FAQ - Fresh eggs vs. Banked Eggs
Yes, we have a banked egg list. The banked egg list is updated Monday – Friday. The list is updated daily and frequently throughout the day.
It is your responsibility to ask for the banked egg list.
Banked eggs are frozen in pairs. You must select an even number of banked eggs, unless there is only an odd number available. You can return unfertilized banked eggs for a $150 administrative fee. If you are looking for a specific donor’s banked eggs, we are happy to let you know a tentative date of an upcoming egg retrieval for that donor.
Our banked egg packages offer you 2 options:
- If you are out of state and wish to have your eggs thawed and fertilized in advance, we can then freeze any embryos that result. This option is great for those that are travelling from out of state to ensure that you have embryos to transfer prior to booking travel.
- Prepare your uterine lining for transfer then schedule your egg thaw and fresh embryo transfer once your lining is appropriate. This option is great for those that are within driving distance to one of our centers.
NO, there is no wait list for banked eggs, as they are first come, first served. We will not hold eggs for any amount of time.
***Keep in mind that you must have banked eggs in your name before starting any cycle medications. You should plan ahead knowing that it can take our team up to 14 days to complete the paperwork and move those eggs into your name.
WE DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU CHOOSE BANKED EGGS IF YOUR SPERM SOURCE IS COMPROMISED OR IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON PGT TESTING YOUR EMBRYOS
Our banked egg packages offer a 45% success rate. From a package of 6 eggs, our goal is for 50% or more to survive the thaw which we hope will result in 1 to 2 good quality embryos to transfer. Keep in mind that egg banking is a very delicate process, and it is normal to lose a couple of eggs in the freeze/thaw. You should expect that these packages will yield a lesser quantity of embryos overall, so we suggest that you purchase additional eggs if you are hoping to bank embryos for future use.
All of our donors are matched with two recipients for their fresh donor egg cycles. Once each recipient’s package is fulfilled, any remaining eggs are then frozen for our egg bank.
Our fresh egg packages are typically 50-60% successful. If you do not achieve pregnancy through your first donor egg package you may be considering purchasing another package. Please keep in mind in order to purchase an additional donor egg package, your account balance must be current.
The day after egg retrieval you will get a phone call with a fertilization report- this includes the number of mature eggs received and the number of fertilized embryos.
One week after the egg retrieval, Embryology will upload a report into your portal with how many embryos are frozen.
If you are doing a frozen embryo transfer, once you have embryos, your prescriptions for medications will be sent to a pharmacy, and you will reach out to the Global Travel Team, or your local CNY Fertility office, on your cycle day 1 to plan your FET (frozen embryo transfer).
** If your donor’s egg retrieval was in a different office, it is your responsibility to request shipment of those embryos to the office where you prefer to have your transfer. Payment is required and must be received prior to shipping.
** If you do not get a regular period, please notify the global team who will help you to plan for your baseline ultrasound and bloodwork. If they find that a period needs to be induced a prescription can be called into your local pharmacy.
Once the donor becomes available to you, you will receive a message through your patient portal along with a text message to your mobile device. Once you confirm your donor selection, and answer the questions asked to you, you will be officially matched! You should expect a message through your portal letting you know that your consents and financial contract have been uploaded with a date to which they are due. Please be sure to message your recipient coordinator once you have uploaded your signed consents.
Once you officially make your selection, we will tell the donor she has been matched, and ask her to contact us on day 1 of her next period. Once your donor calls with her period, we will share with you her cycle timeline including her baseline appointment and tentative egg retrieval dates. Updates will be shared through your patient portal.
Keep in mind our donors are placed on birth control for a minimum of 2 weeks in preparation for their cycle. The birth control pill also offers us flexibility in her cycle planning as we need to plan based on the availability of our embryology lab. We ask for your patience in this process as we need to make sure that embryology has space in their lab to care for your precious embryos.
After your donor’s baseline visit you will receive a message through your patient portal confirming that she is ready to move onto the next step. Once her egg retrieval has been officially scheduled you will receive another notification (typically 48 hours prior to that egg retrieval). If your partner is providing a fresh sperm sample on egg retrieval day his appointment will be scheduled at that time.
To be matched with a donor for fresh eggs, you first need to be added to a donor’s wait list. The wait list timing is difficult to determine. Although donors can donate 8 times between the ages of 20-32, that does not necessarily mean that they will. Keep in mind that some donors like to take a break after a cycle so they may leave the program temporarily and return months later.
You can be on 3 donors wait lists at a time. In order to be added to a donor’s wait list you need to message either the Donor Team group or your Recipient Coordinator to submit your request. Requests are honored in order as they come through and must be made through your patient portal.
