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Testimonials
“I wanted them to be able to reach out if they had a question about something, or if something changed in terms of the donor's health status, something that could be passed along genetically, so that she could call us and say, 'Hey, this is what's going on.“
Parent, Juliana
Kate, mother through egg donation
"I prefer the idea of a known or a semi-known donation with a strong preference for known... And part of the reason that was important for me, is because…my mother passed away when I was very young. And there were questions that I had about my biology throughout my life to this very day that literally nobody could answer for me... It was tough to grow up with a biological parent, and yet have no sense of how their biology actually impacted me. And I didn't want that for my children. I wanted them to be able to reach out if they had a question about something, or if something changed in terms of the donor's health status, something that could be passed along genetically, so that she could call us and say, 'Hey, this is what's going on.'"
Carlos, dad through egg donation
“My husband and I were both hoping to eventually be bio dads so that our children had a genetic link via our egg donor (their bio mom.) The most important thing was that we were looking for an egg donor who had a blend of our ethnicities. Aside from that, we were looking for an egg donor who had a healthy family background and no history of mental illness. We wanted an egg donor who would be open to contact with our children in the future, if it was something that they wanted.”
What You Should Know About Using Donor Eggs
Egg donation opens up new paths to parenthood for countless individuals and couples. Before deciding to use an egg donor, most recipient parents will want to weigh their options. Questions may range from whether fresh or frozen eggs are better to what the disadvantages of using donor eggs may be.
To guide you in making an informed decision, we outline the pros and cons of using donor eggs below and discuss the difference between fresh and frozen egg donation cycles.
What Is the Difference Between Using Fresh Egg Donation and a Frozen Egg Donor Bank?
Fresh eggs
Fresh eggs are fertilized within hours of the retrieval procedure. Once the fertilized egg becomes a pre-embryonic group of cells called a blastocyst, it can be transferred to the recipient parent (or gestational carrier), or preserved for later use.
Frozen eggs
Frozen eggs are cryogenically preserved following the egg retrieval. When the recipient parents are ready to begin growing their families, the eggs are thawed, fertilized, and then prepared for embryo transfer.
Pros and Cons of Egg Donation
The decision to use donor eggs to grow your family is a highly personal one, and you should consider it from every angle. Below, we share the various benefits and implications associated with donor egg use.
Pros of Using Donor Eggs
Donor eggs offer several advantages to our recipient parents, including:
High Success Rates
Egg donors must meet stringent criteria and pass rigorous physical and psychological evaluations before they are allowed to donate their eggs. This careful screening ensures that recipient parents receive eggs from a young, healthy donor and have the highest chances of growing their family.
Donor Selection
Using an egg donor allows recipient parents to choose the woman who will contribute half of their baby’s biology—using the selection criteria that are most important to them.
Some parents may want a donor who physically resembles them; has particular talents they admire like athleticism, musical ability, or a knack for languages; or possesses certain genetic traits, such as a negative carrier status for an inheritable medical condition.
With Everie, we believe in the mutual match between egg donors and recipient parents and the careful, long-term consideration for their donor-conceived children. Giving donors and parents the opportunity to say “yes” to one another and setting the groundwork for what a child can know about their origins creates the most intentional and satisfying outcomes for everyone involved.
Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing
Prior to the embryo transfer procedure, the embryologist may conduct certain tests to ensure that the chosen blastocyst has no chromosomal abnormalities.
Genetic Connections
In most cases, male recipient parents can use their sperm to fertilize the donor eggs, giving them a direct genetic link to their donor-conceived children.
If recipient parents choose to expand their family further, they can also use any remaining eggs from their donation cycle to give their child a biological sibling.
What Is the Process for Using Donated Eggs?
Using donor eggs to grow your family occurs over several stages:
The process for using donated eggs begins with selecting an egg donor from our database. You can choose from fresh or frozen egg donors and filter candidates based on whether their comfort level with identity disclosure matches yours.
Everie exclusively promotes Mutual Matching for all egg donations, meaning that recipient parents and egg donors only work with one another if they both say “yes” to it.
2. Mutual Matching™
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The next step after matching is egg retrieval (if working with a fresh egg donor). Frozen egg donors will have already undergone the procedure and had their unfertilized eggs frozen and preserved (“vitrified”) for later use.
Prior to the egg retrieval procedure, the egg donor will give herself daily injections of fertility medication to help her produce multiple eggs. Once the eggs have matured, the egg donor does one more injection to release the eggs for retrieval (usually within 36 hours of the procedure).
The egg donor is sedated during retrieval, and her eggs are gently suctioned out through specialized needles inserted into the ovarian follicles. A vaginal ultrasound helps guide the surgeon throughout the procedure.
3. Egg Retrieval
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With fresh egg donation cycles, eggs are fertilized immediately after retrieval, while in a frozen cycle, the eggs undergo vitrification (the cryogenic preservation process). When the recipient parent is ready to use the frozen eggs, they are thawed, fertilized, and undergo the same development and transfer process as fresh egg donation.
After fertilization, the eggs are incubated and begin to develop over a 5-day period into a mass of undifferentiated embryonic cells called blastocysts.
These blastocysts form balls of rapidly dividing cells. The outer cells will take on a protective, nurturing function, while the inner cells will develop into an embryo 5 to 7 days later.
The best IVF outcomes typically occur with embryo transfer at the blastocyst stage.
4. Embryo Development
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The embryo transfer process is straightforward and rarely requires anesthesia or sedation. Either the recipient parent or gestational carrier will undergo the transfer. An abdominal ultrasound will guide your fertility doctor to locate the optimal placement for the blastocyst. They will then use a long, thin catheter to release the blastocyst into the recipient parent’s or gestational carrier’s uterus.
It can take up to 10 days before your fertility clinic can confirm whether the embryo transfer has successfully resulted in a pregnancy. During this time, the blastocyst will have hatched out of its outer shell and begun attaching to the uterus. In the fertility world, this time frame is referred to as “the two-week wait”.
The implantation process follows, with the blastocyst maturing into an embryo and secreting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) into the bloodstream. The recipient parent (or gestational surrogate) will take a blood test (usually around Day 9 after embryo transfer), and high levels of hCG in her blood will confirm the pregnancy.
5. Embryo Transfer
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The embryo transfer process is straightforward and rarely requires anesthesia or sedation. Either the recipient parent or gestational carrier will undergo the transfer. An abdominal ultrasound will guide your fertility doctor to locate the optimal placement for the blastocyst. They will then use a long, thin catheter to release the blastocyst into the recipient parent’s or gestational carrier’s uterus. It can take up to 10 days before your fertility clinic can confirm whether the embryo transfer has successfully resulted in a pregnancy. During this time, the blastocyst will have hatched out of its outer shell and begun attaching to the uterus. In the fertility world, this time frame is referred to as “the two-week wait”. The implantation process follows, with the blastocyst maturing into an embryo and secreting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) into the bloodstream. The recipient parent (or gestational surrogate) will take a blood test (usually around Day 9 after embryo transfer), and high levels of hCG in her blood will confirm the pregnancy.
Recipient parents who choose a frozen embryo transfer have the flexibility to choose a timeline that works for them. Both fresh and frozen eggs can be used in this procedure.
Although fresh eggs are fertilized soon after retrieval, they can be vitrified for later use (or can be transferred as soon as the blastocysts are ready if the donor and recipient/carrier have synchronized their menstrual cycles). Frozen eggs, meanwhile, are immediately preserved and must be thawed, fertilized, and developed into blastocysts.
6. How Long After Egg Retrieval Is the Frozen Embryo Transfer?
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If you are already working with a fertility clinic, please let us know. If not, we are able to refer you to one of our trusted partners for fertility care. Our team will work closely with your clinic team throughout the process to ensure that you are supported every step of the way.
1. Establish Yourself With a Clinic
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How Does Egg Donation Work?
The egg donation process is a delicate balance of precise timing and multiple moving pieces. From the process of choosing an egg donor and your egg donor's egg retrieval, to creating and transferring embryos, you may have questions such as “How long after egg retrieval is frozen embryo transfer?” or “What is the difference between a blastocyst and an embryo?” Below we'll provide details about how egg donation works and what you can expect from the process.
Our Everie team is at the forefront of the industry, bringing a wealth of experience, expertise, and empathy for all parties involved in the fertility journey, from the recipient parents and the egg donor to all donor-conceived individual. Our role is to support and guide you and to help demystify this beautiful process.
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