Because frozen embryo cycles use embryos formed from a previous stimulated cycle, no stimulation or retrieval is involved. As a result, these cycles usually are less expensive and less invasive than cycles using fresh embryos. In addition, freezing some of the embryos from a retrieval procedure may increase a woman s overall chances of having a child from a single retrieval. Donor Eggs Success rates are presented separately for cycles using fresh donor eggs or embryos and those using frozen donor embryos. Embryos donated by couples who previously had ART also may be available.
Many clinics provide services for donor egg and embryo cycles.
Live birth rates do not vary much by the recipient s age when donor eggs or embryos are used. Age of Woman Because a woman s fertility declines with age, clinics report lower success rates for older women attempting to become pregnant with their own eggs. This range is calculated only if 20 or more cycles are reported in an age category. In general, the more cycles that a clinic performs, the narrower the range. A narrow range means we are more confident that a clinic would have a similar success rate if it treated other similar groups of patients under similar clinical conditions.