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Frozen vs Fresh Donor Eggs: JAMA article published study
Posted On August 17th, 2015

This study was based only on the self-reported statistics by the participating SART clinics; available on the SART Web site. It is no surprise that frozen are somewhat less successful; these statistics have always been clear, although they are improving.

Still, frozen offers a number of advantages over fresh, such as the elimination of cycle synchronization (which can be difficult for the donor and recipient to coordinate); indeed, there is a lower cycle cancellation rate with frozen eggs. In some cases, frozen eggs cost less than fresh cycles.

At Northeast Assisted Fertility Group, we have a selection of frozen eggs from donors who have donated successfully in the past, and offer them in larger batch sizes (than the typical frozen egg bank offers). This mitigates the risks. These factors were not taken into account in the study.

(JAMA. 2015;314(6):623-624)

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2425734

 

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NAFG Has a New Web Site Design
Posted On August 13th, 2015

This is our second revision since we started nine years ago. We have updated and expanded our content but most importantly made our site mobile friendly. Now it is even easier to apply or view the database from your phone.

 

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New York Times, “Coming to US for Baby, and Womb to Carry It” by Tamar Lewin
Posted On July 7th, 2014

We have seen a marked increase in straight and gay European, Asian, and South American singles and couples coming to us as intended parents eager to pursue surrogacy. It is important to establish a proper legal foundation for these transnational cases (as well as for those involving donor eggs). The immigration component is critical–we always insist on a cooperative relationship with counsel from the home country of the intended parent(s).

 

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Frozen Donor Eggs: An Emerging Market and a Word to the Wise
Posted On October 10th, 2013

Now that new freezing techniques have made frozen eggs more viable, doctors and patients are eager to work them, as they offer some time and cost advantages over fresh. However, because a donor egg cycle is so costly, is it not financially practical in most cases for a clinic to do a donor egg cycle on speculation. The costs for the procedures, drugs, and donor compensation are typically more than the selling price of the resulting eggs. So clinics have been working on some creative solutions, which they may enthusiastically pitch to their patients as well as to prospective donors. I would like to make both parties aware of the full implications and motivations of these strategies, so that they can make informed decisions.

DONOR EGG RECIPIENTS: your doctor may encourage you NOT to fertilize all the eggs retrieved from your donor, to avoid the supposed ethical conundrum of left over frozen embryos. I am dubious of this advice, as in my experience, recipients want as many good quality frozen embryos as possible, and would not want to compromise all that time, money, and effort by not fertilizing all their eggs. Any doctor who advises this does not have that state of your conscience in mind: he or she wants to buy any left over frozen eggs from you to sell to his other patients! Most egg donor recipients we work with would rather have frozen embryos than an extra few hundred dollars, although some may appreciate getting some money back.

 

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Surrogate Offered $10,000 to Abort Baby: CNN
Posted On March 5th, 2013

Here is a case of everything done wrong: as reported by CNN, Crystal Kelley, a financially desperate single mother with two previous miscarriages, refuses to abort a fetus with serious developmental problems, defying the demands of the intended parents.

Crystal Kelley is not a good candidate for gestational carrier, and should never have been accepted by any program or clinic. Although a surrogate is being paid, her financial situation should be stable. She should also be married or have a stable partner for support. Any potential carrier who is categorically against abortion under any circumstances is not accepted into our program; furthermore, the possibility of abortion is discussed in detail at the first meeting between carrier and intended parents. This meeting should not take place casually in a playground, as it was here, but in an office supervised by experienced professionals who navigate both parties through this sensitive endeavor, making sure expectations are set and met.

Did the intended parents know of their carrier’s attitude on abortion before they decided to work with her? It does not appear that they did, and this indicates serious negligence on the part of the professionals (agency, social workers, etc) who handled this case.

It is regrettable that the public perception of surrogacy may be tarnished by this tragic case. The contrast between the right and wrong way to conduct a surrogacy is well illustrated here.

 

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I Donated My Eggs: Jezebel [http://jezebel.com/5954188/i-donated-my-eggs-for-4500]
Posted On October 28th, 2012

A mixed reaction to this overall positive piece on egg donation.

People object to the word “donor,” because there is compensation involved.

However, an egg donor is being paid for her time and effort, not her eggs. The donor would have been paid the same no matter how many eggs were retrieved (compensation is not based on results).

Organ selling is not legal, but the analogy of a donated kidney does not apply to egg donation. You only have two kidneys. A donor has many eggs, and those retrieved for donation would have been released and discarded by her body in a normal cycle (she is not depleting her ovarian reserve). In this aspect, it is more like plasma donation.

 

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Many egg-donor recruiters ignore ethical standards
Posted On August 10th, 2012

According to a survey published in Fertility and Sterility, about a third of about 100 donor recruitment organizations studied do not adhere to the ASRM’s ethical guidelines. These guidelines include the minimum age of 21 for egg donors, the cap on donor compensation of 10K, and a compensation rate not based on donor characteristics or previous donation results.

This last requirement is the least understood by both donors and recipients. Some recipients question our uniform 10k compensation, commenting that 10k is a big sum for an “unproven egg donor.” But they do not realize that the donation process is the same for a first timer as it is for a third timer, and the donor is being paid for her time and effort, not for her eggs. As long as the retrieval occurs, the donor gets paid her full compensation, whether 7 or 37 eggs are retrieved (whether the eggs get fertilized, grow into healthy embryos, and result in a pregnancy and live birth is another story).The donor does not get paid any part of her compensation (in our program) if the retrieval does not occur, so this lessens the financial risk.

As far as setting individual compensation according to SAT scores, prestigious educations, looks, etc.: rating women according to these measures is, to put it plainly, just gross. That is another justification for our uniform compensation policy.

Although the ASRM guidelines may seem arbitrary in some respects and could use updating (especially the 10K cap),

 

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So Eager for Grandchildren, They’re Paying the Egg-Freezing Clinic
Posted On May 14th, 2012

Some observations on The New York Times article today: Firstly, IVF is so expensive that even mature adults with established careers need their parents to pay for it. Secondly, most eggs retrieved and frozen are not viable, that is, they will not become healthy embryos that result in live births. A typical result of a cycle with an egg donor in her 20s would be something like 12 retrieved, 10 mature, 7 fertilized, 2 transferred, 2 frozen, and with luck, a positive pregnancy that goes to term. If you retrieve 12 eggs and freeze them, not all will survive the thaw and fertilize. If a woman wants to preserve her fertility, she should do it in her 20s, but the need does not present itself until a woman is in her 30s.

 

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