Frozen Egg Banks, A New Option
More and more women are seeking egg donors through innovative reproductive egg banks. This approach has the same success rate as more traditional methods of finding an egg donor. The key difference between such methods and new egg banks is the cost. On average, the newer approach represents a fifty percent reduction in price for the consumer.
Modern reproductive egg banks employ a rigorous screening process for their donors. While the exact process varies from organization to organization, all of them use careful, extensive medical testing to ensure that potential donors do not have any pre-existing conditions, genetic disorders, or biological damage to their eggs which could cause problems for future recipients. Once chosen, a woman who gives her eggs to a reproductive bank will have them removed and cryogenically frozen. The use of frozen materials allows an organization to maintain a larger, more diverse selection. Typically, this allows recipients greater choice as to the precise qualities they seek from a donor. Women who choose this route also generally find that their waiting times to receive eggs are significantly lowered.
When choosing between the available donated eggs, patients are fully empowered to make their own choices. They are also given complete access to all knowledge available in the organization’s databases. This information is both extensive and comprehensive. Donors are required to be screened by medical, genetic, and psychological tests. Women seeking eggs can view all of the results of these tests and use them to find a compatible, healthy donor using whichever standards they choose.
Like more traditional methods of obtaining eggs, egg banks are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA sets national standards which ensure patient safety, informed consent, and compliance with medical ethics. Periodic inspections of selected facilities monitor compliance with these standards.
Another key difference between this method and older methods is the issue of timing. A direct person-to-person donation requires that careful attention be paid to the monthly cycles of both donor and recipient, as the cycles must be synchronized in order for the procedures to be successful. This can result in delays of several months. However, when selecting a frozen egg this concern is eliminated.
As with more traditional methods, once a match has been made the chosen egg is injected with the male partner’s sperm. This process is known as in-vetro fertilization. Typically, multiple eggs are used in this procedure to ensure the successful fertilization of at least one egg. Once this has been accomplished, one or more of the embryos is implanted into the female partner’s uterus. With older methods, this process typically takes approximately six weeks. For reproductive egg banks, the process is generally completed within four weeks.
While using this approach is a viable option for many couples, it is not advisable for everyone. Women who are over the age of fifty are not generally eligible for these procedures. Couples in which the male partner also has fertility challenges may wish to seek out alternatives. In general, the cut-off point occurs when the full motile fraction is measured at lower than one million sperm. Those who are seeking pre-implantation genetic screening are also advised to look elsewhere, as such procedures are not compatible with frozen egg methodologies.
Studies done by the Center for Disease Control show that egg banks have a success rate of around sixty percent.