thing before they book a consultation: how many eggs will it actually take to protect their chances at a future pregnancy, and does the number change if they wait another few years. There is no single answer, but there is a growing body of outcomes data that makes the trade-offs concrete.
We’ve provided fertility treatment across New Jersey since 1989, with offices in Shrewsbury (Monmouth County), Newark (Essex County), and Jersey City (Hudson County). Our Jersey City office, located at One Journal Square Plaza, gives Hudson County patients access to the same CAP-accredited embryology lab, the same physician continuity, and the same AI-assisted embryo monitoring available at our other two locations.
Request a consultation at our Jersey City office, in person or virtually with Dr. Perlman, to review your egg freezing timeline.
Egg Freezing Candidates
Patients pursue egg freezing for two distinct reasons, and the distinction matters for both counseling and insurance.
Medical Fertility Preservation
Patients facing chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery that could damage ovarian function often freeze eggs before treatment starts to protect future fertility. Our fertility preservation program coordinates closely with a patient’s oncology team, since these cases often need to start stimulation within days of diagnosis rather than on the patient’s own schedule. We build the protocol around whatever window the oncology treatment plan allows.
Elective (Social) Egg Freezing
Elective egg freezing applies to patients who want to preserve younger, higher-quality eggs while they wait on their own timeline for other reasons — career, partnership status, or simply not being ready. Both groups go through the same clinical process; what differs is urgency and, as covered below, insurance treatment.
The Importance of Physician Continuity for Egg Freezing
Egg freezing involves a series of monitoring visits over roughly two weeks, each one adjusting medication dosages based on how a patient’s follicles are responding. The same physician follows a patient through every consultation, monitoring visit, and the retrieval itself. This is a deliberate contrast to larger regional networks such as RMA NJ or IRMS/CCRM, where patients are often seen by whichever physician is on call for a given visit.
When the person reviewing your ultrasound today is the same person who reviewed it three days ago, dosage adjustments are made with the fuller picture rather than a chart summary.
The Egg Freezing Process, Step by Step
Egg freezing takes approximately two weeks from the start of medication to the retrieval procedure.
Your First Visit
Your first visit at our Jersey City office includes a review of your medical history, a transvaginal ultrasound to count antral follicles, and bloodwork to check AMH and other baseline hormone levels. We use this visit to discuss your family-building timeline and outline what a stimulation protocol tailored to your ovarian reserve is likely to look like.
Baseline Testing
Before stimulation begins, we check AMH levels, antral follicle count by ultrasound, and basic hormone panels to estimate how many eggs a given medication protocol is likely to produce.
Ovarian Stimulation
Injectable medications prompt the ovaries to develop multiple follicles over roughly 10 to 12 days, with monitoring visits every two to three days to track follicle growth by ultrasound and bloodwork.
Trigger Shot and Retrieval
Once follicles reach target size, a trigger injection completes final egg maturation. Retrieval is a 20- to 30-minute outpatient procedure performed under sedation.
Vitrification and Storage
Mature eggs are flash-frozen the same day using vitrification, the rapid-cooling method that prevents the ice crystal formation older slow-freeze techniques were prone to. Published ASRM–SART practice guidelines put post-vitrification oocyte survival at 90% to 97%. Frozen eggs remain viable in liquid nitrogen for years; storage fees are billed separately from the retrieval cycle.
The Connection Between Age and Egg Number
Age at the time of egg freezing and the number of mature eggs preserved should be considered together, since both influence the likelihood of a future live birth.
The ASRM guideline on planned oocyte cryopreservation is direct on this point: the available evidence is insufficient to counsel patients on one absolute number of eggs that guarantees a live birth, though outcomes on the whole tend to be better when eggs are frozen at a younger rather than older age.
Recent Studies
A fixed target such as “freeze 10 eggs” isn’t a guarantee, and newer research helps explain why. A 2024 cohort study of 731 patients undergoing planned oocyte cryopreservation found that cumulative live-birth and ongoing-pregnancy rates were shaped by age at freezing and by the total number of mature oocytes thawed, while the number of separate freezing cycles a patient underwent did not independently change the outcome.
Among patients who froze before age 38, those who later thawed at least 20 mature oocytes had a cumulative live-birth or ongoing-pregnancy rate above 70%. You can review the 2024 study on age, mature oocyte number, and cycle number directly.
Earlier modeling research reached a similar conclusion from a different angle: a counseling tool built from IVF patient data predicts the probability of one, two, or three live births based on a woman’s age at egg retrieval together with the number of mature oocytes frozen, rather than age or egg count alone. The 2017 counseling-tool study is one of the sources that shaped how we frame these conversations.
Ovarian Reserve Testing
AMH and antral follicle count help estimate how many eggs a patient is likely to produce during stimulation, but neither test measures egg quality directly, and ASRM notes there is insufficient evidence to use ovarian reserve testing on its own to predict live birth rates after planned egg freezing, independent of age.
In practice, this means someone freezing at 30 may need fewer eggs than someone freezing at 38 to reach a similar probability of one live birth, while individual ovarian response determines whether reaching that number takes one retrieval or several.
Freezing Earlier or Freezing Later
The counseling conversation usually comes down to a trade-off rather than a right answer. Freezing earlier, in the twenties or early thirties, generally means fewer eggs are needed and a single retrieval cycle is more likely to be enough.
Freezing later gives a patient more clarity about whether they’ll actually use the eggs, since family-building plans and relationships are often more settled, but it typically means more eggs are needed and a second cycle is more likely.
We combine age, expected egg yield, mature-egg count, and your own family-building goals during a consultation rather than applying one universal target.
CAP-Accredited Embryology Lab and AI Monitoring
Our embryology laboratory holds accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the FDA, and the NJ State Department of Health, all with zero deficiencies. When a patient later thaws and fertilizes her eggs, our embryoscope time-lapse incubators use CHLOE, Fairtility’s AI-powered embryo monitoring system, which tracks embryo development continuously rather than relying on periodic manual checks.
Egg Freezing Costs and Insurance Coverage in New Jersey
Insurance treatment of egg freezing depends on why you’re freezing.
Medically Necessary Preservation
A 2019 New Jersey law established health benefits coverage mandates for fertility preservation services, which covers patients facing medical treatment that risks their fertility — the oncology and medical-preservation cases described above.
The 2024 Insurance Expansion
A separate law signed by Governor Murphy on January 12, 2024 requires certain private-sector insurers regulated by the state, along with the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, to cover infertility services in accordance with American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines, and removed prior restrictions on coverage based on relationship status, sexual orientation, and age. This expansion applies to the diagnosis and treatment of infertility broadly; group plans covering 50 or more employees are the relevant threshold under New Jersey’s underlying mandate.
Elective Freezing and Self-Pay
Elective egg freezing done outside a medical-infertility diagnosis is typically not covered under either mandate and is usually billed as a self-pay cycle.
Coverage varies by employer and plan size, so we recommend verifying benefits directly through our insurance and financial resources page; our bilingual Insurance Verification Specialist can also review your policy with you. For patients paying out of pocket, we offer CapexMD financing, which provides pre-approval within 24 hours.
Board-Certified Fertility Specialists in Jersey City, NJ
Our team includes two board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, Dr. Damien and Dr. Perlman, both certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Castle Connolly has named Dr. Damien a Top Doctor in the NY Metro Area six times (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018). Dr. Damien is fluent in Spanish, and our Jersey City office offers services in Spanish alongside a bilingual Insurance Verification Specialist.
Consistent with our diversity and inclusion commitments, we treat patients regardless of relationship status, sexual orientation, or BMI, and provide dedicated LGBTQ+ family-building support, including for patients freezing eggs ahead of donor egg IVF or reciprocal IVF plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is the process of retrieving a woman’s eggs, freezing them via vitrification, and storing them for future use in an IVF cycle.
How many eggs do I need to freeze?
There is no single target that applies to everyone. Outcomes research shows that both your age at freezing and the number of mature eggs you preserve affect your odds of a future live birth, with younger age and higher egg counts generally improving the probability. We review your ovarian reserve testing against this research during a consultation.
Will I need more than one egg freezing cycle?
Some patients need more than one cycle to reach the number of mature eggs their age group generally needs for a reasonable chance at a future live birth. Whether a second cycle makes sense depends on how many eggs the first retrieval produced, not on a fixed rule.
How much does egg freezing cost in New Jersey?
Cost depends on medication dosage, number of cycles needed, and whether the cycle qualifies for insurance coverage under New Jersey’s fertility preservation or infertility mandates. Patients paying out of pocket can apply for CapexMD financing with 24-hour pre-approval.
Is egg freezing covered by insurance in NJ?
Coverage depends on the reason for freezing. Medically necessary fertility preservation, such as before cancer treatment, falls under New Jersey’s 2019 fertility preservation mandate. Elective egg freezing is generally not covered and is usually self-pay.
At what age should I consider freezing my eggs?
Egg quality and quantity decline with age, so earlier freezing generally requires fewer eggs to reach a given chance of live birth. We base this recommendation on your individual AMH and antral follicle count rather than age alone.
Does Damien Fertility Partners offer virtual consultations?
Yes, virtual consultations are available with Dr. Perlman for patients who want to review testing and options before an in-person visit. You can also start with our guide to how to begin treatment.
How is egg freezing different from embryo freezing?
Egg freezing preserves unfertilized eggs, which can be fertilized later with a partner’s or donor sperm. Embryo freezing preserves eggs that have already been fertilized. Egg freezing is the option for patients who haven’t decided on a sperm source yet.
We see patients at our Shrewsbury (Monmouth County), Newark (Essex County), and Jersey City (Hudson County) offices. Dr. Damien and Dr. Perlman both handle egg freezing consultations, from initial ovarian reserve testing through retrieval. Request a consultation to review your timeline and options.