What are the benefits and disadvantages of using frozen eggs for in vitro fertilization?

What are the benefits and disadvantages of using frozen eggs for in vitro fertilization?

Richard Paulson (Chief, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, USC) gives expert video advice on: How are my eggs collected for in vitro fertilization?; What are the benefits and disadvantages of using my own eggs for in vitro fertilization?; What are the benefits and disadvantages of using frozen eggs for in vitro fertilization? and more...

The use of frozen eggs is relatively new. The technology of egg freezing actually dates back to 1986, but the technology was very unsuccessful, and perhaps only one percent of frozen eggs ever became babies. It is only recently that the technology has gotten to the point where success rates really are similar to those of frozen embryos. The advantage of using a frozen egg over using the woman's own egg is that that frozen egg may come from a time when she was younger. So, if a woman freezes her egg at the age of thirty, and comes back and wants to use it now at the age of forty-five, then of course, that frozen egg is only thirty years old. It has been in suspended animation for the last fifteen years, whereas her own eggs have aged a very important fifteen years in between to the point where they are very unlikely to produce a baby at this point. However, under most circumstances, you would rather use a fresh egg rather than a frozen one because the freezing does take some of the strength out of the egg. There is no question that pregnancy with a fresh egg is more likely to occur than with the use of a frozen egg.