Donor Egg IVF

Details

Details

IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilization. In Vitro is a Latin word that means "in glass" –in the field of medicine, this term refers to fertilization of eggs and sperm in a laboratory environment outside the body. IVF provides the ideal conditions for successful fertilization and growth of healthy embryos when natural pregnancy cannot be carried out for some reason. IVF has done wonders for many couples who find it difficult to conceive a baby. Egg Donor IVF is not a single procedure; it is a process that involves several different steps. These steps are the same steps taken during the standard IVF treatment.

The only difference is in the egg retrieval stage –where the egg is taken from a donor, not the women expecting pregnancy, and is fertilized with sperm in the lab. The embryos obtained are transferred to the uterus of the recipient just like in the IVF treatment. The most common egg donor sources include the fertility clinic, someone that the couple already know (a friend or family member), an egg donor agency, an egg bank (frozen eggs) or another fertile couple.

Who Is This For?

• Couples who want to have a child through IVF procedure however women’s ovaries aren’t producing enough eggs or whose ovaries are completely absent for regular IVF
• Women whose own eggs carry a risk of a genetic disorder
• Gay male couple who wants to have a child

Treatment Duration

6 to 8 weeks

Potential Risks & Side Effects

• Allergic reactions
• Vaginal bleeding
• Bloating
• Breast tenderness
• Constipation
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Multiple births
• Premature delivery and low birth weight
• Miscarriage

Recovery Time

Women may prefer to rest for 2-3 days after embryo transfer and stay away from activities, but at the end of this period it is good to go to work and continue normal activities.

Success Rate: 52%

Alternative Treatments

• Ovulation Induction
• Artificial Insemination
• Surgery

How Does it Work?

Donor Egg In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a procedure that involves fertilizing a woman’s egg in the laboratory. If you are facing challenges conceiving a baby with your partner, Egg Donor IVF can help address infertility problems.

What Does an Egg Donor IVF Procedure Involve?

Once you have decided to undergo the procedure, we will make sure that you have a pleasant trip and your procedure will be customized so as to match your preferences, goals, as well as the clinics’ best practices. Below are the main stages involved during the Donor Egg IVF Procedure:

1.     Preparation

Once you settled all the legal and financial issues, and your donor and you have completed fertility testing and screening which are required, your egg donor IVF cycle may begin.

First of all, you, and your donor need to have your menstrual cycles put in sync. This way, when the donor’s fertilized eggs are ready for embryo transfer, your uterus will be physiologically ready to accept an embryo. Taking birth control pills and injectable hormones are used at this stage to suppress the reproductive system. Once the donor and you equalize your periods, the treatment cycle itself begins. Donor's cycle follows a conventional IVF cycle, skipping the embryo transfer.

2.     Procedure

There are 5 main steps in a donor egg IVF procedure. These are ovulation induction, donor egg retrieval, sperm retrieval, fertilization and embryo transfer. 

• Ovulation induction: For treatment with a known donor, you and your donor take medication for a number of weeks and both of you are monitored in the clinic regularly.

•  Egg Donor retrieval: The mature eggs are then collected from your donor’s ovaries. The most common method for retrieval is transvaginal ultrasound aspiration, which uses a device inserted into the vagina to identify the follicles and collect the eggs. To provide the comfort, sedation and pain medication may be used at this stage.

•  Sperm retrieval: If you will be using sperm from you partner, he will give a semen sample. After it is received, your doctor will remove the sperm from the seminal fluid to use them in fertilization.

•  Fertilization: After the eggs and sperms are collected, then the fertilization process will start. The doctor will mix the healthy and mature eggs with the healthy sperm in the laboratory. Your doctor can perform the fertilization by using two different methods which are insemination or Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
• Embryo transfer: The last stage of the IVF procedure is embryo transfer. This process is conducted within six days after the eggs have been retrieval. During the embryo transfer, your doctor will insert a flexible catheter into your vagina, through the cervix and into the uterus. Then, the doctor will implant one or more of the embryos through the catheter. If the procedure is successful, the embryo will implant in the lining of the uterus within ten days after the eggs have been collected. And congratulations, you are pregnant now!

What Should I Expect from the Egg Donor IVF Procedure?

• If the first IVF cycle isn’t successful, then you can always try again.
• You may consider egg freezing for future use.
• You may feel minor cramping and discomfort during the implantation stage.
• The side effects are usually mild, but can include constipation, breast tenderness, hot flashes, weight gain, nausea, and headaches.
• You can experience psychological side effects during IVF process. The hormones used to stimulate egg production can cause mood swings and depression.
• Make sure that you bring someone who can take care of you as travel back to your home country.   

FAQ

Are IVF Injections Painful?

For most patients, injections do not hurt, but they are not welcome, they are fast and do not cause problems because their discomfort ends within a few seconds.

Are Women Awake During Embryo Transfer?

Women are awake during embryo transfer which takes approximately 15 minutes and they are able to watch the procedure on the ultrasound monitor.

How Many Times Can I Donate Eggs?

Women may donate their eggs up to six times in their lifetime, according to the guidelines established by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. 

Costs