Usually those women are thinking about donor eggs who have some kind of fertility problems but that would like to get pregnant. It is possible that the woman in question has low egg quality or that she simply doesn’t ovulate normally.
Why to think about the eggs of a donor?
There are different cases in which women think about using the eggs of another woman. These situations include POF (premature ovarian failure), early menopause, very low egg quality, some history of ovarian disease, the ovaries not responding to stimulation, hormonal imbalance or being over 40.
Egg donor selection
First of all you have to decide what you want from the egg donor. She could be a family member, a friend or someone you don’t know. No matter who she is, she will go through different tests. She will be asked about hereditary diseases and birth defects. The doctors will also be interested in her social and medical history.
It is just natural that the person offering the donor eggs will have a physical exam and she will have to go through psychological screening. In this case it is very important to screen for sexually transmitted diseases that could affect in any way the quality of the eggs.
Process for the oocyte donor
In ideal cases the cycle of the receiver is synchronized with the cycle of the donor. This can be easily achieved with the help of hormonal medications. In order to suppress the natural cycle, Lupron is administered right before the beginning of the period. After the beginning of the period estrogen is also administered.
In order to manipulate the length of the menstrual cycle in case of the donor eggs, hormonal medications are used. This will ensure that the two women will have their period in the same time. Synchronizing the cycles increases the chances of getting pregnant.
How does it all happen?
After the donor of the eggs provided the doctors with the mature eggs, the father has to offer a semen sample. The eggs get fertilized with the sperm in a laboratory setting. After the eggs are collected from the donor, the patient receives progesterone and the Lupron injections are discontinued.
The transfer of the donor eggs usually takes place 2-5 days after the egg retrieval. Ten days after the embryo transfer the patient must have a blood test to see whether she is pregnant or not. At the point she might notice the early signs of pregnancy. During the early stages, the patients receive estrogen and progesterone.
Success rate of using eggs from a donor
The success rate of the procedure usually depends on the age of the eggs, the quality of the semen, the retrieval procedure and the general health of women. It is just natural that the younger eggs are preferred. About 48% of women who go through the procedure get pregnant.
As you can see there is no guarantee that you will get pregnant if you use donor eggs but sometimes this may be the only way.
