Fertile Technology

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The world's first baby is delivered from a frozen donor egg.

A baby girl, Avery Lee, born in the early morning hours of December 31st at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Centre, has become the world's first baby born using a frozen donor egg.

Her mother, 41-year-old nurse Wendy Kennedy and her husband Jared found they were unable to conceive on their own. Lab tests revealed that they would need to use a donor egg, and learned of a new technology in which women's eggs can be frozen and stored in much the same way as donor sperm. The couple turned to the first commercial donor egg bank in the world, Cryo Eggs International, which has offices in Kentucky and Arizona.

The technology to successfully freeze and thaw donor sperm for infertile couples has been available for decades. However, the technology to successfully freeze women's eggs did not exist until recently. Women select a familial "match" from the donor eggs in the bank, and the eggs are shipped anywhere in the world to be thawed, fertilised and transferred as an embryo to the waiting woman who wishes to experience the pregnancy and birth of her baby. Wendy and Jared chose a donor with a similar ancestoral background - German - and who closely resembles Wendy. They also were able to plan when to conceive - something they might not have been able to do with unfrozen eggs harvested from a donor, who would have been required to travel to the same facility as Wendy and the menstrual cycles of the two women coordinated.

Egg donors are tested as required for infectious diseases within thirty days of egg collection. The eggs are then frozen and quarantined for six months. After the donor tests negative again for HIV and other infectious diseases, the eggs are released.

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