Choose Your Egg Donation Cycle
Embarking on the journey of parenthood via egg donation is a profound and deeply personal decision. For aspiring parents who choose this path, one of the many choices they have to make is whether to pursue a fresh or frozen egg donation cycle. Each option comes with its own distinct set of advantages and considerations. It’s crucial for aspiring parents to understand their options as early as possible to ensure they are making informed decisions.
Fresh vs. Frozen Egg Donation, Explained
With fresh egg donation, the recipient’s and egg donor’s cycles are carefully synchronized so that the donor’s eggs can be immediately fertilized after being retrieved from the donor. After the egg is fertilized, it becomes an embryo, which is transferred to the recipient’s uterus after a few days of development. With frozen egg donation, the eggs are retrieved from the donor, treated with cryoprotectants, flash-frozen via vitrification, and stored in cryopreservation tanks filled with liquid nitrogen.
Why Choose a Frozen Donor Egg Cycle?
Thanks to incredible advancements in fertility medicine and technology, frozen donor eggs now have success rates that are comparable to fresh donor egg cycles. Opting for frozen donor eggs offers many other advantages, as well, including:
- Simplified scheduling (no need for synchronizing cycles)
- Faster cycle completion
- Reduced cost
- Less waiting
Why Choose a Fresh Donor Egg Cycle?
While frozen donor egg cycles have become increasingly popular in recent years, there are many scenarios where a fresh donor egg cycle is warranted, including:
- A desire to have children who are genetic siblings
- An interest in sex selection
- The need for preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic gene disorders (PGT-M)
- Are only doing their embryo transfer at PFC
- Are ineligible to receive a frozen donor egg
Fresh vs. Frozen: A Side by Side Comparison
| Fresh Eggs | Frozen Eggs | |
| Scheduling Flexibility | The timeline is determined by egg donor availability, as well as cycle synchronization between donor and recipient. | The aspiring parents can control all aspects of the schedule. |
| Average Cost | $40,000 – $47,000+ | Options starting at $21,615 |
| How Long It Takes to Start a Cycle | Approximately 3-5 months | Immediately |
| Risk | The donor egg cycle can be disrupted or delayed because of the egg donor’s schedule. There is also a minimal risk of not being able to retrieve a large number of eggs. | Limited risk due to frozen eggs being already available and various guarantee program options. |
Learn More About Frozen Egg Donation
Using frozen donor eggs is a great option for any aspiring parent who wishes to take control of their family-building journey via egg donation. To learn more about frozen egg donation with PFC, visit Pacific Fertility Egg Bank, our full-service donor egg bank. Our team is here to answer all your questions and help you realize your dream of having a baby.