Fresh versus frozen donor eggs: Discover which option is best for you

Hopeful parents come to The Fertility Center of Las Vegas (FCLV) seeking donor eggs with in vitro fertilization (IVF) for many reasons. Our Las Vegas fertility specialists are here to serve as guides on the path to parenthood. As a result, our team does more than just provide world-class fertility care. We also help our patients learn more about fresh versus frozen donor eggs when they are choosing donor eggs.

Learn more about egg donation when choosing donor eggs

Before we discuss the differences between fresh versus frozen donor eggs, it makes sense to talk about egg donation. This third-party reproduction option gives patients access to healthy fresh or frozen donor eggs. Our Las Vegas fertility specialists use these eggs to help hopeful parents conceive, with or without surrogacy.

IVF with donor eggs is a very effective fertility treatment. It can help many types of patients bring home a baby.

• Women and couples who can’t use their own eggs for any reason
• Same-sex male couples
• Single fathers

Once patients decide to pursue IVF with donated eggs, choosing donor eggs is the next step. Some people ask someone they know to be their donor. Others select an anonymous egg donor from an agency. Another factor to consider is whether a patient wants to use fresh versus frozen donor eggs.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of fresh versus frozen donor eggs?

In a donor egg IVF cycle, the eggs can be fresh or frozen. Our Las Vegas fertility specialists tell patients these options have fairly equivalent performance at our clinic. This is thanks to our success with egg freezing and thawing.

If fresh versus frozen donor eggs have similar success rates at FCLV, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each option? Below are considerations for each type of donor eggs.

Fresh Egg Donation

• Pros of fresh donor eggs include having more flexibility with genetic testing and more eggs. More eggs typically mean more embryos and more chances for success, which can provide better value overall.
• Cons of fresh donor eggs include a longer timeline and a higher cost. Patients also have less flexibility because they need to work around the donor’s cycle. There is also a risk of the donor backing out.

Frozen Egg Donation

• Pros of frozen donor eggs include immediate availability, faster scheduling and a lower upfront cost.
• Cons of frozen donor eggs include having access to fewer eggs per batch (typically six to eight eggs) and lack of exclusivity. This means other families can have children using eggs from the same donor IVF cycle. Also, since the egg retrieval happened in the past, there is often limited information about the donor’s current health.

Are fresh donor eggs better than frozen? The answer depends on what is most important to you. It’s important to carefully consider these advantages and disadvantages to decide which family-building option is right for you. If you need more information to help you make your decision, contact us to schedule an appointment. Our team would love to help you!