Donor-egg IVF: What is it and who would need it?

As a fertility techniquein vitro fertilizationhas become so popular that it has become almost synonymous with fertility treatment.

As you may be aware, in an IVF cycle eggs and sperm from the intended parents are combined for fertilization in a lab dish. The quality of eggs is the most crucial factors in the success of any fertility treatment; therefore your fertility doctor needs to do appropriate preliminary investigations to ensure the patient can provide healthy eggs for use in an IVF cycle.

In cases where the woman is not ovulating (releasing an egg each monthly cycle) or if the eggs are not viable enough to yield a healthy pregnancy, donor egg IVF may be seen as the only plausible alternative.If you are considering donor egg IVF, the following information will help you understand what it entails and what to expect during the procedure.

What is donor egg IVF?

As the name suggests, donor egg IVF is a combination of two procedures:egg donation and in- vitro fertilization.

While in a typical IVF cycle eggs from the intended mother are fertilized using sperm from the male partner, in donor egg IVF, eggs from a donor are used.

When a relative or a woman known to the couple is the egg donor, she may need to undergo ovulation induction wherein her ovaries are stimulated to develop and release multiple eggs in one cycle. Your doctor would monitor her oocyte development through blood tests and ultrasound, and retrieve the eggs when it’s time. The egg retrieval procedure is usually done on the same day as sperm collection.The eggs so obtained are combined with sperm to form embryos which are then placed in the uterus of the intended mother for pregnancy to occur.

If the couple is unable to arrange a donor, or if they prefer an anonymous donor, eggs from a donor bank can be used for the procedure. In this case, the desired donor profile is shortlisted and shared with the patient so that they can make an informed choice.

Donor egg IVF is a highly sophisticated procedure, and should only be handled by askilled and experienced fertility specialist in a well-equipped clinic.

[Read more: Egg Donation and Sperm Donation Cycles at Shantah IVF]

When is donor egg IVF recommended?

Your doctor may recommend using donor eggs for IVFunder the following conditions:

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            POF or premature Ovarian Failure

A medical condition when the woman has undergone menopause earlier than expected but wants to have a child of her own, donor eggs can be utilized for the same.

·         
     Diminished Ovarian Reserve

A woman’s ovarian reserve(the number of eggs left in her ovaries) diminishes with age. In fact a woman loses about 300 eggs every day, and by the time she turns 35, the number and quality of her eggs has declined considerably. This is when she may have to rely upon donated eggs to conceive.

·         
     Genetic Disorder

If a woman is suffering from a genetically transmitted disease, which may pass on to her baby, using donor eggswould ensure a safer and healthier pregnancy with higher chances of IVF success.

·      
            Failed IVF Attempts

In some couples who have come across repeated failure in IVF attempts, the doctors may attribute it to the lack of viability of eggs and may recommend the use of donor eggs for the next IVF cycle.

Currently, donor egg IVF is gaining acceptance and has proved to be a boon for women who cannot conceive using their own eggs.

What tests are done on the recipient and the donor before the procedure?

When a couple is recommended to go for donor egg IVF, they need to consider a credible clinic where they can receive quality treatment from skilled doctors in a safe and relaxed environment.Here, the clinic mustnot only handle the actual procedure with expertise, but also needs to be well equipped to make sure that both the recipient as well as the donor qualify for the procedure.

Recipient Testing

A good IVF clinic would take no chances with the success of donor egg IVF and perform all the required tests on the recipient to ensure that she would be able to go through the pregnancy safely and successfully. A complete health check-up is done, including tests todetermine any abnormalities, physical or genetic, in the recipient. These tests may include cervical cultures, uterine sonogram, semen analysis and Rh factor tests, along with comprehensive blood tests.

Couples should look for a clinic which also offers counseling to help them cope with the pressures of fertility treatment, understandthe details of the procedure, its chances of success and the risk factors involved.

Donor Testing

Whether the donor is anonymous or known to the couple, she must be tested for any genetic disorder, infectious diseases, and her complete medical and family history must be obtained. Preferably, a healthy woman under 35 years is chosen for egg donation, and some couples also consider factors such as ethical background and family history of the donor.

Since the procedure of donor egg IVF is a complex one and comes with its own risk factors, couples should rely only on a reputed clinic for taking up the procedure.

Shantah Fertility Centre provides end-to-end egg and sperm donation services to couples who are unable to conceive using their own eggs/sperm.

If you have further questions pertaining to the procedure, or need an impartial second opinion, please contact us for a free consultation with Dr. Anubha Singh, leading Fertility Superspecialist and Medical Director, Shantah Fertility Centre.