Use of Donor eggs is more common now than ever before. There are innumerable young, healthy, vibrant women of all races, cultures and religions willing to provide their eggs for the use of individuals in need. We have an extraordinary, internationally recognized program for donor eggs including a dedicated donor egg coordinator to make your journey as simple and stress-free as possible.
OVERVIEW
WHY IS IT DONE
Patients may opt to use donor eggs for a variety of reasons. All of these inevitably stem from either a desire to avoid risk to either the intended parent or the offspring, or from an attempt to maximize success rates. Success rates with donor eggs are usually extremely high and depending on patient age, often far greater than those of the intended parent(s) themselves.
Why use donor eggs?
- Advanced maternal age
- Health conditions that preclude high estrogen levels such as previous breast cancer, active liver or heart disease, severe hypertension
- Previous exposures to chemotherapy and/or pelvic radiation
- Diminished ovarian reserve
- Genetic conditions that the intended parents do not want to pass on such as Huntington’s disease, neurofibromatosis type 1, neurofibromatosis type 2, Marfan syndrome, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, hereditary multiple exostoses (a highly penetrant autosomal dominant disorder), tuberous sclerosis
- Previous IVF failures using their own eggs
The Basics
STEP 1
You must first decide if you are using a known donor (ie. Friend or relative) or you are using an agency to procure an egg donor. If using a known donor, we will need to conduct extensive testing on the donor before they can proceed.
When using an agency for an egg donor, typically we refer you to one of our preferred partners for selection of an egg donor. This process involves your web-based selection of a donor that meets your specific criteria including, but not limited to simple characteristics such as hair colour, eye colour, race, height, weight. You may opt for either a known donor where you get to know them or an anonymous donation where there is no contact between you and the egg donor at any point in the process. The costs associated with selection and acquisition of a donor are strictly between you and whatever agency you choose.
STEP 2
Your selected donor needs to be screened by Dr. Victory himself during a thorough interview where he ascertains all the relevant and important aspects of their health including personal health history, family history of cancer, heart diseases, hereditary and genetic diseases, psychological and psychiatric histories and any past history of previous donations, pregnancies, and outcomes.
STEP 3
Your donor requires extensive testing. These tests at a minimum include:
- Thyroid function tests
- FSH level
- AMH level
- Vitamin D level
- Prolactin level
- Ultrasound for antral follicle count (a count of the number of available follicles on cycle day 2,3 or 4)
Sexually transmitted disease screening - Genetic testing to rule out the potential for transmission of any significant genetic diseases to the offspring (www.invitae.com).
Here are some of the characterstics we recommend when selecting an egg donor after screening:
- Day 3 Fsh level < 9 mIU/ml
- One Sperm Source AMH > 15 pmol/L
- Two Sperm Sources AHM > 25 pmol/L
- Antral Follicle Count > 20 when between both ovaries
- Age > 21 and < 32 years, though some exceptions are possible for exceptional donors
- No previous history of chlamydia
- No smoking, excessive alcohol, or any drug use including marijuana
STEP 4
We ensure that your donor and your sperm source and the person receiving the embryos are a compatible match and that there are no sexually transmitted diseases that could cause any concern for transmission from one individual to another.
STEP 5
Your egg donor will undergo IVF stimulation and then an egg retrieval. Once the eggs are retrieved your selected sperm sample is used to create the embryos and your embryos are then grown till they achieve the blastocyst stage. At that point you can either have them tested genetically (PGT-A), implanted fresh into a recipient, or frozen for use at another time. The total time for this process is a minimum of 2 -3 months. It’s important to be patient to get optimal success.
Risks
There are no risks for the intended parents. Risks for the egg donor are generally minimal and include anaesthesia, bleeding, infection and injury to internal organs none of which are generally a concern as the rate of complications is extremely low.
The only significant concern is the possibility of developing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) a condition in which the patient develops bloating, nausea, pain and sometimes more significant symptoms. This is almost universally avoided now by implementing specific protocols that can minimize or even eliminate the chances of this occurring.
Outcomes
Outcomes are generally exceptional! Our success rates have always been extremely high with our donor egg program as we take great care to ensure that you are selecting an extraorindary egg donor with a very high likelihood of success. Typically, donors yield an average of 15 usable follicles which can lead to multiple potential embryos and the chance for at least two to three children.
Our success rates are high enough, that we offer live-baby money back guarantees. If you’d like to learn more, don’t hesitate to contact us for a detailed discussion of your options
