Infertility
A couple that cannot conceive can be helped through procedures such as in vitro fertilization. If that doesn’t work, they can then consider egg donation. Egg donation gives infertile women the chance to carry a child and give birth. You might be a candidate for egg donation if you have any of these conditions; if menopause has started much earlier than expected and you have premature ovarian failure, if the eggs you carry are of low quality often because of age, causing diminished ovarian reserve. Additionally, you might have a genetically transmitted disease which could be passed on to your baby, or if you have experienced previous failure with IVF. Egg donation is becoming more common especially with women above the age of forty. Of all techniques, egg donation enjoys the highest success rates. If you’re having problems conceiving, consider visiting a New York city egg donation facility like New York Fertility Institute.
Finding an Egg Donor
Most egg donors choose to be anonymous but there are couples who prefer to know their donors and take legal measures to get the donation. If the donor is acquainted with the couple, she may wish to keep in touch with them to know how the baby is doing or may even request visits. However, it’s always advisable to use an egg donor contract that spells out the terms of future relationships even when the donor is family or a close friend. Ask your fertility facility if they have an egg donor that’s already been screened, as many clinics have long waiting lists. If you prefer, you can use egg donor registries and agencies, or look for egg donor ads in college newspapers or other young women publications.
Looking for an egg donor by yourself can be much faster than going through all the hustle, but it can also have serious disadvantages. You’ll have to interview and assess the donor yourself and have them tested for any genetic disorders such as HIV. This is also true if you’re using donor sperm. Although most egg donor programs vary in requirements, some conduct extensive screening to find out as much detail about the donor’s medical history, education, and background. Other programs have strict rules and will not accept donors past their mid-twenties.
Expectations of the Procedure
An egg donation implantation and procedure is similar to a standard IVF treatment. The woman receiving the donor eggs will undergo a thorough exam and a dose of hormone treatments to prepare her body for the egg. If she has functioning eggs, she will be injected with estrogen and progesterone hormones to ensure her cycle coincides with that of the donor’s. The same procedure is also done to the donor to induce superovulation. As soon as she’s ready, the eggs will be retrieved and fertilized with the sperm. The embryo will then be planted into the recipient’s uterus who will continue taking hormones for about two months afterward. She can also use frozen donor eggs but the chances of success are much lower.
A newly available technique is the donor embryo implantation where an embryo that was previously frozen from another couple’s IVF treatment is used. For whatever reason, that couple granted the clinic permission to give their embryos to other women. However, donated embryos usually come from older couples with fertility problems. Thus, the rate of success might be lowered.
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