Human eggs can stay fresh for decades – so, is egg freezing a waste of money?

A new study from Barcelona, released on 17 July 2025, sheds light on why reproductive cells in women last so long. This article examines the value of freezing eggs at a cost of thousands.

The study was published in The EMBO Journal The report was made by ScienceDaily On July 17, 2025 it was revealed that human eggs intentionally slow down their internal “waste-disposal” systems in order to remain healthy for decades. This trick to save energy appears to prevent them from aging and could change the way we approach fertility treatment like IVF.

“By looking at more than a hundred freshly donated eggs, the largest dataset of its kind, we found a surprisingly minimalist strategy that helps the cells stay pristine for many years,” said Dr Elvan Böke, Group Leader at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona and lead author of the study.

The study collected 100 eggs from healthy donors aged between 19 and 34 at Dexeus, a fertility clinic in Barcelona. 70 of the eggs were fertilisation-ready, while 30 were still immature oocytes. The study is the largest of its kind to be conducted on healthy human eggs directly collected from women.

Using live imaging and fluorescent probes, researchers discovered that mitochondria, proteasomes and lysosomes – the cells’ “housekeeping” machinery – work at 50 per cent of their normal rate. The reduced metabolic activity is likely to lower the production of ROS, which can damage DNA with time.

This “standby mode”, which conserves energy and may even be a hack to increase longevity, is a great way to save money. According to the first author, Dr Gabriele Zufagnini, eggs even expel lysosomes just before ovulation. It’s like “spring cleaning” for them to stay young.

What about freezing eggs?

Some egg freezing cycles cost up to thousands of Euros. Does it really pay off?

This question was asked in a report published by the Progress Educational Trust in 2022. Recent years, egg-freezing has been heavily promoted as a way to delay pregnancy. However, even the most prominent fertility specialists warn against making overly optimistic claims.

Professor Robert Winston was quoted as saying that some fertility clinics were “highly exploitational” and warning the idea of freezing egg “is a scam,” because “it almost never leads to a success birth.”

This report raises these concerns, mainly because freezing occurs later in life, when the quality of eggs is already compromised. Some UK clinics have even launched “freeze and share” schemes where women can get discounted freezing in exchange for donating eggs to others – a move seen by some as unethical.

Even though the success rates of IVF have increased since the American Society for Reproductive Medicine removed the “experimental label” in 2012, the numbers are still low, particularly for women older than 35.

The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) decided in 2015 that egg freezing is not recommended for women who are healthy due to low pregnancy rates and health risks.

IVF supplements 

The new Barcelona study may also challenge one of IVF’s most common practices – the pushing of supplements to improve egg health.

“Fertility patients are routinely advised to take random supplements to improve egg metabolism, but evidence for any benefit for pregnant outcomes is patchy,” said Dr Böke. “By looking at freshly-donated eggs we’ve found evidence to suggest the opposite approach – maintaining the egg’s naturally quiet metabolism – could be a better idea for preserving quality.”

Researchers plan to test eggs from older donors, as well as failed IVF cycles, to determine if the cellular energy-saving techniques weaken over time.

The discovery of viable eggs on their own raises the question: Are women being misled by expensive egg freezing? Should clinics have to publicly state their success rates? Are women empowered or just emotional marketed at?

Egg freezing is becoming more popular among women over 40 years old, as this is when the success rate of egg freezing is known to be lowest.

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