Shared Egg Freezing

Shared Egg Freezing

Shared Egg Freezing allows people who are freezing their eggs to freeze their eggs for free when they donate half of their retrieved eggs to our Egg Donor program.

Shared Egg Freezing at NYRW may be right for heterosexual and LGBTQIA+ couples and singles if:

  • The cost of egg freezing is out-of-reach.
  • You want to help others achieve their dream of parenthood.
  • You meet the requirements to become an Egg Donor.

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If you are approved to be an Egg Donor, your egg freezing procedure will be free (including medications) and you’ll receive five (5) free years of storage (a $9,500 value).

The full Shared Egg Freezing journey

Your journey will closely follow the traditional Egg Freezing journey including:

  1. Stimulating Egg Production

    During this step, you’ll begin hormonal treatments by either taking a pill or an injectable medication. This medication encourages your ovaries to produce more mature eggs than they would naturally. We’ll track your egg development with blood tests and ultrasounds. It takes time for your body to adjust to the hormones and nurture your new eggs, so this stage can take several weeks.

  2. Ovulation and Egg Retrieval

    Once you’ve produced enough mature eggs, you’ll receive a hormone injection that induces ovulation (releasing the mature eggs). After about 36 hours, you’ll return to our office for the outpatient egg retrieval procedure. An anesthesiologist will place you under IV sedation and our specialists will remove the eggs. This only takes about 15 minutes, and you’ll rest comfortably afterwards in one of our recovery rooms. After about 30 minutes, you’ll be able to go home.

  3. Egg Vitrification

    Vitrification is a special way to freeze your eggs and embryos that avoids trauma to the cells. Water is removed from the eggs or embryos and replaced with an “antifreeze”. Then the egg is quickly brought to a very cold temperature. By removing the water and freezing it quickly, your eggs or embryos are safe from damaging ice crystal formation.

FAQs

Once the screening process is complete the egg donation cycle takes about 12-14 days. The cycle includes about 10-12 days of medications and ends with an egg retrieval. The egg retrieval is a quick, 30 minute, outpatient procedure that's done under IV sedation. Patients return to their home (if local) or hotel the same day and can travel the next day (if home is not local).

It is important to note that side effects are extremely variable from person to person. In general, egg donation does have potential side effects. Possible symptoms from the medication taken prior to including bloating, abdominal pain and swelling, breast tenderness and moodiness. The egg retrieval procedure is guided by transvaginal ultrasound and while serious complications are quite rare they can include bleeding, internal organ damage and infection.

Donors will take birth control prior to the cycle start for timing purposes. Once in cycle they will take injectable medications for 10-12 days. They will also receive some medications during the egg retrieval procedure through their IV administered by anesthesia. Your physician will outline the full regimen with you in more detail during your first visit.

No. Except in rare circumstances where uncommon side effects result from the egg retrieval process, donation will have no impact on future fertility.

Expect better.

Get in touch

American Society for Reproductive Medicine
College of American Pathologists
Fertile Hope
Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology
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