Using Frozen Donor Eggs: Step-by-Step

7th March 2018 in Treatments

This information was correct at the time of publishing. It may not reflect our current practices, prices or regulations.

Need an egg donor? Using frozen donor eggs is one of the most cost-effective, fast ways to have treatment at Manchester Fertility.

We don’t have a waiting list and have frozen UK donor eggs ready now, with an option to fund treatment through our new Frozen Donor Eggs Multi-Cycle Plan which gives you a significant saving compared with the traditional pay as you go method.

Here’s a step-by-step overview of treatment with frozen donor eggs, so you can see what’s involved and the care and planning that goes into your cycle for your very best chance of pregnancy:

Dedicated Donation Team

Your first contact will be with our dedicated Donation Team, who co-ordinate all the different aspects of your treatment journey. Using donor eggs carries special emotional significance so our team provides extra support, taking care of you and your partner every step of the way.

Pre-treatment screening tests & consultation

Treatment is always individualised at Manchester Fertility, so we’ll perform pre-treatment screening tests and a thorough fertility assessment, lifestyle and health check, to make sure there are no existing issues that could affect your treatment outcome.

Your fertility consultant will explain your treatment and provide you with a fully costed and transparently priced treatment plan.

Counselling support

Our fertility counsellors will talk through what using donor eggs to conceive means for you, your partner and any child you have. This is so you can start your treatment confident in your decision to have a family this way, and are fully informed to be able to give your consent to treatment.

Choosing your egg donor

Choosing your egg donor is one of the biggest decisions to make. But we’re here to help you. Our Donation Team will provide you with a choice of UK egg donors that match your preferences, whose eggs are frozen in our donor bank. We get to know our donors well, giving you valuable personal insight as well as detailed donor profiles.

Getting you ready for pregnancy

Once you’ve found your perfect egg donor, we can start preparing you for pregnancy. It’s one of the most important steps in treatment, as we have to make sure your body is ready to accept an embryo at exactly the right time.

We do this using tailored doses of fertility medications that prepare your endometrial lining – the lining of your uterus - so the embryo can implant successfully.

Thawing and fertilising donor eggs

Whilst we’re preparing you for pregnancy, our laboratory team is carefully thawing and fertilising your chosen donor’s eggs. Under our Frozen Donor Eggs Multi-Cycle package you’re guaranteed to receive six donor eggs for each of your included two cycles.

Eggs are assessed and fertilised using ICSI. ICSI is where we find the best healthy sperm and inject a single sperm into each egg to fertilise it.

Embryo development

Fertilised eggs are developed in either our standard incubators or in our time-lapse EmbryoScope incubators, which help us identify the best embryo for transfer through time-lapse video.

Any suitable embryos are developed to advanced Day 5 Blastocyst stage, at no extra cost. We’ll keep you informed about how your embryos are developing.

Embryo transfer

We precisely co-ordinate every stage leading up to embryo transfer, so that your embryos are developed and ready for when your uterus is optimum for pregnancy.

The embryo chosen for transfer will be bathed in an innovative product we use called EmbryoGlue. EmbryoGlue helps the embryo to adhere to your uterus for implantation, and it’s included in our Frozen Donor Eggs Multi-Cycle package.

Pregnancy test

Two weeks after embryo transfer you’ll be able to take a pregnancy test. During this time you’ll be supported by our Fertility Midwife. If your test is positive, she’ll guide you through the earliest days of your pregnancy and arrange your first pregnancy ultrasound at our clinic.

If your pregnancy test is negative, we’ll arrange for you to see your fertility consultant for a follow-up, so next steps can be discussed which may involve further tests. Our consultant team review any negative cycles in detail. You’ll also be offered further counselling support.

If you’ve opted for our Frozen Donor Eggs Multi-Cycle package, it includes up to two cycles of treatment. So you have peace of mind that you have more than one cycle to conceive.

We have strong pregnancy rates for treatment with donor eggs at Manchester Fertility, thanks to our advanced techniques and strict egg donor criteria for the highest quality donor eggs.

Start treatment with frozen donor eggs: Self-refer

If you’d like treatment with frozen donor eggs at Manchester Fertility, you can self-refer online. We don’t need a referral and can see you straight away.

Or call our Donation Team to get started on 0161 300 2737. You’re also welcome to book a private free 1-2-1, where you can find out more about our egg donors and how we can help you.

Last updated: 18th December 2020