Decisions to be Made at Egg Retrieval

We talk with Corey Burke, an embryologist and Tissue Bank Director at Cryos International-USA and Dr. Mark Trolice, Reproductive Endocrinologist and Director of The IVF Center in Orlando and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and author of The Fertility Doctor’s Guide to Overcoming Infertility about decisions doctors and patient have to make concerning eggs or embryos after retrieval.

In this episode, we cover:

Overview of the IVF Process.
What determines how many eggs will be produced?
What number of eggs is ideal for an egg retrieval as part of IVF? Are more eggs always better?
Once eggs are retrieved, one of the choices a patient and doctor have to make is whether to freeze eggs vs. embryos.
Compare the challenges between freezing eggs vs freezing embryos.
How does vitrification differ from other methods of freezing?
What is the thaw rate success for frozen eggs compared to frozen embryos?
Why are eggs more difficult to vitrify than embryos?
Does the quality of the eggs retrieved factor into the decision?
What are the advantages to the patient of freezing eggs rather than embryos?
What are the advantages to the patient of freezing embryos rather than eggs?
How many eggs is usually recommended for a woman to freeze to have a good chance of being able to create a viable embryo?
Can genetic testing be done on eggs?
How long can human eggs remain viable if frozen vs. the viability of frozen embryos?
If embryos are created, one of the choices a patient and doctor have to make is whether to transfer fresh or frozen embryos.
How does genetic testing impact fresh vs frozen?
What are the advantages to the patient of transferring fresh embryos?
What are the advantages to the patient of transferring frozen embryos?