Fertility Preservation for Age (Age-Banking)

Unlike men, who can remain fertile later in life, women are born with a predetermined stock of eggs that gradually decreases over time. With age, the quality of eggs also decreases, leading to reduced fertility and lower chances of pregnancy starting around age 30, with a more significant decline after 35.

In today’s world, women (and men too) increasingly wish to have children later in life for various reasons (wanting to enjoy life before starting a family, meeting the right partner, economic or professional constraints).

There is also widespread lack of knowledge about fertility changes in women. Many believe that medicine will be effective in cases of age-related infertility, which is not entirely true, as only anonymous egg donation can help in this case. The idea of egg preservation is to plan a “self-donation” for the future, with the advantage of maintaining a genetic link.

Oocyte (egg) vitrification

This rapid-freezing technique allows mature oocytes collected after ovarian stimulation to be preserved intact for future use. These oocytes will be fertilized with sperm from the partner (or a donor). The embryos obtained in the laboratory will be transferred one per cycle into the uterus, with pregnancy chances similar to those at the age of freezing.

At Erasmus Hospital, we perform this procedure until the day before your 39th birthday, but oocyte preservation should ideally be done before age 36 to provide the best chance of pregnancy. The ideal age for this procedure is around 32-33, especially if you want multiple children: the first may come spontaneously, but you may need your preserved oocytes for the second.

Collected and vitrified oocytes are stored for 10 years, which can be shortened or extended upon request. Regarding the use of these oocytes for a parental project, in Belgium, the maximum age is 45 for the request to fertilize your oocytes and 47 for embryo transfer.

In practice, you should contact the clinic before your 38th birthday to schedule appointments with the doctor and psychologist. They will evaluate your request, define your expectations and options regarding the gametes, and provide all necessary information and assessments before considering the procedure.

What you should know:

• This procedure is not fully covered by health insurance: ovarian stimulation treatments and laboratory egg freezing costs are fully at your expense, between €2,500 and €4,000 depending on your personal situation.
• If your ovarian reserve has already decreased, multiple stimulation cycles may be needed to reach the ideal number of 20 oocytes in storage (90% chance of a child later).
• “Storage fees” apply from the second year of preservation, also at your expense. A detailed cost estimate will be provided during consultation.

Sperm preservation

Cryopreservation of mature sperm obtained via masturbation has existed for many years and is a “simple” method to preserve male fertility long-term.

The most common non-medical reason is vasectomy.

You will then have one or more appointments (usually 1 to 3) at the andrology laboratory to collect several samples, which will be stored for 10 years, with the possibility of shortening or extending upon request. Annual storage fees are your responsibility.

Depending on the quality and number of samples, artificial insemination or IVF with ICSI may later be considered with your partner.

Reverse family planning

It is possible to schedule an appointment at any age with one of our specialized doctors and/or psychologists to receive personalized information on your probable fertility evolution and recommendations for optimal family planning.

Fertility evaluation and advice: both women and men can have an assessment of their current fertility and its likely evolution in the coming years. For men, this involves a sperm analysis; for women, Anti-Müllerian Hormone testing and follicle count via gynecological ultrasound.

Infertility Consortium

Evaluation of the demand for AGE banking in the Belgian population, contribution of the procedure to birth rates, and reflection on equitable coverage of the process.
Dr Catherine HOUBA & Prof Anne DELBAERE

Erasmus Hospital is a pioneer in oocyte vitrification thanks to numerous internationally recognized research projects conducted by the ULB Research Laboratory and Prof Demeestere.

Associated services

Information contact:

• Phone: 02/555 36 89, Monday to Friday, 8:30 – 12:30
• Email: secmed [dot] fiv [at] hubruxelles [dot] be

For appointments:

• Phone: 02/555 48 57

Gynecology-Obstetrics

• Prof Anne DELBAERE
• Dr Catherine HOUBA
• Dr Isabelle DUPONT
• Dr Fabienne DEVREKER
• Dr Serge DELATHOUWER

Psychologist team:

• Chantale LARUELLE
• Isabelle PLACE
• Denis WALRAVENS