Fresh vs. Frozen Egg Donation
What’s the difference between fresh and frozen egg donation?
The journey to creating a family comes with a lot of decisions. For intended parents who will use an egg donor, one of the biggest decisions is whether to use fresh or frozen eggs. This decision is unique to you. Both fresh and frozen eggs have advantages and disadvantages, so understanding the different processes will help your family decide which method is right for you.
What’s the Difference Between Fresh vs. Frozen Egg Donation?
The donation of fresh eggs is done in coordination with the intended parents in real time. Once the intended parents choose a donor who is screened, medically cleared, and agreements are signed, the egg retrieval process begins. The egg donor will start a series of medications to help stimulate egg production. Once the donor’s follicles have matured, the eggs are retrieved and immediately fertilized with the sperm of the intended father or a sperm donor. The fertilized egg, also called an embryo, is then transferred to the gestational carrier to achieve pregnancy.
In contrast to the fresh egg donor cycle, frozen eggs are already available for intended parents. Once they are pre-screened and approved, donors begin the egg retrieval process. The donor’s eggs are immediately frozen and stored until they are needed. Once intended parents choose those eggs, the frozen eggs are thawed, fertilized, and transferred to the intended mother or gestational carrier to achieve pregnancy.
Fresh vs. Frozen: The Advantages of Fresh Egg Donation
Fresh eggs have a better success rate than frozen eggs, making this the main reason many intended parents decide to use fresh donor eggs. According to the CDC, the national average success rate of fresh egg transfers resulting in live-birth deliveries was 54.7% compared to 47.4% of frozen egg transfers resulting in live-birth deliveries in 2020.
The caliber of donors is much higher with fresh vs. frozen eggs. Eggceptional Fertility’s donor database features profiles from a diverse pool of egg donors. Intended parents can search the database based on physical characteristics, personal interests, or educational levels. Each donor also has a detailed profile and video that aims to help intended parents find their ideal donor. Intended parents using fresh eggs are more likely to find this personalized approach than those using a frozen egg bank.
In addition to the higher success rates and exceptional donors, Eggceptional Fertility’s fresh egg donation cycles offer a more personalized approach than what you’d find at frozen egg banks. Along with our donor database, we help facilitate communication between intended parents and donors. This communication can be as much or as little as both parties are comfortable with. We can also be a liaison down the road should the intended parent desire to communicate with their egg donor. Whatever the case may be, the personalized approach and open communication is something you can only find with agencies that specialize in fresh egg donation.
Fresh egg donation also provides intended parents with more eggs, usually about 15-25 per donation cycle. This leads to the creation of more embryos, giving intended parents the best chance at a successful pregnancy. Because there are many more eggs with a fresh egg cycle (15-25) and much fewer with frozen eggs (6), fresh egg donation may be more cost effective in some situations. Additionally, fresh eggs also allow for PGT testing which ensures embryos are genetically normal or even if the embryo is male or female.
Fresh vs. Frozen: The Drawbacks of Fresh Egg Donation
A disadvantage of using fresh vs. frozen eggs is the added time and resources. Because a donor’s eggs are not retrieved until the intended parents select her, additional time is needed to screen the prospective donor, stimulate her egg production, and retrieve the eggs. This added coordination, along with the potential cost of travel, makes the fresh egg process more expensive on the surface. However, when considering how many more eggs you’re likely to get with one fresh egg cycle vs. one batch of frozen eggs, in some cases the difference in price can turn out to be marginal or even less expensive.
Fresh vs. Frozen: The Advantages of Frozen Egg Donation
The biggest advantage to using frozen eggs is that it’s a much faster and more convenient process. Frozen eggs are ready whenever you are, so there’s no need to coordinate with a donor beforehand. This can also lower the cost of frozen egg donation.
Fresh vs. Frozen: The Disadvantages of Frozen Egg Donation
One drawback to using frozen eggs is that egg banks typically sell frozen eggs in batches of six, fewer than what you may receive with a fresh egg cycle. Additionally, not all frozen eggs survive the thawing process. This leaves intended parents with fewer eggs to work with and ultimately fewer chances at a successful fertilization and embryo transfer.
The batch of six frozen eggs usually results in one to two embryos (if any). Because that leaves no room for error, PGT testing is not recommended on these embryos. If the transfer is unsuccessful, the intended parents are back to square one; they would have to start over from scratch, purchasing a new batch of frozen eggs. For this reason, the frozen egg process can turn out to be more expensive for some intended parents.
The Egg Donation Process at Eggceptional Fertility
Eggceptional Fertility uses the fresh donor egg process to help intended parents pursue their dreams of parenthood. We have a large database of donors ready to help you fulfill your family’s dreams.
Still wondering if fresh vs. frozen eggs are right for you? Eggceptional Fertility is here to help! Contact us for a free consultation today.