Travelling to Thailand for Egg Freezing: The Process

Most of the preparation happens before you travel. An initial consultation can be done online, and hormone blood tests and a pelvic ultrasound can usually be arranged in your own country and the results sent ahead. Time in Thailand is typically around 10 to 14 days, covering the stimulation phase with its monitoring scans, the egg retrieval, and a short recovery before flying home. The cycle has to be timed to your own menstrual cycle, so travel dates are planned around it rather than the other way round.

Before you travel

An online consultation covers your medical history, cycle and any previous results. Recent hormone blood tests and a pelvic ultrasound report can often be used if you already have them; if not, you will be told what to arrange at home.

Have ready:

• Recent hormone blood test results.
• A pelvic ultrasound report.
• The dates of your recent cycles.
• Relevant medical and surgical history.

Ask at this stage which tests will be accepted from your own country and how recent they must be, so nothing has to be repeated on arrival. This is also the point to confirm the legal requirements and documentation, and what the storage rules are once your eggs are frozen, since those are set by Thai regulation rather than by the clinic.

While you are in Thailand

The stimulation phase runs roughly 10 to 14 days. You will take daily injections and attend several monitoring scans and blood tests, which is why you need to be in the country for this period rather than arriving for the retrieval alone. The monitoring is what allows the dose and the timing to be adjusted to your response.

Once the follicles reach the right size, a trigger injection sets the timing, and egg retrieval follows around 36 hours later. It is a short procedure carried out with anesthesia, and you go home the same day. Most patients can fly home within a few days, though you should confirm that with your doctor rather than booking on the assumption.

Our article on preparing for egg retrieval covers what to expect on the day, and what egg freezing involves covers the process in general.

Build in some flexibility

The schedule follows your body's response rather than the calendar. Retrieval may move by a day or two, and occasionally a cycle is cancelled if the response is not adequate. Flexible flights and accommodation are worth the small extra cost, and it is worth asking in advance what happens financially if a cycle is cancelled before retrieval.

After you return home

Your eggs remain in storage until you decide to use them, subject to the storage rules that apply. When you are ready, they are thawed and fertilized in the laboratory and an embryo is transferred, which is an IVF cycle.

ICSI is generally used with frozen eggs rather than conventional insemination. This is a genuine technical indication rather than an upsell: the outer layer of the egg changes during freezing and thawing, which can impede conventional fertilization, so a sperm is injected directly instead.

Ask before you leave who your point of contact is afterwards, what records you will be given and in what language, and what the annual storage arrangements and fees are.

We at Millennium IVF Clinic treat international patients at our Bangkok clinic. You can contact our team, and our egg freezing page sets out the service.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I need to be in Thailand?

Typically around 10 to 14 days, covering stimulation, monitoring and retrieval, plus a short recovery. Confirm the exact number for your own plan.

Can I have the monitoring scans at home?

The scans during stimulation guide dose adjustments and timing, so they generally need to be done where you are being treated. Ask whether any part can be arranged at home in your case.

How soon can I fly after egg retrieval?

Most patients travel within a few days. Confirm with your doctor, particularly if you have had a strong response to stimulation, since that carries a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation.

How long can my eggs stay in storage?

Storage in Thailand is governed by the Protection of a Child Born by Medically Assisted Reproductive Technology Act B.E. 2558 (2015). The Act itself does not fix a maximum storage period: section 42 delegates the rules for depositing, using and terminating stored sperm, eggs and embryos to the Medical Council of Thailand, so ask us for the period currently in force and what you need to sign to maintain storage. Two points in the Act are worth knowing in advance. Section 41 prohibits importing or exporting sperm, eggs or embryos, so material stored in Thailand cannot be moved to another country. And under section 43, if the person whose sperm or eggs are stored dies, they may not be used unless written consent was given beforehand, and then only for the treatment of a surviving spouse.