Facts About Egg Donation

by Robert F. Read My Articles, Learn More... Thanks to technology, there are more ways for an infertile woman to become pregnant. If she has poor quality eggs, no eggs or a genetic condition she doesn’t want to pass to her child, she can look into the option of becoming pregnant through the use of an egg donor.

Of all the different types of assisted reproductive procedures, this one is not as common as the others. Still, the numbers are increasing with statistics from 2005 showing that about 12 percent of all assisted reproductive technology techniques involve the use of a donated egg. The good news for woman who use donated eggs is that the success rate is high with the chance of pregnancy as high as 45% each cycle.

Although the process of using donated eggs is becoming more common, the basic ins and outs of the process are still a bit murky for most people. Unlike sperm donation, the process is a bit more complex which means fewer people know the basics of the process.

This article isn’t intended to give a comprehensive look at the process of egg donation, but it will provide the basics for someone starting out research in this area. The information provided may be of assistance to women considering egg donation and to couples or women considering using a donated egg to get pregnant.

The Egg Donors - Most women are required to pass certain basic requirements in order to become an egg donor. These requirements will vary depending on the facility and in which country the egg donation retrieval is made. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends that egg donors be under 34 years old, but many facilities request that the donors be younger than that. Eggs from younger women have fewer irregularities and abnormalities and women of this age group tend to respond more easily to the fertility treatments needed to harvest the eggs. Some facilities limit their donors to women who have their own children or who have donated in the past.

The Approval Process - The approval process for becoming a donor is extensive and involves several initial consultation appointments, physical and gynecological exams. Blood and urine tests may be collected and the doctors will want to know a complete family and medical history. Generally a psychological evaluation is also done. Sometimes pre-screening of possible donors is done over the phone to save time when determining eligibility. Donors are generally anonymous, but some facilities offer other options if the donor is open to the recipient knowing who she is. If this is the case, legal contracts need to be created to explicitly spell out what is expected and approved as far as visitation or acknowledgement of the donor. For example, some donors stay in touch with the recipients and receive updates about the child that is a result of the donation. Sometimes a donor will agree to her information being given to the child once that child reaches a certain age.

Recipients of anonymous egg donation can select an egg based on the donor’s physical characteristics which allows the recipient to increase the likelihood of having a child that looks like them.

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Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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