Egg Donation

Egg donation is a process by which eggs (oocytes) from another person (usually between the ages of 20 to 30) are fertilized with sperm and transferred into the uterus of the patient who is trying to conceive. This is usually done for women over the age of 40 or for patients with poor ovarian reserve. Listed below is a more complete list of candidates for egg donation.

Who is a Candidate For Egg Donation?

There are several conditions that may require egg donation, including:

• Repetitive pregnancy failure (once a full work up reveals no identifiable abnormality and all testing or genetic testing of embryos points to poor egg quality or abnormal embryos)
• Advanced maternal age over age 40 or compromised ovarian reserve (Elevated FSH, Low Inhibin B level, Low antral follicle count)
• X-linked (female) genetic disease
• Ovarian dysgenesis/agenesis (abnormal development/absence or incomplete development of the ovaries)
• Ovaries inaccessible for egg retrieval
• Surgical removal of the ovaries
• Premature menopause/Premature ovarian failure (POF)
• Women with history of cancer after treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Autoimmune disease
• Turner syndrome (a chromosomal condition that solely affects girls and women. It occurs when one of the two X chromosomes normally found in females is missing or incomplete)

If you think you are a candidate for egg donation, contact us in Beverly Hills, Valencia, or Burbank to schedule a consultation with our IVF coordinator.

[ TOP ]

Egg Donation Screening and Treatment

The recipient may choose a known donor (family member or friend) or pick an anonymous egg donor (most often from a egg donor agency). Before egg donation, both the recipient and the donor need to be screened. The recipient needs to have an evaluation of her uterine cavity to ensure a normal environment for an embryo to implant. Her and her significant other or sperm donor need to have the infectious disease tests completed. The most important decision once testing is completed is to pick the appropriate donor that will give us the highest chance of success. This is also the most difficult part of the whole process.

The egg donors must be 20 to 30 years of age and are required to undergo the following tests:

• Infectious disease screening
• Psychological screening
• Drug screening
• Ovarian reserve screening
• Complete history and physical and pelvic ultrasound

The Egg Donation Process

Once all of the screenings have been completed and a match has been made, the egg donation procedure can begin. The expected time line for an egg donation cycle is between two and three months (once the process begins).

Egg donation can be thought of as IVF divided between two women. First, both the recipient and the egg donor will be placed on an injectable (Lupron) and/or oral contraceptive pill to synchronize menstrual cycles. Once appropriate, the egg donor will start on injectable fertility drugs, and the recipient will take oral estrogen tablets. As the egg donor is being stimulated, the recipient’s cycle is adjusted in order to coordinate it with the donor’s cycle.

Once the egg donor is ready for egg retrieval, the recipient’s partner or sperm donor will need to provide us with sperm for insemination in the laboratory (in order to fertilize the eggs). The recipient will then be asked to continue oral estrogen and start progesterone vaginal suppositories. Once the eggs are retrieved, fertilized, and dividing, the recipient or couple trying to conceive will have a discussion with one of our board certified fertility specialists as to the number of embryos to transfer and the date of transfer most appropriate for you. If conditions for embryo transfer are not favorable, the embryos may be safely cryopreserved and transferred at a better time. Also in many cases of egg donation, more embryos than we can use in a fresh cycle are produced, and these embryos are frozen for future use.

After the embryo transfer, you will need to stay at home and in bed for one day, followed by two days of rest at home (a total of three days). Your pregnancy test will be performed 10 to 12 days after the embryo transfer.

If you have been unsuccessful in your attempts to conceive and think egg donation may be right for you, contact us in Beverly Hills, Valencia, or Burbank today.

[ TOP ]