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Choosing between fresh or frozen eggs for IVF is one of the most important decisions for intended parents using donor eggs. In the past, fresh eggs were the standard in assisted reproductive technology (ART). However, advancements in vitrification have greatly improved the success rate of frozen eggs, making them a more accessible and convenient option. Today, many parents turn to frozen donor eggs for a streamlined and cost-effective IVF journey. So, which option is right for you? Understanding the comparison of fresh vs. frozen eggs for IVF, including the process, costs, and success rates, can help you make the right choice.
One of the most common concerns for intended parents using donor eggs is whether to choose fresh or frozen eggs for the IVF timeline cycle. Both options can lead to successful pregnancies, but they differ in terms of process, cost, and flexibility.
A fresh egg cycle requires coordination between the egg donor and the recipient. The donor undergoes ovarian stimulation, and the eggs are retrieved and fertilized immediately. This means the recipient must synchronize her cycle with the donor’s, which can add complexity and potential delays. The process must restart if the fresh egg donor cannot proceed due to medical or personal reasons, leading to additional costs and waiting periods.
In contrast, a frozen egg cycle eliminates these timing concerns. Since the frozen donor eggs have already been retrieved and stored, the recipient can begin treatment at any time without worrying about synchronization. This streamlines the process, making it faster and more predictable.
Thanks to advancements in vitrification (a rapid freezing method that prevents ice crystal formation), the success rate of frozen eggs has improved significantly. While fresh eggs were once considered superior, modern studies show that frozen egg success rates are now comparable to fresh eggs in many fertility clinics.
It’s important to note that the success of both fresh and frozen eggs for IVF depends on several factors, including:
The cost is one of the biggest differences between fresh and frozen donor eggs. A fresh egg cycle is more expensive due to donor recruitment, medical screening, medications, and cycle synchronization. On average, a fresh egg cycle can cost between $30,000 and $40,000.
On the other hand, a frozen egg cycle is typically 50% more affordable, ranging from $14,000 to $20,000. The lower cost is due to the simplified process—there’s no need for cycle synchronization, and the eggs are already retrieved and stored. Also, intended parents using frozen donor eggs can purchase a specific number of eggs, allowing for better financial planning.
Choosing frozen eggs offers greater flexibility. The eggs are already available, meaning treatment can begin immediately. There’s also no risk of donor disqualification, which is possible with fresh egg cycles.
With fresh eggs, the process requires more time, effort, and coordination. If the donor withdraws or doesn’t produce enough eggs, intended parents may face delays or additional costs. However, fresh cycles allow for more retrieved eggs, potentially leading to more viable embryos.
Both fresh and frozen eggs for IVF can lead to successful pregnancies. The decision ultimately depends on factors like budget, timeline, and personal preference.
Choose fresh eggs if:
Choose frozen eggs if:
Consulting a fertility specialist can help you determine whether fresh or frozen eggs for IVF are the right choice for your journey.
Using fresh donor eggs for IVF involves a multi-step process that requires careful coordination between the donor and the recipient. While this method can yield more embryos and slightly higher success rates, it also demands more time, effort, and financial investment.
Selecting a donor is the first step in an IVF cycle with fresh eggs. Intended parents can choose a donor through an egg bank, a fertility clinic, or a personal acquaintance. Donor profiles typically include medical history, genetic background, physical traits, and personality details. Finding the right donor can take weeks or months, depending on the recipient’s preferences and requirements.
Once a donor is selected, she must undergo a thorough medical evaluation. This includes genetic testing, infectious disease screening, hormone level assessments, and ultrasound scans to determine ovarian health. A psychological evaluation is also required to ensure the donor is emotionally prepared for the process. If a donor fails any of these tests, the intended parents must choose another candidate, which can delay the cycle.
The recipient must undergo a thorough medical evaluation to determine her readiness for pregnancy. This may involve a hysteroscopy, saline sonogram, and hormone level testing. The results help the fertility specialist assess uterine health and identify potential issues that could impact implantation.
Both the donor and recipient will take hormonal medications to align their cycles. The donor receives ovarian stimulation drugs to promote the development of multiple eggs, while the recipient takes estrogen and progesterone to prepare the uterine lining for implantation. The synchronization process is carefully monitored through blood tests and ultrasounds to ensure both parties are ready at the same time.
The donor undergoes ovarian stimulation, which involves daily hormone injections for about 10 to 14 days. These medications encourage the production of multiple mature eggs. Throughout this period, the donor has regular medical checkups, including ultrasounds and blood tests, to monitor follicle growth and hormone levels.
Once the donor’s follicles reach the optimal size, she receives a trigger shot to finalize egg maturation. Approximately 36 hours later, the eggs are retrieved through a minor surgical procedure using ultrasound-guided aspiration. The procedure is performed under mild sedation and takes about 20 to 30 minutes. The retrieved eggs are immediately evaluated in the lab for quality and maturity.
After retrieval, the fresh eggs are fertilized using either traditional IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), depending on the sperm quality. The fertilized eggs develop into embryos over the next five to six days. During this time, embryologists monitor their growth and select the healthiest ones for transfer. Any remaining embryos can be frozen for future attempts.
Once the embryos reach the blastocyst stage, one or more are transferred into the recipient’s uterus. The transfer is a painless, quick procedure that does not require anesthesia. A thin catheter is used to place the embryos into the uterus, and the recipient continues taking hormonal medications to support implantation.
About 10 to 14 days after the embryo transfer, the recipient undergoes a blood test to confirm pregnancy. If the test is positive, she will continue hormonal support until the pregnancy is well-established. Regular ultrasounds and medical checkups are followed to monitor early fetal development. If implantation is unsuccessful, the intended parents may attempt another transfer using frozen embryos from the same cycle.
Using frozen donor eggs for IVF is an efficient option for intended parents looking for a faster, more predictable process. Since the eggs are already retrieved and stored, there is no need to synchronize cycles with a donor. This reduces wait times and costs and eliminates the risk of last-minute donor cancellations. With advances in vitrification, the success rate of frozen eggs has significantly improved, making this option as viable as fresh eggs for many fertility clinics.
Intended parents can select a frozen egg donor from an egg bank, which offers a wide range of donor profiles. Unlike fresh donor egg cycles, where selection can take weeks or months, frozen eggs are immediately available, allowing intended parents to move forward with their IVF treatment without delay. Many egg banks provide detailed donor information, including medical history, genetic screening results, education, and personality traits.
Since the frozen egg donor has already completed her part of the process, only the recipient needs to undergo medical screening. This includes a full assessment of uterine health through tests such as a hysteroscopy or saline sonogram, as well as hormone level checks to ensure the body is ready for pregnancy. The recipient’s medical team will also review her overall health to identify any potential risks that could impact the success of the IVF cycle.
To prepare for implantation, the recipient takes estrogen and progesterone to thicken the uterine lining and create an optimal environment for the embryo. Frozen egg cycles allow the recipient to start hormonal preparation at the best time for her. This makes scheduling far more flexible.
Once the recipient is ready, the frozen eggs are carefully thawed using a rapid-warming process to preserve their integrity. The success rate of frozen eggs depends on how well they survive the thawing process. However, modern vitrification techniques have increased survival rates, making frozen eggs nearly as effective as fresh eggs in many cases.
After thawing, the eggs are fertilized using either conventional IVF (mixing eggs with sperm in a lab) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where a single sperm is directly injected into each egg. The fertilized eggs develop into embryos over the next several days, with embryologists closely monitoring their growth and quality.
Once the embryos reach the blastocyst stage (typically on day five or six), one or more are selected for transfer. The embryo transfer procedure is simple and painless, involving the insertion of a thin catheter into the uterus to place the embryo. Since frozen egg cycles do not require synchronization with a donor, the timing of the transfer is more flexible and can be scheduled at the recipient’s convenience.
About 10 to 14 days after the embryo transfer, the recipient takes a blood pregnancy test to determine if the procedure was successful. If implantation occurs, she will continue taking hormonal support medications to help maintain the pregnancy. Early ultrasounds and follow-up appointments will monitor fetal development. If the pregnancy test is negative, the recipient may attempt another embryo transfer using any remaining frozen embryos from the same cycle.
Fresh and frozen eggs for IVF offer high success rates and can help intended parents achieve pregnancy. Fresh eggs may provide slightly higher success rates, while frozen donor eggs offer affordability, flexibility, and a faster process.
Choosing between fresh or frozen eggs for IVF depends on individual preferences, medical conditions, and financial considerations. Consult a fertility specialist to determine the best option for your journey.
Our fertility clinic focuses on helping you build your family regardless of your sexual orientation or the gender you choose to identify with. We are even taking further steps to make LGTB people feel more welcome at our fertility clinic. Each of our patient-facing staff goes through LGTB training to let family-building clinicians provide necessary support and make you feel highly welcome.
Coastal Fertility Medical Center offers one of the most advanced fertility treatments and is completely transparent regarding the costs of procedures and any other expenses that you may have to pay before commencing your treatment. This differentiates us from some fertility clinics that reduce prices before the signing of the contract but charge you extra later on. We make sure our patients are well aware of any possible extra pricing that may occur over the course of their treatment.
The infertility industry is currently segmented, with each service or treatment being handled by a different provider. Our all-inclusive model simplifies an otherwise complex and difficult process. We are here to revolutionize the infertility industry by offering a one-stop-service model to assist our patients through infertility challenges while reducing physical, emotional, and financial risks.
Our globally respected team of specialists are helping improve IVF technologies to enter into a generation of better outcomes for infertility. Although you’ll have a doctor guiding you, you are also going to benefit from the experience and insights of other doctors during case review collaboration meetings, which take place every week. So, you won’t just rely on the expertise of a specialist but benefit from the knowledge of many reputed fertility experts.
Our team specializes in difficult cases and help patients who may have been considered “hopeless” at other fertility clinics. Thanks to our personalized solutions, expertise, and internal collaboration, weare able to maximize pregnancy success rates that are well above the industry average, even in difficult infertility cases.
We know that every situation is different and that everyone requires different treatments. Unlike facilities that take “a one-size-fits-all” approach for all cases, our fertility specialists use more than 40 customized protocols to raise the chances of success. The customized approach even extends to our fertility laboratory. Our on-site lab director and his highly-experienced team nurture every embryo and egg to increase the odds of success of each cycle.
Coastal Fertility Medical Center offers one of the most advanced fertility treatments and is completely transparent regarding the costs of procedures and any other expenses that you may have to pay before commencing your treatment. This differentiates us from some fertility clinics that reduce prices before the signing of the contract but charge you extra later on. We make sure our patients are well aware of any possible extra pricing that may occur over the course of their treatment.
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Following the Preimplantation Genetic Screening process, which helps ensure there are normal chromosome numbers and detects possible genetic disorders, the most healthy embryo(s) are selected to be implanted into your or your chosen surrogate’s womb. 2 weeks after the transfer of the embryo, your physician will conduct a final blood test to determine the level of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in your body. Increased hCG levels usually indicate a positive pregnancy test.
For fertilization to take place, the collected egg and sperm are combined in a petri dish and cultured in an embryo incubator. This dish is closely watched to check whether any of the eggs have been fertilized. Once the egg is fertilized, it is referred to as an embryo or a blastocyst on the 5th day of development. Our in-house embryologist carefully nurtures every embryo to the right time, even if it means working outside the standard business operating hours. For instance: If an oocyte is not mature, our laboratory will wait for it to mature and then ICSI it at the right time.
The egg retrieval is a slightly invasive medical procedure that takes about 20 to 30 minutes. You will be given an anesthetic to make you sleep for the duration of the procedure. Using ultrasound technology, your doctor will harvest your eggs transvaginally with a small, hollow needle connected to an ultrasound probe. Once your eggs are collected, your partner’s semen or donor sperm you have pre-selected is used for fertilization. The sperm are washed and prepared, and the top-quality sperm extracted is used to fertilize the eggs.
Your doctor will create a customized medication schedule that contains information about the fertility medications and hormone injections you have to take. Medication and injections are taken to encourage your ovaries to mature a large number of eggs for fertilization. Since women don’t respond to fertility drugs and hormones the same way, personalized protocols are crucial to the IVF cycle success. At Coastal Fertility, we will monitor you closely, letting you understand the changes occurring in your body and keeping track of how your egg follicles are growing.
On-site consultations typicallyinclude a standard fertility evaluation, consisting of a physical examination, complementary follicular ultrasound, and testing to enable your doctor to know your present fertility status and draw up a treatment plan.
This consultation includes a detailed medical evaluation with a doctor. You and your physician will review your health records and have enough time to talk about your goals and get answers to your questions. We recommend that you jot down all your questions before the visit to allow you to make the best use of the time spent with your doctor.
Your Reproductive Endocrinologist will take all factors into consideration and create a comprehensive plan of care, otherwise known as the treatment plan. This plan will include treatment recommendations from the physician and enable your financial coordinator to make a precise quotation once you meet.
Our globally respected team of specialists are helping improve IVF technologies to enter into a generation of better outcomes for infertility. Although you’ll have a doctor guiding you, you are also going to benefit from the experience and insights of other doctors during case review collaboration meetings, which take place every week. So, you won’t just rely on the expertise of a specialist but benefit from the knowledge of many reputed fertility experts.
The infertility industry is currently segmented, with each service or treatment being handled by a different provider. Our all-inclusive model simplifies an otherwise complex and difficult process. We are here to revolutionize the infertility industry by offering a one-stop-service model to assist our patients through infertility challenges while reducing physical, emotional, and financial risks.
Our fertility clinic focuses on helping you build your family regardless of your sexual orientation or the gender you choose to identify with. We are even taking further steps to make LGTB people feel more welcome at our fertility clinic. Each of our patient-facing staff goes through LGTB training to let family-building clinicians provide necessary support and make you feel highly welcome.
We know that every situation is different and that everyone requires different treatments. Unlike facilities that take “a one-size-fits-all” approach for all cases, our fertility specialists use more than 40 customized protocols to raise the chances of success. The customized approach even extends to our fertility laboratory. Our on-site lab director and his highly-experienced team nurture every embryo and egg to increase the odds of success of each cycle.
Our team specializes in difficult cases and help patients who may have been considered “hopeless” at other fertility clinics. Thanks to our personalized solutions, expertise, and internal collaboration, weare able to maximize pregnancy success rates that are well above the industry average, even in difficult infertility cases.
Upon your arrival, you will check in with a Patient Care Coordinator. We will obtain your insurance information for benefits verification, a copy of your identification and take a picture for your electronic medical chart
Coastal Fertility is the leading provider of fertility solutions located in Orange County. Join us to get free updates on fertility news, treatments, infertility solutions and more.
Coastal Fertility is the leading provider of fertility solutions located in Orange County. Join us to get free updates on fertility news, treatments, infertility solutions and more.