Guy's and St Thomas' Egg Freezing Review

The Assisted Conception Unit at Guy's Hospital recorded 226 egg storage cycles across 204 patients in 2023, a substantial volume for a unit operating within an NHS Foundation Trust rather than as a standalone private clinic (HFEA, 2026). It's one of the few London units on our list treating both NHS-funded and private patients from the same site, and one of ten clinics covered in our full London comparison guide.

The basics

The unit has been licensed by the HFEA since 1992 and operates within Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, on the 11th floor of the Tower Wing at Guy's Hospital, SE1 9RT (HFEA, n.d.). Its NHS and private hospital setting distinguishes it from every other clinic in this series, all of which are purpose-built private clinics operating independently of or alongside NHS trusts rather than within one. If you might be eligible for NHS-funded fertility preservation ahead of medical treatment, our separate guide to NHS egg freezing eligibility explains how that route works.

What the HFEA says

• Inspection rating: 4/5, from an inspection dated 15 February 2023 (HFEA, n.d.).
• Licence status: Licensed until 30 June 2028 (HFEA, n.d.).
• Patient rating: 4/5, based on just two patient ratings, too small a sample to draw any real conclusions from (HFEA, n.d.).
• 2023 activity: 226 egg storage cycles across 204 patients (HFEA, 2026).

Its Google rating, 2.8/5 from 74 reviews, is the lowest of any clinic in this series. It's worth bearing in mind that this is an NHS and private hospital unit rather than a purpose-built private clinic, which may make its review profile, often shaped by broader hospital-wide experiences rather than fertility care specifically, less directly comparable to the others in this series.

How it compares in this series

Guy's and St Thomas' ACU is the only NHS and private hospital unit among the ten highest-volume London clinics in our comparison guide; every other clinic covered is a purpose-built private site. Its 2.8/5 Google rating is the lowest in the series, and its 4/5 HFEA inspection rating is joint-lowest alongside Harley Street Fertility Clinic's. Its £3,700 private price sits in the middle of the range, close to Guy's near-neighbour CRGH's £3,500, but the NHS-funded route available here has no equivalent at any other clinic in this series.

What it actually costs

Private egg freezing at this unit is priced at £3,700 per cycle, one of the more moderate figures among London's highest-volume clinics. As an NHS trust unit, patients who qualify for NHS-funded fertility preservation, most commonly ahead of cancer treatment or another medical intervention affecting fertility, may not pay this fee at all; eligibility criteria are set nationally and locally, and our NHS eligibility guide covers how that works in more detail.

Track record and things to check

A manufacturing fault in a freezing solution affected patients treated at this unit between September and October 2022. The HFEA's investigation into the unit's response ran into 2024, during which the unit was placed under enhanced regulatory oversight; the HFEA subsequently confirmed that the Trust's own independent investigation and remedial actions had been accepted (HFEA, 2024). The 4/5 inspection rating above is dated February 2023, before that 2024 statement, so it may not reflect any follow-up inspection carried out since. This is exactly the kind of history an inspection rating is designed to capture, so check the HFEA's own clinic-search tool directly for anything more recent before making a decision.

The HFEA patient-rating sample here is too small to be meaningful. Two responses tells you almost nothing statistically. The Google rating, while larger, reflects a broader hospital population rather than fertility patients specifically, so neither figure should be weighted heavily on its own.

The NHS route changes the calculation entirely for eligible patients. Cost, waiting times and the overall experience can differ substantially between the NHS and private pathways at the same physical unit, so it's worth establishing which route you'd actually be using before comparing this unit's private price against other clinics in this series.

Whichever route you take, the broader academic evidence is consistent: live birth rates after egg freezing depend heavily on the age at which the eggs were frozen, independent of clinic or funding route (Cil, Bang and Oktay, 2013). That holds whether you're freezing electively or, as many patients at this particular unit are, ahead of medical treatment that may affect fertility.

Questions worth asking this clinic specifically

• Am I eligible for NHS-funded fertility preservation here, and if so, what does the process, timeline and eligibility assessment actually involve?
• What is the unit's current HFEA inspection rating, given that the 4/5 shown here predates the HFEA's 2024 statement on the 2022 incident?
• What quality-control and witnessing procedures are now in place following the 2022 freezing-solution fault, and has this been independently re-verified since?
• If I'm self-funding, how does the private pathway at this unit differ in practice, such as appointment scheduling, from a purpose-built private clinic?

Who this might suit

This unit may particularly suit patients who are, or think they might be, eligible for NHS-funded fertility preservation, since that changes the financial picture more than any other factor covered in this series. It may also suit patients who specifically want to be treated within an NHS Foundation Trust hospital setting rather than a purpose-built private clinic, whether for continuity with other NHS care or simple preference. For self-funding patients without a medical reason for freezing, the 2022 incident and its regulatory aftermath are worth discussing directly with the clinic, alongside checking for the most current HFEA inspection rating available, since the rating shown in this review predates the HFEA's 2024 statement on the matter.

This article is general information, not a personal recommendation of this or any clinic. Prices, ratings, activity volumes and inspection outcomes change; always confirm current figures directly with the clinic and via the HFEA's own clinic-search tool before booking.