Egg-freezing can be an important reproductive tool, but would-be mothers must weigh the heavy financial investment against the likelihood it will result in a child. A new investigation reveals that soaring costs are forcing some women to take drastic steps to afford the procedure.
Rising Prices and Hidden Fees
When Christina Wang first looked into freezing her eggs at a Toronto clinic in late 2024, she was quoted $6,500 for the procedure and another $4,000 to $6,000 for related medications. But by the time she was ready to begin her cycle in July 2025, the price for the procedure had jumped to $7,500, while the estimated cost for medications had risen from $6,000 to $8,000. The clinic claimed her original quote was a “promotion,” though this explanation appeared nowhere in Wang’s initial email correspondence with the clinic.
“I was pretty ticked off,” says the 28-year-old medical student, who ended up sourcing cheaper medications online so she could manage the costs of her procedure.
Lack of Regulation
The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) spent eight months analyzing Canada’s burgeoning egg-freezing industry. There are no national regulations governing what fertility clinics can charge. When the IJB analyzed the websites of the 42 Canadian fertility clinics marketing egg freezing, reporters found one-third provided no upfront pricing. Where information exists, medication fees can sometimes climb to nearly double the advertised egg-freezing price. In addition, women are sometimes upsold unproven add-ons that are marketed as necessary.
“I think it’s unethical not to tell somebody all the costs,” said Janet Takefman, a former director of psychological services at the McGill University Reproductive Centre, which is one of the few publicly funded fertility clinics. “Do I think the costs are outrageous? I do.”
Drastic Steps for Hope
The high cost of hope has led some women to take increasingly drastic steps to afford the procedure, because they believed egg freezing was a form of insurance for having children as they aged. One Ontario student in her 30s said she considered bootlegging alcohol to pay for the procedure, while others reported doing free social media promotions for clinics in exchange for lower fees.
Lindsay Martin, 38, of Vaughan, said she withdrew money from her RRSPs. Lucy Chadwick of Burlington borrowed from a relative to undergo the procedure at 33. Barbara d’Oro, 41, travelled from Ottawa to Brazil, where, she said, it was cheaper to freeze her eggs.
While egg-freezing can be an important reproductive tool — for cancer patients at risk of infertility, or women who want an extra option for motherhood later in life — the IJB found many clinics fail to make it clear that the heavy financial investment will not always result in a child.
