An Overview Of The Egg Donation Process

By Nelly McNeill


Women who not able to conceive even after trying to use various fertility treatments can consider using donor eggs to help them conceive and give birth to a baby. They can also consider egg donation if they have a condition like premature ovarian failure. This is when menopause starts earlier than it should.

Other good candidates for ovum donation are women who have poor quality eggs due to diminished fertility and those who have a disease that can be genetically transferred to a baby. This technique of assisted reproduction brings about better results than other techniques used to help women conceive. Most women who donate their eggs remain anonymous but some couples would rather know who the donor is.

Couples are required to complete the legal procedures required to get through the ovum donation process. If a donor knows the couple, she may wish to get to see the child or know how the baby is doing after birth. If you choose to get an egg from someone you know, you should sign a contract that states that the child born from the donated egg is your legitimate child even if the donor is a close family member or friend.

It can be easier for you to find a donor yourself compared to visiting a fertility clinic. However, you have to interview the donor yourself and this is more challenging than having a donor screened and evaluated by a professional. Before a woman donates her ova, she has to be tested for genetic disorders and the human immunodeficiency virus. When consulting with healthcare workers at a clinic, you should inquire if it has screened donors.

Couples who use the services of fertility clinics usually have to wait for an extended amount of time to get an egg. This can be solved by choosing to find ovum donors through egg donor registries or agencies. These institutions screen donors and provide their clients with detailed information about the background, education and history of a donor. Some agencies only accept the eggs of women who are not older than 26.

The process of ovum donation involves a number of steps which include initiation, sync up, treatment with hormones, ultrasound check, collection of eggs and fertilization, embryo transfer and testing. If you are the recipient, you need to go through an exam and then begin a course of hormone treatments to prepare you for the donated ovum. If your ovaries are functioning well, you need progesterone and estrogen treatments so that your menstrual cycle can coincide with that of the donor.

Ovum donors also undergo hormone treatments that enable their ovaries to produce a greater number of eggs. A small tube inserted through the birth canal is used to collect the eggs. They are then fertilized and the embryo is implanted in the womb of the recipient. After this, the recipient continues taking hormones for a period of about 10 weeks.

The other option available for childless couples is embryo implantation. This involves the use of frozen embryos that are left over after other couples have undergone IVF treatments. Couples who opt for egg donation usually bear all the costs associated with the procedure including the expenses the donor incurs. It is wise for couples to inquire if their health insurance polices can cover some of these costs.




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