Egg donation for gay couples and single men

When a same-sex couple or a single man wants to become a parent, they face a series of specific obstacles and barriers that they must overcome with the help of specialists. Egg donation or IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) with donor eggs, together with surrogacy, are fundamental in the assisted reproduction process of many modern families. In this article, we want to focus on the use of “fresh versus frozen” donor eggs, on donor selection and on how the use of frozen eggs can be a fast, safe and cost-effective solution.

Did you know that using frozen eggs is as effective as using fresh eggs?

Sometimes there is incorrect information about the quality of “frozen eggs”. In reality, the term frozen eggs refers to eggs that have been vitrified in the laboratory using an ultra-rapid freezing technique with cryoprotective substances that protect their viability and functionality, resulting in excellent survival rates. Vitrification makes it possible to store and transport these vital reproductive cells and helps to bring assisted reproduction options within reach of families all over the world.

An analysis of the 2020 data collected by the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF) shows that the pregnancy rate with fresh donor eggs is 49.3% and with frozen eggs 45.5%. On the other hand, if we look at the birth rate, we see a birth rate of 30.4% using fresh eggs and 33.8% using frozen eggs. These figures tell us that there is not much difference in the outcome when fresh or vitrified eggs are used, and it depends on how the data are interpreted.

How to choose your egg donor and how many eggs do you need?

When selecting a donor, it is important to think about the family you want to build. Do you want to have children with the same ethnic origin as you and who look like you? Do you want an anonymous donor or an open-identity one? How many children do you want to have and, realistically, how much can you afford to spend on starting a family?

If your dream is to build a large family, you will probably want to start IVF with more eggs, so that you can freeze embryos for later transfers. This may influence whether you choose an exclusive donor and all the eggs from one stimulation cycle, or whether you buy several egg lots from a donor egg bank.

What are the advantages of using frozen eggs?

When you use a donor egg bank such as Ovobank, you can choose vitrified eggs from a wide variety of phenotypes that are currently stored and available. There is no waiting list or time spent on carrying out tests and stimulating the donor, since all of this will have been done beforehand. Once the desired egg lot has been chosen, the eggs are sent to the fertility clinic and treatment begins.

At Ovobank all our donors undergo exhaustive physical and psychological health tests and serological and genetic screening to guarantee the safety of your future family. Open-identity donors have a complete family medical history and, on request, any specific test can be carried out.

For today’s society, one of the most significant challenges is saving up or being at the ideal financial moment to start a family. Using frozen eggs from an egg bank is an ideal way to manage your budget, since the donation compensation costs and medical bills are already included in the price of the oocyte lot, which means that you know what the cost of the donor eggs will be before starting treatment. At Ovobank we can also fertilize the eggs you choose and send you the vitrified embryo or embryos to transfer to the surrogate of your choice.

To consult our Ovobank donor egg database, you can register on our website. If you have any questions about IVF with donor eggs or any other assisted reproduction option, do not hesitate to contact one of our coordinators, who will be delighted to help you.