Should You Freeze Your Eggs? The Truth About Timing, Costs + Common Mistakes (with Dr. Raelia Lew)

By Molly Benjamin, Founder of Ladies Finance Club

Listen to the full podcast here. 

Egg freezing is becoming a more common conversation among women, and for good reason. It’s a topic that touches on fertility, career choices, relationships, financial independence, and future planning. Yet, so many women still feel confused about when to consider freezing their eggs, how much it actually costs, and what the process really involves.

In this episode of Get Rich, Molly Benjamin (founder of Ladies Finance Club) chats with fertility specialist Dr. Raelia Lew, Medical Director of Women’s Health Melbourne and Melbourne IVF, to break down exactly what you need to know about egg freezing, from egg reserve to hormonal injections and egg extraction, plus common mistakes to avoid.

Why More Women Are Freezing Their Eggs

As Dr. Lew explains, if you’re not planning to have a baby before the age of 30, egg freezing should at least be on your radar.

👉 Science shows that starting your family before age 27 gives you the highest chance of having the number of children you want, without IVF or fertility support.
👉 The average age of first birth in Australia is now 32, meaning many women are starting families later, when natural fertility has already begun to decline.

Egg freezing can offer more options later in life,  whether you're single, prioritising your career, or just not ready for kids yet. As Molly shares from her own experience: “It felt like lifting a huge mental load I didn’t even realise I was carrying.”

What’s Involved in Freezing Your Eggs?

Step 1: See a Fertility Specialist

You’ll need a referral from your GP to a fertility specialist like Dr. Lew, who will discuss your personal situation and medical history, run tests on your egg reserve, and help you understand how many eggs you may need to freeze to give yourself the best chances of success later.

Step 2: Egg Reserve Testing

This involves:
✔️ A pelvic ultrasound to assess your ovaries and follicles
✔️ A blood test called AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone), which indicates your current egg reserve

Step 3: Hormonal Injections & Preparation

Once your personalised plan is created, you’ll start a course of hormonal injections to stimulate your ovaries to mature multiple eggs in one cycle. This step lasts roughly 10–14 days and allows your doctor to "recruit" more eggs for egg extraction.

While giving yourself daily injections may sound scary, Molly reassures listeners that it’s much easier than expected: “They didn’t even hurt!”

Step 4: Egg Extraction

The final step is the actual egg extraction (called an oocyte pickup or "OPU") a quick 20-minute procedure done under light sedation or local anaesthetic. The eggs are then immediately frozen using advanced vitrification techniques.

As Dr. Lew puts it: “Egg freezing is the most amazing anti-aging manoeuvre we have in modern medicine, it literally pauses the biological clock.”

Step 5: Storage and Ongoing Costs

Frozen eggs are carefully stored at your IVF clinic (no need to find your own storage). There is an annual fee for egg storage, which covers the scientific monitoring and maintenance required to keep the eggs stable and safe.

How Much Does Egg Freezing Cost in Australia?

Dr. Lew shared the breakdown:

• IVF clinic fees: around $4,500 per cycle
  
• Medications: $1,500–$3,000 depending on your prescribed treatment
  
• Hospital day fees & anaesthesia: additional charges apply
  

For women with a medical condition (such as endometriosis or low egg reserve), some costs may be covered under Medicare, but currently, elective egg freezing is not subsidised.

Molly emphasises that the actual costs are often less than many women assume: “I thought it would be $10K–$20K, but it was so much more affordable and 100% worth it for my peace of mind.”

Common Mistakes Women Make with Egg Freezing

Dr. Lew sees one major mistake time and again: waiting too long.
“I never meet women who say, ‘I wish I hadn’t frozen my eggs.’ I do meet plenty who say, ‘I wish I’d done this sooner.’”

Because egg quality declines with age, earlier is better, ideally in your early 30s or sooner, if possible.

If you’re even considering egg freezing, the best first step is simply to get informed. Book an appointment with a qualified fertility specialist and start the conversation.

As Molly shares: “For me, freezing my eggs was one of the most empowering decisions I’ve ever made, it gave me freedom, options, and time.”

Want to learn more? Tune into this episode of Get Rich with Dr. Raelia Lew and get the facts on fertility, egg freezing, and how to plan for your future.

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