Choosing Egg Donation Basics #1

Until 25 years ago, the only available option for starting a family for women with ovarian failure was adoption, but advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART) changed that perspective forever.

Previously uncommonly used, egg donation is now considered mainstream and is offered by most fertility programs. Although seemingly straightforward in concept, the steps involved in a successful egg donation cycles are many and complex. Egg donors need to be recruited, selected and screened. Recipients need to have their linings synchronized with embryo development with the use of hormonal supplementation. In this manner, egg donation is an extraordinarily unique treatment option.

Success rates with conventional (non-donor egg) IVF decline with advancing maternal age, especially after the age of 35 years. In contrast, the live birth rate in egg donation cycles varies little, if at all, across all age groups. Thus, the age of the egg is the limiting factor for success as opposed to the age of the uterus/woman. In this manner, egg donation can be used in women who would otherwise had little, if any, chance of getting pregnant using their own eggs.
The main benefits of egg donation include the experience of carrying a pregnancy, delivering a child, and having the childe be biologically/genetically related to the male partner. Major drawbacks are the psychosocial implications of using someone else’s eggs to conceive and raising a child not genetically related to the female partner.

#2 to come later...