Donor egg treatment is an option for singles or couples who cannot conceive using their own eggs due to for example age, medical conditions, previous ovarian surgery, or genetic concerns. At Cryos, we create embryos using your chosen egg donor and tailor every step of the process to your individual needs. The embryos can be transferred or stored at Cryos – or safely shipped to your local fertility clinic for transfer.
Read on to learn more – or start now by finding your egg donor.
Why choose embryos from Cryos?
- Cost-effective: While clinics often recommend fertilising at least six donor eggs, most people only need one or two embryos to achieve pregnancy. Ready-to-transfer embryos can save you both time and money.
- Higher success rates: Only successfully fertilised eggs that have developed into good quality blastocysts (day 5 embryos) are selected and frozen – giving you the best chance of success.
- Diverse donor selection: Choose from the world’s largest selection of donors. Our carefully screened egg donors represent over 75 ethnicities.
- High-quality donor eggs: At Cryos, we specialize in donor selection and screening, ensuring the highest quality standards and giving you the best chances of a successful pregnancy.
Do you need donor sperm for your treatment?
When using both a Cryos egg donor and a Cryos sperm donor, we guarantee the development of at least one viable blastocyst (BB grade or better) before freezing. Learn more about double donation here.
How it works
Having donor eggs fertilised and developed into high-quality embryos at Cryos as part of your fertility treatment can be a more safe, easy and cost-effective alternative to ordering unfertilised donor eggs (oocytes), which then must be fertilised and developed at your local clinic with no guarantee for fertilization. Below, you can read more about each step and learn about your options.
1. Preparation for treatment
Start by filling out by booking a free consultation. We will then send you an email with a link to our Medical History Form, and schedule a consultation with one of our healthcare professionals. At the consultation, we will review your medical history and determine if treatment with donor eggs is right for you.
2. Choosing a donor
Once you have talked to one of our healthcare professionals and agreed on proceeding with the treatment, you can visit our online donor search with free and unlimited access to detailed donor profiles. This allows you to select an egg donor that matches any criteria you might have in the comfort of your own home and in company of a partner, friend, or similar, if you wish to. Once you have selected an egg donor, you simply follow our online ordering process (see a guide below).
3. Egg donation
For most donors, eggs are already in stock so treatment can begin about 8 weeks after the delivery of partner or donor sperm. Some donors are listed as “Upon Request,” meaning the donation process only starts once you have selected the donor and ordered treatment. In these cases, the waiting time is at least 12 weeks from the time of delivery of the sperm. This extended timeframe is because these donors provide fresh eggs, which requires additional planning and coordination.
4. Sperm source and shipping
For the fertilisation, you can choose to use partner sperm, a Cryos sperm donor, or a sperm donor from another clinic or sperm bank. If you need donor sperm for your treatment, learn more about the double donation process here.
- Partner sperm
Before treatment, partner sperm must be tested, analysed, and frozen. This can be done at your local clinic, in which case we require documentation confirming tests for HIV (anti-HIV 1+2), Hepatitis B (HBsAg and anti-HBc), and Hepatitis C (anti-HCV), as required by law. Alternatively, you can provide a sperm sample at one of Cryos’ donation centres, where our staff have extensive experience in preparing sperm for fertility treatment. Learn more about the sperm freezing and storage service here.
You can arrange shipping yourself, or you can request Cryos to handle it for an additional fee.
5. Embryo creation
Once we have both donor eggs and sperm, our embryologists begin the IVF or ICSI treatment in our lab. This consists of different steps:
- Fertilisation of donor eggs
During this process, sperm is introduced to the eggs to achieve fertilisation - either by placing the eggs and sperm together in a petri dish (IVF) or by injecting a single sperm directly into each egg (ICSI). - Embryo development
Fertilised eggs (embryos) are cultured to the blastocyst stage – this is an embryo developed to day 5 or 6. Cryos uses advanced technology and timelapse monitoring for this process. - Evaluation and freezing
Embryos reaching the blastocyst stage will be evaluated by our embryologists, who then select the best embryos and make sure they are safely frozen and stored. Every embryo undergoes rigorous grading and viability assessment. An embryo report documenting a viable blastocyst before freezing is included in your shipping. If the treatment results in more viable embryos than requested, they are included at no extra cost.
6. Embryo transfer or storage
Once frozen, your embryos are securely transported to your local clinic, ready for transfer. You can also choose to have the transfer at our clinic in Denmark or store the embryos at Cryos for future use.
Step-by-step guide to receiving embryos from Cryos
After your free consultation with us, you can arrange embryo creation directly through our website by following these simple steps:
- 1. Create a free account for full access to our donor selection
- 2. Choose your egg donor
- 3. Select the number of embryos you would like to receive
- 4. Indicate whether you want the embryos shipped to your clinic or stored at Cryos. If you choose storage at Cryos, you will be asked to specify the storage period at a later stage.
- 5. Choose your sperm source (Cryos donor sperm, partner sperm, or a third-party sperm donor) and indicate if Cryos should handle shipping of the sperm.
- 6. Enter the full name and date of birth of the person who will receive the embryo as part of their treatment.
- 7. Add payment details and finalize your order.
Embryo pricing
When having embryos developed at Cryos as part of your fertility treatment, the price starts at EUR 3,500 for one embryo, depending on your choice of egg donor.
The price includes:
- Treatment process (including consultation, medical history review, diagnosis, and records)
- Egg donor treatment (including screening, testing, medication, and egg retrieval)
- Treatment with IVF or ICSI (fertilisation of donor eggs in Cryos’ lab)
- Embryo culture to the blastocyst stage
- Time-lapse monitoring of embryos
- Embryo freezing (if applicable)
Please note: shipping, handling of partner sperm, and embryo transfer are not included.
Ready to take the next step?
Book a free consultation to get started. We will listen, answer your questions, and help you decide whether donor egg embryos from Cryos is the right choice for you.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cryos embryos
Can I have more than one embryo?
Yes, you will be asked to specify your preferred minimum quantity. If more blastocysts develop than your requested minimum, they will be yours at no extra cost.
What is the difference between unfertilised eggs (oocytes) and fertilised eggs (embryos)?
The key difference between unfertilised eggs (oocytes) and fertilised eggs (embryos) lies in their developmental stage. Unfertilised eggs (oocytes) must first undergo fertilisation before they can be used for transfer. For fertility treatment, clinics typically recommend using at least six unfertilised eggs, as not all eggs will successfully develop into viable embryos.
Some may not fertilise, and others may not progress to the blastocyst stage, meaning the final number of transferable embryos can be uncertain.
In contrast, when choosing treatment with IVF/ICSI (embryos), you receive blastocysts that have already successfully developed to an advanced stage. This means a higher chance of pregnancy, as well as more predictability in your treatment, as you will know exactly how many viable embryos you have. Since you usually only need one or two embryos to achieve pregnancy, choosing treatment with IVF/ICSI (embryos) will in many cases be the most cost-effective option, reducing the overall cost of treatment.
How long can an embryo be stored?
According to Danish law, embryos can be stored up until the day the recipient turns 46. After this, they must be destroyed. This means that either embryo transfer at Cryos' clinic or shipping of embryos from Cryos must be completed before you turn 46.