Pacific Fertility Center Announces a Donor Egg Bank Milestone

On February 2, 2015, the Pacific Fertility Egg Bank celebrated its 100th embryo transfer, reaching a significant juncture in the history of the bank, which opened in August of 2012, making it the first freestanding egg bank in Northern California. “This has been a labor of love,” said Daragh Castenada, program director of PFC’s Egg Donor Agency and the Pacific Fertility Egg Bank. “We’re all incredibly excited about this milestone.”

In 2007, PFC was among the first to begin using new egg-freezing technology (vitrification), which paved the way for the launch of its frozen donor egg bank. However, it first spent several years refining laboratory techniques to ensure the best of outcomes for patients.

One of the largest in the Bay Area, PFC’s donor egg program has completed 20 times the number of fresh transfers as frozen. However, its frozen egg donor program is expected to grow, said Castaneda—especially given PFC’s high in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates using both fresh and frozen donor eggs. “The differences in pregnancy success rates between the two, in fact, are not statistically significant,” she noted.

Castenada attributes PFC’s frozen egg bank success to several factors:

All under one roof, patients can benefit from the broad technical expertise of PFC physicians and embryologists—pioneers in the field of reproductive medicine. At the helm is Isabelle P. Ryan, MD, medical director of the Pacific Fertility Egg Bank, who lends both strong research and clinical experience.

Frozen donor egg cycles also greatly improve affordability and flexibility. With a guarantee of two embryos, frozen donor egg cycles at PFC are half the cost of a fresh donor egg cycle, and the recipient can choose the transfer schedule. Finally, as the use of frozen donor eggs grows, so does the number and variety of donors available for selection.

About Pacific Fertility Center
Pacific Fertility Center is an international destination for male and female fertility treatment and care. It provides an extensive array of fertility treatment options ranging from intrauterine insemination (IUI), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) to cutting-edge technology such as vitrification and genetic testing of embryos. For more information: www.pacificfertilitycenter.com.

About the Pacific Fertility Egg Bank
The Pacific Fertility Egg Bank is a full-service frozen donor egg program located in San Francisco, CA. Through its relationship with Pacific Fertility Center, the Pacific Fertility Egg Bank can offer clients from around the world extremely high IVF success rates, greater convenience, and lower costs.

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Media Contact
Renee H. Scudder, MS
415-249-3662
scudder@pacificfertility.com

Pacific Fertility Center
55 Francisco Street, Fifth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94133

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