Egg Freezing as a Work Perk: What UK Employers Now Offer

Egg Freezing as a Work Perk: What UK Employers Now Offer

Quick answer: A growing number of UK employers now offer fertility benefits — funding or contributions towards egg freezing and IVF, paid treatment leave, and counselling — though fewer than one in five currently do. Companies including BP, Amazon, ASDA, NatWest and Centrica have introduced schemes. These benefits can meaningfully offset cost (a single IVF or egg-freezing cycle often runs £5,000–£10,000+), but a work perk shouldn’t drive the medical decision. The right time to freeze depends on your ovarian reserve and goals — not your benefits package.

Fertility has quietly become a workplace issue. As people build families later, employers have started treating fertility support the way they once treated pensions or private healthcare — a benefit that signals a company takes its people seriously. For employees, it can remove a real financial barrier. It also raises questions worth thinking through before you act.

This article covers what UK employers are actually offering, what it’s worth, the practical questions to ask, and how to keep the medical decision where it belongs — with the evidence about your own fertility.

What’s actually on offer in the UK

Fertility benefits are still the exception rather than the norm — research in early 2025 suggested fewer than one in five UK employers offer dedicated fertility support — but the direction of travel is clear, and several large employers have led the way. Typical offerings include:

Financial contributions towards egg freezing, IVF, or related treatment — sometimes a fixed pot (for example, BP has offered up to a five-figure sum towards treatment). Paid leave for treatment — ASDA, for instance, offers paid leave for IVF for both partners, plus shift flexibility for appointments. Support services — counselling, peer groups, webinars, and mental health resources. Wider family-building support — some schemes extend to adoption or surrogacy assistance.

Companies publicly associated with fertility benefits include BP, Amazon, ASDA, NatWest, Centrica (British Gas) and Freshfields, among a growing list.

Why it matters: the cost gap

The appeal is straightforward. Egg freezing and IVF are expensive, and most elective treatment in the UK is self-funded. A single cycle commonly costs in the region of £5,000–£10,000 or more once medication and storage are included, and more than one cycle is often needed to store a meaningful number of eggs.

An employer contribution can turn something that felt financially out of reach into a realistic option — which is exactly why these schemes are valued. But cost is only one part of the decision.

The questions to ask before you use the benefit

A benefit makes treatment affordable; it doesn’t make it right for now. Before acting on a work perk, it’s worth asking:

Does the funding cover the full picture — consultation, medication, retrieval, and ongoing storage — or just part of it? Storage fees recur annually. Is there any tie to staying with the employer, and what happens to funding or stored eggs if you leave? Is the timing being driven by the perk, or by what your own investigations show? Have you had an AMH test and antral follicle count, so the decision is grounded in your ovarian reserve rather than the fact that funding is available this year?

A funded cycle at the wrong time is still the wrong time. The benefit should pay for a decision you’d make anyway — not make the decision for you.

Keep the medical decision separate from the perk

This is the core point, said plainly. Egg freezing is a medical decision that depends on your age, your ovarian reserve, and your goals. The best outcomes generally come from freezing while reserve is still strong — and that timing has nothing to do with when an employer introduces a scheme.

Use the benefit to remove the financial barrier. But let your AMH and AFC results, and a conversation with a doctor, decide whether and when to act. If the investigations suggest acting sooner, a perk that only becomes available later isn’t a reason to wait; if they suggest there’s no rush, the existence of funding isn’t a reason to hurry.

At Plan Your Baby, consultations are online and investigations can be done at over 450 UK locations, which makes it straightforward to get a clear picture of your own reserve before deciding how — and whether — to use an employer scheme.

Frequently asked questions

Do many UK employers offer egg freezing benefits?

Still a minority — research in early 2025 put it at fewer than one in five employers — but the number is rising, and several large companies (including BP, Amazon, ASDA, NatWest and Centrica) now offer some form of fertility support.

What do fertility benefits usually include?

Commonly a financial contribution towards egg freezing or IVF, paid leave for treatment, and support services such as counselling. Some schemes extend to adoption or surrogacy. Coverage varies a lot between employers.

How much does egg freezing cost without an employer benefit?

A single cycle in the UK commonly costs around £5,000–£10,000 or more including medication, with recurring annual storage fees on top. More than one cycle is often needed. [Confirm PYB pricing before publishing.]

Should I freeze my eggs just because my employer will pay?

Funding should remove the cost barrier, not drive the decision. Whether and when to freeze depends on your ovarian reserve (AMH and antral follicle count) and your goals — best decided with a doctor, then funded by the benefit.

What happens to my frozen eggs if I change jobs?

That depends on your scheme’s terms. Ask specifically what happens to funding and to ongoing storage costs if you leave, before you rely on the benefit.

Key takeaways

— A growing minority of UK employers fund egg freezing/IVF, offer paid treatment leave, and provide support services.

— Named examples include BP, Amazon, ASDA, NatWest and Centrica.

— Benefits meaningfully offset cost (£5,000–£10,000+ per cycle), which is their real value.

— Check the details: storage fees, employer ties, and what happens if you leave.

— Let your ovarian reserve and goals drive the timing — not the perk.

A fertility benefit is a genuinely useful thing for an employer to offer. Treated as a way to fund a well-timed decision, it’s a real help. The decision itself still belongs with you and your doctor.

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