Egg Donation

Overview

Egg donation enables a fertile woman to provide a childless couple with the gift of parenting whilst receiving a compensation check for her generous act, which seals the deal. Yes, it is the generosity of some women that help make the dreams of cuddling a baby a reality for those struggling with infertility. Egg donation is facilitated by a fertility specialist who extracts eggs from a donor’s ovaries for the purposes of assisted reproductive techniques. Here the eggs from a donor are fertilized with the recipient partner’s sperm in a laboratory dish and the resultant embryos are implanted into the intended mother’s uterus. The intended egg donor should be 21 to 28 years of age and ready to undertake a counselling session and blood test screening. The egg donor should also provide details about her lifestyle and furnish her full medical history. She should also be willing to undergo all medical examinations and execute the necessary documents. Egg donation is indeed the most wonderful, life-changing gift a woman can give!

The Procedure

After a complete baseline testing, which includes hormone screening, blood work and vaginal ultrasound, the donor is scheduled a psychological evaluation. Once the donor receives both medical and psychological clearance, hormone medications are given to you and the donor to synchronize your menstrual cycles with that of the donor. The egg donor will be given fertility medications to stimulate multiple eggs to develop, and their maturation is monitored by ultrasound examination. When the eggs are ready to be harvested the donor is given a light anesthetic and the egg extraction procedure is done by the fertility specialist using a long, thin needle to aspirate the eggs from the ovaries. The eggs retrieved are inseminated with your partner’s sperm sample in the laboratory, using in vitro fertilization. One of the resulting embryos is transferred into your uterus and any other viable embryos are frozen for potential future transfer. A blood test will be performed ten days later to determine if pregnancy has occurred.

The Symptoms

You may be a candidate for donor eggs if you have any of these conditions

• Premature ovarian failure, a condition in which you start experiencing menopausal symptoms much earlier than usual, typically before age 40
• Diminished ovarian reserve, a condition where the ovary loses its normal reproductive potential resulting in low egg supply
• Genetic disorder that can be inherited
• Suffer from hormonal imbalance or your ovaries do not respond to ovarian stimulating hormones during fertility treatment

The Eligibility

Donor egg program is ideal for a woman

• With a competent uterus but unable to get pregnant due to poor egg quality.
• With a previous IVF failure, where the doctor thinks that her eggs are not of good quality
• Over the age of 40 and has a low chance of success with assisted conception techniques using her own eggs
• Whenchemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment has damaged the ovaries leading to treatment-induced menopause and a permanent loss of reproductive function

The Risks Involved

Risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which is rare condition can cause rapid weight gain, abdominal pain, shortness of breath and vomiting. The egg retrieval procedure can at times lead to complications like cramping, bleeding and infection. In serious cases follicular cysts develop and the ovaries remain enlarged, along with massive fluid retention in the abdomen. Premature menopause and infertility are also linked with egg donors. Women taking ovulation stimulation drugs experienced a two fold increase in uterine cancer.

Risks to the recipient include transmission of infectious diseases and multiple pregnancy. Similarly, women who have difficulty getting pregnant have an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy.

The Impact

The gift of pregnancy generally depends on the age of the egg donor, quality of semen, retrieval process, the quality of the embryo, the recipient’s overall health and the number of embryos transferred.

Egg donation is a generous act that allows many couples to fulfil their dreams of becoming parents. If you wish to put some meaning and happiness into the lives of couples struggling with infertility – donate your eggs! Call GBR donor program coordinator now! For some, making an impact is a way of life! Give the gift of life, donate eggs!