Women who have infertility problems cannot conceive normally for a number of reasons. It could be that their ovaries were damaged, or they cannot produce eggs or have poor quality eggs, or other unexplained causes of infertility. Couples who want to conceive can opt for the aid of an IVF egg donor if the woman is unable to produce her own eggs.
Choosing to use IVF egg donor for in vitro fertilization treatment can increase the chances of successful pregnancy. Infertility is the main reason why women turn to egg donation. Another reason is that women who are past 40 years old have eggs of inferior quality. The quality of the eggs of a woman declines as she gets older. Women who also have genetic problems also turn to egg donation.
Treatment with an IVF egg donor
Egg donation is commonly used by couples who want to conceive using the sperm of the male. During this process couple may select one or several donors whom they prefer. If the recipient couple has finally selected the IVF egg donor, coordination between the cycles of the donor and the female recipient will be handled by an embryologist to accomplish the transfer of the embryo at an appropriate time. The coordination of cycles uses a series of medications to provide a comfortable uterine atmosphere where embryos will be transferred.
IVF donor eggs that have been chosen in one donor cycle are inseminated with the sperm cells that belong to the male. If there are excess embryos, they are cryopreserved for future use depending on the outcome of the cycle. All egg donors undergo thorough medical check-up. They will undergo psychological and physical evaluation which will determine their fertility history and are screened if they have any genetic diseases. Egg donors usually receive compensation for donating eggs amounting between $7,000 and $20,000.
IVF Process with IVF egg donor
During the process of egg donation, the IVF egg donor is injected with follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) to induce her ovaries to produce numerous follicles. Each follicle contains an egg. Routine ultrasound and estradiol monitoring are conducted to assess the growth of follicles during stimulation. While the donor is doing this, the recipient patient will receive hormones to coordinate the cycles between her and the egg donor.
In preparation for the transfer of the fertilized donor egg, the recipient patient's endometrium should be thickened for it to be able to accept and support the maturing fertilized IVF donor eggs. During the egg retrieval, the doctor surgically removes the eggs from the ovaries of the IVF egg donor with the use of a small needle that passes through the vagina and into each follicle. This is done with the guide of an ultrasound. The embryologist then separates them for insemination. The recipient partner provides the sperm cells that will be used to fertilize the eggs. The genetic makeup of the resulting embryo will possess that of the father and the egg donor. Fertilized IVF donor eggs are then transferred to the recipient's uterus where they are implanted after culture and incubation which takes about 3 to 5 days. Eggs from an IVF egg donor who is in her twenties have higher chances of resulting to successful pregnancy.