Egg freezing has become increasingly popular amongst people in their twenties as an extra bit of insurance for having biological children in the future. Recently we have had many donors […]
Egg freezing has become increasingly popular amongst people in their twenties as an extra bit of insurance for having biological children in the future. Recently we have had many donors ask if they can split the eggs retrieved in a donation cycle with the intended parents, keeping some to freeze for themselves. While this is an understandable questions, the short answer is no – you cannot split the cycle with the intended parents. There are several factors as to why this is.
One of the biggest factors as to why you cannot take some of the eggs is money. The IP’s are paying a lot of money for this donation cycle. It typically costs $65-70k just to have the embryos created. The IP’s want to maximize their chance of having a child, and so are paying for a fresh cycle in order to maximize the number of embryos. It is important and fair that the IP’s get their best shot at having a child, after putting in so much time and money into the process.
And it’s often not just a one time cost. IP’s coming to us for egg donations are often older, in their 40s. The intended mother often wants to carry the child themselves. On average, it takes three tries for the transfer to take for an intended mother in her 40’s. Each transfer costs money, so it is a big investment for the intended parents.
In addition, many families want more than one child, something that obviously also adds up. Same-sex couples often do split cycles with themselves, dividing the eggs in half so each father can have a biological child.
In conclusion, intended parents put an extraordinary amount of money and time into the egg donation process. Egg donation is not only a financial investment, but an emotional one as well. Intended Parents are paying to maximize their chance of having a child. Because of this time, money, and commitment, we do not allow donors to split the cycle with the IP’s.
That being said, if you are a donor interested in making the investment to freeze your own eggs, feel free to talk to us about it and we can definitely help you set that up separate from your donation!