Find out what Elite Fertility Solutions thinks of the fresh versus frozen donor eggs debate

Whether you’re starting or growing your family using an egg donor, it’s important to do your research. One of the most important topics to look into is the fresh versus frozen donor eggs debate. The eggs you choose will provide one-half of your baby’s genetics, so you want to make sure that you give your little one the best start.

Our Southern California egg donation experts have researched the success rates of both fresh and frozen donor eggs, and we’ve found that there are many benefits of fresh eggs for intended parents.

Learning the logistics of fresh versus frozen donor eggs for intended parents

The donor eggs you choose will be fertilized as part of your IVF cycle. Your doctor will then transfer one of the resulting embryos into your uterus or the uterus of your gestational carrier. This is true regardless of whether the eggs are frozen or fresh.

However, there are some key differences in the process of using fresh versus frozen donor eggs.

• With a fresh egg donation cycle, an egg donor begins her donation cycle after you select her as your donor. After the egg retrieval procedure, an embryologist immediately fertilizes the donor eggs with sperm. The fertility doctor then performs an embryo transfer a few days later.
• During a frozen egg donation cycle, the donor eggs have already been retrieved and are in frozen storage. Once you pick your donor, embryologists thaw the donor eggs before fertilizing them. After that, the doctor transfers the embryos to your uterus or the uterus of your gestational carrier.

These subtle differences in the process mean there are advantages and disadvantages of using fresh versus frozen donor eggs. However, our Southern California egg donation experts find that the benefits of fresh eggs outweigh any negatives.

Exploring the benefits of using fresh donor eggs

Intended parents always want to know more about the advantages of conceiving with fresh donor eggs. As a result, our Southern California egg donation experts explain the following benefits.

• All the eggs from your donor’s cycle and embryos created are yours, so you can save them for future use.
• Although more expensive than frozen eggs, a higher percentage of embryo transfers using fresh eggs result in live births.
• This method has been used in the world of infertility for four decades.
• Because the eggs are never frozen, there is no risk of damaging them.
• Your care team will only use the highest quality donor eggs for your treatment.

The final benefit of using fresh donor eggs is how many you get. Only six to eight eggs tend to be available to intended parents who use a frozen egg bank. However, during a fresh donor cycle, you can expect to get approximately 10 to 20 eggs. If you plan to have more than one child, using fresh eggs helps ensure that you have enough eggs to have multiple pregnancies and children.

If you have more questions about conceiving with donor eggs, we can give you the answers and peace of mind you need. Contact us to learn more.