Frozen donor eggs are providing infertile couples with a new treatment option.
Wendy and Jared Kennedy are the first couple to become pregnant using frozen human eggs from Cryo Eggs International, the Lexington, Ky., Herald-Leader reported Sunday.
Wendy Kennedy is a patient of fertility specialist Dr. James Akin, medical director of the Phoenix-based company, which began selling frozen donor eggs in March.
The new business was brought about by improvements in techniques for freezing and thawing, the newspaper said. While frozen sperm and embryos have long been used in fertility treatment, eggs have been much more difficult to preserve.
There is often a waiting list for fresh eggs, which cost about $5,000 more than frozen, Akin said. Frozen eggs eliminate the need to coordinate menstrual cycles with the donor.
“Logistically, it makes it much easier,” said Dr. Serena Chen, director of reproductive medicine for St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. “It might really change the donor egg system.”
