For most women, using donor eggs isn’t their first choice. In fact, it’s usually their last resort. If year after year is going by with no viable pregnancies or children, it may be time to explore other options.
By choosing frozen donor egg IVF to start a family, you’ll have the advantage of using facilities with reliable guarantees. These types of policies ensure you have a high-quality embryo, known as a blastocyst, available for freezing or transfer.
When you’ve already put your heart and soul into trying to conceive – and your biological clock is ticking – having trustworthy options is imperative to your success. If you’re considering donor eggs, the first step is educating yourself on the “ins and outs” of the process.
What are the Benefits of Frozen Donor Egg IVF?
When you’re trying to decide between fresh and frozen donor eggs, the weight of your decision can feel daunting. Compared to their fresh alternative, there are several benefits to using frozen donor eggs, including:
- Cost: Most infertility treatments aren’t covered by insurance and can be quite costly. While donor eggs can be pricy, frozen eggs are approximately half the price of fresh.
- Time: When time is of the essence, a fresh donor egg cycle can be counter-productive. Between trying to find the right donor, the possibility of cancellations, and having to synch your cycle with your donor’s cycle, fresh donor egg transfers can take significantly more time to complete. In contrast, frozen donor eggs are readily available, and the transfer only needs to synch with the intended parent’s reproductive cycle. Therefore, frozen donor eggs give you the flexibility to complete IVF cycles on your own timetable, while fresh cycles don’t give you that luxury.
- Success: Thanks to a revolutionary flash-freezing technique known as vitrification, success rates with frozen donor eggs are better than ever. Statistics show your chances of getting pregnant with a frozen donor egg nearly mimic those in a fresh cycle.
What Happens During a Frozen Donor Egg IVF Cycle?
You’ve decided to try and conceive using frozen donor egg IVF—what comes next? The first step is to select your donor.
When a woman applies to become an egg donor, she undergoes a series of tests, screenings, and evaluations. These tests allow her doctors to gather information about her personal background, medical history and family medical history. This information is then made available to hopeful parents so they can make the best educated decisions about which type of donor is right for their family.
After one chooses a donor, the donor’s eggs are transported to the intended parent’s fertility clinic to be fertilized and transferred.
Before your IVF cycle begins, your doctor will perform various screening tests to determine your current reproductive state. These most often include blood work and transvaginal ultrasounds.
You’ll then begin taking hormone medications, such as progesterone and estrogen, to prepare your uterus for the upcoming embryo transfer. Your body’s response to these treatments will be monitored through blood work and ultrasounds.
Once your doctor determines you’re ready, your developing embryo will be implanted directly into your uterus under the guidance of a thin catheter and ultrasound technology. This painless process is finished in a matter of moments. Two weeks later, you’ll return to your clinic for a blood pregnancy test, which will hopefully give you the results you’ve been hoping for.
Is Frozen Donor Egg IVF Right for You?
Despite the impressive success rates, deciding to use a frozen egg donor to get pregnant isn’t easy. However, while you’re weighing the pros and cons of various fertility treatments, it’s essential to look at the bigger picture.
As a woman begins to age – and her window of opportunity to conceive grows smaller – it’s vital to consider the most likely options for success.
For women who’ve gone through countless cycles of IUI and traditional IVF with no positive outcomes, frozen donor egg IVF is an exceptional alternative. Not only will you fulfill your dream of becoming a family, but you’ll have the chance to experience the wonders of pregnancy and birth.
Egg donation may not be a woman’s first choice when it comes to having a baby, but you’ll know it was the right decision when you’re finally holding a newborn in your arms.