Vitrification of oocytes

Thanks to recent developments, it has become possible to freeze eggs. The technique used to do this is called vitrification.
Freezing eggs offers women the opportunity to keep their reproductive potential without the necessity of fertilisation first (to store embryos). Young women who don't have a partner yet can have their eggs frozen before starting treatment that may damage their ovaries (such as chemotherapy).
When eggs are frozen, their biological clock is put on hold: they don't continue to age and cannot be damaged by external factors. Preventive storage is therefore an appropriate measure to preserve fertility.
 
The new vitrification technique has enabled the CRG to set up an egg bank similar to the sperm bank. This is a great advantage as far as egg donation is concerned.
The introduction of the egg bank has resulted in safer and more patient-friendly stimulation schemes. The egg donor also enjoys great freedom in planning her treatment, because we don't have to take into account the preparation of the recipient.
Because egg donation with frozen/defrosted eggs is more efficient and patient-friendly, most egg donations currently involve the egg bank.