The dream of pushing a child on the swing and kissing them goodnight after a long day is something so many couples crave. Unfortunately, it’s one that’s not attainable for the millions of couples dealing with infertility.
If a woman is unable to naturally produce her own healthy eggs, she can choose to carry and give birth to a child through donor egg in-vitro fertilization (d-IVF). The process of d-IVF is not always an easy one to understand, however, the first step is typically to choose between fresh or frozen donor eggs.
The Difference Between Frozen and Fresh Eggs (a.k.a Matched Egg Cycles)
If you decide to donate your eggs, you can choose to be a fresh or frozen donor. In a frozen egg donation cycle, the donor will provide several eggs at once and they will be frozen using a process called “vitrification.” They will then be held in a “bank” and couples can come in and choose from a number of already frozen eggs.
In a fresh egg cycle, the donor is chosen by a couple before her eggs are retrieved (a process that can take several months). The donor’s menstrual cycle may be synced with the recipient’s cycle so that the retrieved and inseminated eggs can be implanted in the recipient right away. As an alternative option, the created embryos may be frozen for future implantation – this additional time allows us to do advanced testing on the embryos for chromosome normalcy.
Which is the Better Option?
Despite what their names may imply, the words “fresh” and “frozen” have nothing to do with the egg’s health. Rather, they describe the time in which the eggs were retrieved. It’s so important to remember that both methods provide healthy eggs and are viable options for starting a family.
The Advantages of Using Fresh Eggs
- The donor’s eggs from this particular cycle will be dedicated only to one couple
- You may be able to freeze embryos for later use if you desire another child from the same donor.
The Advantages of Using Frozen Eggs
- The donor can start the process as soon as her application is reviewed and approved.
- Eggs are available to the recipient immediately because there’s no need for cycle synchronization.
- Recipients are guaranteed mature eggs – and many times guaranteed a blastocyst embryo(s).
- It’s less expensive than fresh egg donation cycle.
- Creates fewer surplus embryos that may be discarded.
Asian Egg Bank was established to satisfy the ever-rising demand for Asian egg donors. Thanks to rigorous quality and screening standards, we are able to offer the highest quality eggs and surrogacy services to improve the chances of a successful pregnancy. Give us a call at 858.381.3224 for more information!