In 2001, the team of embryologists at CFA helped to pioneer a highly advanced and rapid method for egg freezing called vitrification which has since enabled embryos (and eventually eggs) to be frozen and thawed with much higher rates of success than previously achieved with the traditional slower techniques. Our team was responsible for the first babies born in the US from embryos created from frozen (vitrified) eggs, and continues to play a leading role in developing that technology. Click here to learn more about vitrification

Over the years using this technology, we have also created a very successful Donor Egg Bank which consists of frozen eggs that have been retrieved from our best donors and stored for your future use. Frozen eggs can offer several distinct advantages over fresh donor eggs. One is the ability to use eggs from a highly desirable donor who is no longer donating. Another is the ease that comes from not having to synchronize you (or your carrier) and your donor, since the eggs will be thawed as soon as your (or your carrier’s) uterus is ready. Another is the safety factor, as we also quarantine all of our frozen donor eggs for six months so that we can repeat the infectious disease testing that we normally do within a month of the egg retrieval. Also with frozen eggs some patients opt to choose donor eggs from multiple donors if they wish for their IVF cycle. Finally, the cost-savings is significant because when you receive frozen eggs (which are usually stored in groups of ten) you are responsible for only a portion of the donor-related fees.

Perhaps the most encouraging point is that at CFA’s Egg Bank, pregnancy outcomes (including fertilization rates and implantation rates) have consistently been very reassuring, and in fact we see the same high success rate as those obtained with fresh donor eggs. Click here to view our pregnancy rates comparing fresh versus frozen eggs. In recognition of this accomplishment we were recently selected to present our Donor Egg Bank data at a ESHRE World conference in Amsterdam. To read those research findings, click here.

Since the Egg Bank provides you with TEN eggs, it is an excellent option for couples with one sperm source hoping to have a single baby, but may not be as prudent for couples looking to achieve twins or multiple pregnancies over time; or same-sex couples who wish to use both dads as sperm sources. To learn more about whether the Egg Bank makes sense for you, email our Donor Coordinator Lorrie Mirizio or schedule a consultation with Dr. Doyle.