Is It Better To Freeze Eggs Or Embryos?

When it comes to fertility preservation, egg freezing seems like the default option on the table. But, for some people, embryo freezing might be the way to go.

“ Many people also believe that a frozen embryo is more likely to “work”—AKA, become a pregnancy—than a frozen egg. But that’s not really a true comparison, statistically speaking. When comparing freezing eggs vs. freezing embryos, it typically requires several eggs to result in one embryo, no matter which method you choose. You can freeze many eggs, which may be fertilized later to create a few embryos; or, you can fertilize the eggs right after retrieval, and freeze the few embryos that develop. Either way, you will likely have the same number of potential chances at pregnancy.”

Egg freezing and embryo banking are similar in nature, as they both involve fertility preservation in the form of cryopreservation. However, there are several major differences between the two procedures and their results.

Egg freezing is the process of retrieving a woman’s healthy, unfertilized eggs and using cryopreservation to sustain their viability until the woman is ready to use them. On the other hand, the egg has already been fertilized via IVF treatment in the process of embryo banking. Fertilization is performed with partner or donor sperm, and is then frozen until the woman or couple is ready for conception, pregnancy, and family