Infertile women who have a poor ovarian reserve or low-quality eggs may choose to use an egg donor. Additionally, single men or same-sex male couples may also choose to utilize an egg donor and also a surrogate. Since it can be difficult to coordinate an intended mother or surrogate cycle with an egg donor, embryo freezing provides significant amounts of convenience. In fact, one of the best advantages of freezing embryos is the satisfaction that comes with it. If you choose to freeze your embryos, you know that you will have embryos to work with when YOU are ready.

For one to retrieve eggs for freezing the egg donor undergoes the same process as a traditional fresh egg donation cycle (screening, stimulation, retrieval, and fertilization) the only difference being that the embryos would be frozen rather than transferred initially to the intended mother or intended parents chosen surrogate/gestational carrier. They would be thawed at a later date.

Before starting the procedure of embryo freezing, the egg donor will be required to undergo a few assessments to determine her eligibility:

• Ovarian reserve examination. Your doctor will want to perform some blood assessments to figure out the amount and quality of the egg(s) of your selected egg donor. This also helps predict how the ovaries will respond to fertility drugs.
• Psychological Evaluation to determine that the egg donor is of sound mind to make a decision to donate.
• Infectious disease testing. Before starting an egg donor cycle even with the intent to freeze, it is common for doctors to test for HIV and hepatitis (both B and C), drug use, and if your donor is a carrier of cystic fibrosis and even at times Fragile-X
Prior to embryo freezing, the process is the same. It usually takes roughly 4-6 weeks to complete after the donor is screened thoroughly.
• 2 to 4 weeks of self-administered hormonal shots and oral contraceptives to momentarily turn off natural hormones
• 10 to 14 days of hormone shots to stimulate the ovaries and mature several eggs

Upon maturity of the egg(s), they are removed by a hook (needle) under ultrasound guidance while the egg donor is under sedation. After retrieval, the egg(s) are fertilized with the intended father’s sperm and then frozen until the intended mother or surrogate is ready to attempt pregnancy.

Embryo freezing has proven to be an excellent choice for intended parents who want the peace of mind that their embryos are waiting for them when they are ready and prepared, whether it’s next week or next year.

Are you looking for additional resources on egg donation or would just like to talk with someone about the procedure in further detail? If so, get in touch with The Egg Donor Solutions today! Making the process of building your family on your time is what they do best.

We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy  with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.

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