What to Know About Fresh vs. Frozen Donor Eggs

When you first learn you’re struggling with infertility, the emotions and questions accompanying your diagnosis can be overwhelming. However, it’s through these very questions and emotions that you’ll come to understand and accept the situation. Once you’ve decided which fertility treatment is right for you and your family, you can begin the process as calmly and collectedly as possible.

If you’re thinking about choosing donor eggs as your path to parenthood, one very important decision is whether to use fresh or frozen eggs. Ultimately, by comparing both fresh and frozen donor eggs, you can identify the best choice for your lifestyle or budget.

Why Should You Use Donor Eggs?
Since women are born with a finite number of eggs, their egg quality declines as they age. If someone delays starting a family into their late thirties or forties, their egg quality won’t be as high as someone in their twenties. Lower quality eggs can result in difficulties conceiving a child with one’s own eggs.

This doesn’t mean women in their late thirties and forties aren’t healthy enough or capable of carrying a baby to term. However, it does suggest that producing a viable pregnancy could prove difficult. In fact, 1 in 8 couples (or 12%) currently struggle with fertility-related complications.

Donor eggs are a proven method of overcoming such fertility issues.

Fresh Versus Frozen Donor Eggs
While many people assume fresh eggs are better and more likely to lead to pregnancy, statistics currently show this isn’t the case. In fact, thanks to vitrification – the advanced freezing process used to cryogenically store frozen eggs - the success rates of both are now comparable.

Additionally, fresh donor eggs are more costly than frozen, both in time and financially. Those who use fresh eggs not only pay the travel and medical costs for their donor, but both the donor’s and your (or your gestational surrogate’s) cycles must be synchronized perfectly for treatment to proceed, which may take months to complete. Further, you’re restricted to choosing fresh donors within your local area, and fresh eggs must be used immediately for the best possible success rate. If any issues arise, this may lead to further delays and complications.

Fortunately, this isn’t the case with frozen donor eggs since your donor’s eggs have already been retrieved and are safely stored. Because there’s no need to synchronize cycles between your donor and yourself (or your surrogate), the overall cost of treatment is reduced by a large margin.

If you select a frozen egg donor, you’ll receive an egg lot of approximately 5-8 eggs. Surplus embryos (if any) may be cryogenically stored for future use, meaning you can plan for future siblings if you wish. This is in contrast to fresh donor egg retrievals which can’t guarantee the number of eggs you’ll receive.

Further, by choosing frozen eggs, you’re not limited to your region in your donor selection. Frozen egg donor databases are vastly larger and feature donors from across the country and even internationally. This means you can choose a donor that’s the best fit for you and your family, regardless of your location.

Your Personal Journey, Your Individual Experiences
No matter how you decide to conceive your child, your journey is a unique, beautiful experience.

While there are many aspects to consider, the truth remains that you should make the choice that is right for your family and lifestyle. Raising a child doesn’t begin the day he or she is born, but the day you make the choice to have that child.

And if you’re facing fertility issues, donor eggs may be the path for you to accomplish that.

*Collaborative Post