Egg Freezing vs. Embryo Banking

You may not be ready to have kids quite yet, but perhaps you’re starting to think about your future. If you’re exploring fertility preservation or assisted reproductive technologies, you might be considering whether egg freezing and embryo banking is right for you. 

Both options offer unique advantages and considerations, and understanding their differences is important for making an informed choice that aligns with your goals and values. In this guide, we'll dive into both egg freezing vs. embryo banking, empowering you to navigate this important decision with confidence.

How does egg freezing and embryo banking differ?

Both egg freezing and embryo banking begin with the same medical procedure: about 10-14 days of fertility medications and monitoring appointments, followed by an egg retrieval. 

The fertility medications encourage the development of multiple mature eggs, followed by a minimally invasive procedure to retrieve those eggs. The medical process, medications, and monitoring are identical whether you ultimately choose to freeze your eggs or create embryos.

The key difference between egg freezing and embryo banking lies in what happens after your eggs are retrieved.

• Egg Freezing: The retrieved eggs are immediately frozen using vitrification technology and stored until you're ready to use them. In the future, when you decide to pursue pregnancy, these eggs will be thawed, fertilized with sperm, and the resulting embryos will be transferred to your uterus.
• Embryo Banking: The retrieved eggs are fertilized with sperm in the laboratory, creating embryos. These embryos are then cultured for a few days and the healthiest ones are selected and frozen. When you're ready for pregnancy, the embryos are thawed and transferred to your uterus.

In essence, the medical journey up to the point of retrieval is the same for both options. The decision point comes after retrieval, where you choose whether to freeze the eggs unfertilized or to fertilize them and freeze the resulting embryos. Which option is right for you may depend on factors like whether you have a partner or access to sperm at the time of retrieval, or your personal preferences around timing and future family planning.

Egg freezing: increasing your options down the line

Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a process where your eggs are retrieved, frozen, and stored for future use. This technology has revolutionized fertility preservation, providing women with the opportunity to delay childbearing and increase their chances of having a biological child later in life.  

Pros of egg freezing

• Flexibility and autonomy: Egg freezing offers women greater control over their reproductive timeline. It allows them to focus on career goals, personal development, or finding the right partner before starting a family.  
• Medical reasons: Women facing medical conditions that may impact their fertility, such as cancer treatment or certain surgeries, can benefit from egg freezing as a way to preserve their options.  
• Technological advancements: Advances in vitrification (flash-freezing) technology have significantly improved the success rates of egg freezing, making it a more reliable option.  

Cons of egg freezing

• Age-related factors: While egg freezing can preserve fertility, the age at which eggs are frozen plays a critical role in their viability and potential for successful pregnancy.  
• Additional procedures: If you decide to use your frozen eggs, you'll need to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) to fertilize them and transfer the resulting embryos.  
• Cost: Egg freezing and subsequent IVF can be expensive, and insurance coverage may vary.  

Embryo banking: a step closer to parenthood

Embryo banking, or embryo cryopreservation, involves creating embryos through IVF using a woman's eggs and a partner's or a donor's sperm. These embryos are then frozen and stored for future use.  

Pros of embryo banking

• Known fertility potential: With embryo banking, you have a better understanding of the fertility potential of the embryos, as they have already undergone fertilization and, if you choose, can undergo preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). This allows you to understand the genetic makeup of your embryos sooner and determine whether additional egg retrievals might be needed.
• Higher success rates: Embryos have slightly higher survival rates after thawing compared to eggs, potentially increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy.
• Gender selection: With embryo banking, you have the possibility of learning the sex of the embryos sooner through preimplantation genetic testing), whereas with egg freezing, you would need to wait until fertilization and further testing at a later stage.

Cons of embryo banking

• Requires sperm: Embryo banking requires the use of sperm, which may not be ideal fo r those without access to sperm or those who haven't found a partner yet.  
• Ethical and legal considerations: Embryo banking could raise ethical and legal questions regarding ownership, disposition, and potential future use of the embryos, particularly in cases of divorce or death.
• Can’t be undone: Once embryos are created with someone’s sperm, they can’t be turned back into eggs, meaning you can’t change your mind on the biological father for those fertilized eggs down the line.

Questions to ask yourself

Choosing between egg freezing and embryo banking is a deeply personal decision, and will depend on your individual circumstances, goals, and values. To help you navigate this choice, here are some good questions to ask yourself:

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• What are my current relationship goals and family plans? Are you planning to have children with your partner? Or are you unsure about your future plans?
• What is my financial situation, and can I afford the associated costs? Both egg freezing and embryo banking can be expensive. Does your insurance cover the costs? Does your employer, or a partner’s employer, offer any fertility benefits?
• What are my thoughts regarding embryo creation and storage? Embryo banking involves creating and potentially storing embryos that may not be used. Would you be okay with that?
• Am I comfortable with the potential outcomes and uncertainties associated with each option? Both egg freezing and embryo banking have varying success rates, and there's no guarantee of a successful pregnancy. 
• Have I discussed my options with my partner and/or a fertility doctor? Open communication with your partner and seeking guidance from a fertility doctor will help you make an informed decision that aligns with your goals and values.

Remember, knowledge is power. Understanding the processes and considerations involved will help you make the choice that best suits your individual needs and aspirations.

Summing it up

Choosing between egg freezing and embryo banking is a big decision with long-term implications. You’ll want to carefully consider your individual circumstances, goals, and values before moving forward. 

Remember, you can always turn eggs into embryos but the opposite is not true. So if you have any doubt, freezing eggs may provide more flexibility for future decisions.

Egg freezing and embryo banking with Cofertility

We’d love the opportunity to support you on your egg freezing or embryo banking journey.

Through our Split program, qualified applicants can freeze their eggs for free when donating half of the eggs retrieved to a family who can’t otherwise conceive.

Through our Keep program — where you keep 100% of eggs retrieved for your own future use — we offer exclusive discounts on expenses, such as frozen egg storage. Keep and Split members also get access to our Freeze by Co Community, a safe space for those engaging in the egg freezing process (or gearing up for it) to connect and lean on each other.

By making egg freezing easier and more accessible, our programs further strengthen the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)’s Committee Opinion that egg freezing can help individuals overcome the biological constraints of their reproductive timeline, giving egg freezers greater control of their career goals and family planning while promoting social justice and advancing gender equality.

Read more:

• Should I Freeze Eggs or Embryos?
• We Asked Four Women: Did You Freeze Eggs or Embryos?
• How Much It Costs to Freeze Your Eggs
• Should Your Partner Help Pay For Your Egg Freezing?