Starting a family is already one of the most emotional, life-changing decisions a couple can make. With an infertility diagnosis, the issue becomes even more complicated. Many would-be parents become consumed by grief, anger, or depression when faced with infertility. However, all hope is not lost, as there are many options to consider to create the family of your dreams.
When it comes to Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) like donor egg IVF, using frozen donor egg can offer considerable benefits and savings over fresh donor egg. Having a solid financial plan is the foundation of a stable family, so considering all of your options is vital before deciding on a course of action. When deciding between fresh or frozen donor egg, one needs to consider the cost-to-benefit ratios, not only in terms of finances, but also in time and emotional stress.
Choosing Donor Egg: Fresh or Frozen Cycles?
Donor egg IVF is an infertility solution for women in their late 30s or 40s who cannot conceive using their own eggs, and may have previously experienced unsuccessful IVF treatment. Donor egg IVF offers a great chance at conception for individuals who believe pregnancy is no longer a possibility.
Between the different donor egg IVF options, frozen or fresh eggs, frozen donor egg cycles are much more affordable in many ways – let’s explore the savings potential in choosing frozen donor egg over fresh.
- Eliminate legal expenses
When using fresh donor eggs, extensive legal aid is required to help sort out the legalities regarding donor rights. Drafting a solid contract wherein the donor’s parenting rights are fundamentally relinquished is a costly affair. Depending on your place of residence, it could cost several thousands of dollars.
In a frozen donor egg cycle, however, the egg bank has already established a contract with the donor beforehand – this saves the recipient a countless amount of money, time, effort, and especially the stress of visiting an attorney.
- Cut travel costs, donor medical costs, and avoid donor disqualification
Donor medical costs and travel expenses - if the donor is not local - are an added expense to the recipient, which further inflates the final price of a fresh donor egg cycle. The exact travel cost may vary depending on distance, mode of transportation, and possible accommodations needed.
Additionally, each potential egg donor must pass an extensive, rigorous testing process to be declared physically, emotionally, and psychologically fit to provide donor eggs. The tests include physical and psychological examinations, a meeting with a geneticist, and extensive infectious disease testing, just to name a few. The potential donor can be disqualified at any time if she doesn’t meet the necessary criteria, which means that the recipient must restart the process all over again with a new fresh donor egg prospect. When choosing a frozen donor egg, you know the donor has already passed all the necessary screening.
Prepping the donor for egg donation is a laborious process in itself, including several steps such as menstrual cycle syncing with the recipient and controlled ovulation triggering. Each step requires special medication for the donor, all of which are added to the recipient’s final fresh donor egg cycle bill.
Compared with a fresh donor cycle, all screening, medical, medication and legal expenses are already factored into the price of a frozen donor egg cycle. This makes frozen donor egg significantly more cost-efficient and affordable than fresh donor egg. As a bonus, it also significantly widens the donor pool from which the recipient can choose from, as frozen donor cycles don’t require the donor to be physically present -- the eggs can be shipped across the US and internationally to your fertility clinic.
- Get pregnant on your own schedule
Frozen donor egg is perfect for those who don’t have time to wait for menstrual cycle syncing, or can’t handle yet another disqualified fresh egg donor. When you pick the perfect frozen egg donor, her eggs are simply retrieved from storage and shipped to your fertility clinic at your convenience. Your doctor prescribes medication to prep your uterus for the IVF cycle, and the frozen donor eggs are thawed and fertilized with your partner’s (or a donor’s) sperm. After three to five days, the embryos are implanted during a simple outpatient procedure via a thin catheter. The entire process can take as few as 4 weeks to complete!
In contrast, fresh egg donors need to be actively involved throughout the process, and the time needed for testing, cycle prep and syncing, and a trial transfer can take over a month before the actual retrieval and implantation happen. Other unpredictable factors can delay the process, such as the donor contracting an infection, which may extend this period considerably and add further expense to the cycle. An unexpected life event for you or for the donor may mean restarting the process from square one.
- Comparing Final Costs – Fresh vs Frozen Donor Egg Cycles
The final cost for single donor egg IVF treatment can vary depending on multiple factors, including your place of residence and which type of cycle (fresh or frozen) is chosen. However, rough estimates are that a single fresh donor egg cycle may cost upwards of $30,000 or more, while frozen donor egg cycles are significantly less, ranging around $18,000.
While fresh donor egg cycles are still more common, the lower overall cost and amazing technological advancements made in the field of cryopreservation make frozen donor egg cycles a more affordable choice for those who seek to fulfill their life-long dream of having a child of their own.
Is Frozen Donor Egg Right for You?
Frozen donor egg offers an affordable, time-efficient solution to achieve the pregnancy and happiness you’ve longed for. The choice between using fresh or frozen donor egg ultimately lies in your hands, but investing in your future family doesn’t have to break the bank.