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The Egg Donation Process - for Potential Recipients
Egg (oocyte) donation can help women who have undergone an early menopause or whose ovaries respond poorly to fertility medications. Egg donation is an emotional, expensive, and time-intensive experience. But it offers a realistic, successful option for many couples who would otherwise have no way to have a child.
Candidates
Women who are good candidates for egg donation include:
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Women who have never had a spontaneous menstrual period
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Women who have stopped menstruating at an early age. This may be caused by genetics, auto-immune responses, radiation or chemotherapy, surgical removal of both ovaries, or an unknown cause
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Women who produced few or no eggs, or an elevated FSH level, in a previous in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle
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Women (usually in their 40s) who have stopped menstruating or do not respond well to fertility drugs
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Women with a follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level of 15 or more on day 3 of a Clomiphene Challenge Test. Research suggests these women will not be successful with IVF using their own eggs.
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Women who have had multiple IVF cycles and failed to achieve a pregnancy. One possible cause for not achieving a pregnancy is the age of the eggs.
Benefits
Experienced programs report clinical pregnancy rates of 50 percent per egg donation cycle. These success rates are better than pregnancy rates with IVF cycles using a woman's own eggs.
Egg donation has some advantages over adoption. Though the donor provides half of the genetic make-up of the embryo, the recipient controls the prenatal environment. You can control the prenatal nutrition. You experience the pregnancy from early on through childbirth and breast feeding. These experiences are not available through adoption.
Risks
In addition to the usual risks of IVF, approximately 15- 20 percent of egg donation pregnancies will result in a miscarriage, and 20-25 percent will result in multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.).
Procedure
If you feel you may be a candidate for egg donation, contact our office to schedule a consultation. At the appointment, we will work with you to determine whether this is a good option for you. The discussion will cover selecting an egg donor, an evaluation cycle, the real cycle, success rates, and costs.
Selecting an Egg Donor
How do you find an egg donor? If you have a sister or friend willing to be a donor, this may be a great option. Advertising in a college newspaper has been a successful way to find a donor for many couples. There are organizations, psychologists, and social workers who will help you find a donor. Some programs have their own egg donors.
The expense varies, depending on how you find the donor. The American Fertility Society suggests that donors be paid to compensate them for the risk and time involved. Compensation generally varies from $4,000 - $5,000.
Generally, a donor should be no more than 35 years old. The donor should match as many of your desired characteristics as possible. She should not have any family history of birth defects or hereditary diseases. She should undergo a medical and social history, physical examination, psychological screening, and laboratory screening for sexually transmitted diseases. You may prefer an anonymous donation, or you may want to meet and get to know the donor.
Evaluation Cycle
Once you have selected an egg donor, you will go through an evaluation cycle. This allows your doctor to determine the proper dosage of estrogen and progesterone to prepare your uterus to receive the embryos. Your doctor may prescribe Estrace (an oral, natural estrogen), Estraderm (patch) or Estrogen injections, in gradually increasing dosages over a period of 10 to 14 days. We will evaluate your blood estrogen level and perform an ultrasound to measure the thickness of your uterine lining.
In total, this cycle should take three to four weeks. Once you complete the evaluation cycle, your physician will know how best to prepare the lining of your uterus for the real cycle.
For more information, see article:
Egg Donation Cycle
Your physician will use birth control pills to coordinate your cycle with your donor's cycle. You will start increasing your estrogen dosage as your donor starts her medication. You will need to have periodic blood tests. On the day your donor's eggs are retrieved, your partner will supply a semen specimen to fertilize the eggs. Generally, you will begin progesterone (injections and/or vaginal) on the day before the donor's egg retrieval. Two or three embryos will be transferred to your uterus (IVF) 3-5 days later.
After you receive the embryos, you will continue estrogen and progesterone. We will schedule a pregnancy test for eleven days after the transfer. If it is positive, you will need to continue the estrogen and progesterone for approximately two months. At that time, the baby's placenta will ensure proper hormone production, and no more medication is necessary.
For more information, see article(s):
- Egg Donation - The Decision-Making Process
- Egg Donation: A highly successful option for infertility patients with decreased ovarian reserve
- Study: Low Dose Aspirin for
Oocyte Donation Recipients with a Thin Endometrium
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