Donor Eggs Become Fertile Business
May 9, 2006 — -- Avery Lee Kennedy isn't just a cute4-month-old. She may be the embodiment of a new avenue infertility treatments.
Avery was conceived using a frozen donor egg from an egg bank, afledgling approach to helping infertile couples that reduces someof the disadvantages -- such as inconvenience, emotional turmoil and availability -- of using fresh donated ova.
"In five years, nobody is going to think anything about this," said Wendy Kennedy, Avery's mom, aboutusing frozen donor eggs. "It will become the norm."
Two donor agencies sell frozen eggs in the United States, and atleast one other might enter the arena.
For now, using frozen donor eggs is rare. Avery may be the first child bornin the United States from a frozen donor egg, although that'simpossible to verify.
Typically, donor egg pregnancies are achieved by using fresh eggsharvested from a donor that are fertilized and implanted inanother woman.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine said egg freezingis still an experimental technology; few doctors know how to freezeand thaw eggs properly. One doctor estimates that only 200 childrenworldwide have been born using frozen eggs.
Egg freezing has been promoted recently as a way for young women to save their eggs for use laterin life. But some doctors say it's inappropriate to market anexperimental procedure as biological insurance.
No reliable statistics exist on the success of conceiving withfrozen eggs, said Dr. Marc A. Fritz, chairman of thepractice committee of the American Society for ReproductiveMedicine. The odds of having a baby using fresh donor eggs were 51percent in 2003, which is the most recent data available fromthe Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
Using fresh donor eggs has its own challenges. It requires thatthe menstrual cycles of the donor and recipient be synchronizedusing hormones. So finding a mutually convenient time can be achore, and a donor may either not produce eggs or change her mindmidcycle.
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