Using “Fresh” vs. Frozen Donor Eggs: What to Know

One of the biggest decisions individuals or couples may need to make when pursuing fertility treatments is if and when to use donor eggs. When considering donor eggs, patients generally have the option to use previously donated, frozen eggs OR to match with a designated donor who completes a cycle specifically for them, aka “fresh” donor eggs. Both options come with pros & cons. Below, we share more about considerations and tradeoffs when deciding whether to use fresh vs. frozen eggs to grow your family:

Using Fresh Donor Eggs

Pros: likely quantity of healthy embryos (and therefore future children) from same egg donor

Cons: cost, time to cycle

If you decide to use “fresh” or “designated” donor eggs to build your family, it is important to remember that the entire process will start once you select your egg donor. You will be able to review your donor’s profile at length, and ask the agency very specific questions. Once you match with your donor, your fertility clinic will complete their in-person medical screening of blood labs, urine drug screen and an ultrasound to visualize her ovaries and ensure she is a suitable donor for your family building journey. Once your donor is medically cleared by your IVF doctor and you have legal contracts in place, the egg retrieval cycle will begin. The donor’s ovarian stimulation will take about two weeks, at which point, eggs will be retrieved and immediately fertilized, and embryos will grow in the IVF lab for 5-6 days until they reach the blastocyst stage and are biopsied (if you choose to do PGT-A testing) and frozen.  Embryos can stay frozen as long as you would like and until you are ready for transfer.

If you have a dream of a larger family, or there are two sperm sources being used to create embryos then a fresh donor cycle might be the best option. This is simply due to numbers; the more eggs you start with the more normal/healthy embryos you can have. It is important that using a fresh donor gives no guarantee, if the donor has cycled before it is great to have that information, however, there is no guarantee with how many eggs will be retrieved. The physician will do a follicle count prior to approving her and throughout the egg donor cycle so you will have a “ballpark” range. Doing a fresh donor cycle can also take a bit longer. Donors who have previously passed initial FDA screening may have had a life event change their suitability.  We also need to ensure the donor’s ovaries are ready to begin and cooperate the entire cycle to ensure the highest level of success. Using fresh donor eggs can create a “hurry and wait” scenario as you wait for the next steps in the process. It is important to know that the timeline from selecting an egg donor through the egg retrieval procedure can be three months.

Using Frozen Donor Eggs

Pros: cost, time to cycle

Cons: risk of not having viable embryos

Frozen eggs are a great option for single sperm sources and for those families who want to have one baby from a frozen egg. It is important to understand the success rates of using frozen eggs as they are typically sent to the clinic, thawed, and fertilized with the male partner(s) sperm and if PGT-A is being completed they will be refrozen to allow time for those results to be received. Frozen eggs are available in smaller cohorts of 6-8. It is important to consider cost, quantity, and quality before you make the decision between fresh donor eggs and frozen. Using frozen eggs can shorten the wait time to an embryo transfer but comes with its own limitations.  Since the frozen donor eggs have already been retrieved, they are ready to be shipped, thawed, and used when you’re ready. For emotional and financial reasons, frozen eggs can be a suitable option.

Talk to your IVF Doctor

The best thing you can do is speak candidly and honestly with your IVF doctor and care team – set your expectations and family building goals. It takes a village and they are here to help guide and educate you. Ask their expert advice on fresh vs. frozen for your specific scenario. Your doctor has done it all and they will be the best person to guide you on what your best route to your dream family is. Trust their expertise, gather all the information you can and be as confident you can in making this decision. Whether you decide on fresh or frozen - we wish you all the best on your journey!