IVF with Donor Eggs

What is IVF with donor egg treatment?​

Egg donation is a form of in-vitro fertilisation in which the patient uses donated oocytes (donor eggs) – from egg donors – to conceive. Retrieved eggs from the donor are fertilised with sperm, usually from the patient’s partner. Once cultivated and transferred, embryos may implant themselves in the patient’s uterus, hopefully leading to a successful pregnancy. The donation process can either be anonymous or non-anonymous.

The prospect of using an egg donor can feel overwhelming and daunting, often leaving patients full of questions and concerns. It is not an easy choice to make; the emotional mourning of fertility and the practical decisions on finding a donor and clinic are a lot to process. As intimidating as it may appear, however, for many women egg donation provides the best chances for a successful pregnancy.

When might donor egg treatment cycle be appropriate? Indications.

For many infertile women, in vitro treatment with donor eggs is the only chance for maternity. The procedure may be adopted if:

• The patient does not have or can not produce oocytes of her own – e.g. due to damaged or missing ovaries;
• Patient’s ovaries malfunction prematurely;
• Patient’s oocytes are of insufficient quality;
• Patient has been diagnosed with genetic issues which may be reason of previous failure
• Patient has undergone multiple IVF programs – without success;
• Patient – the woman is over 40 years old.

The basic two indicators for a donor egg treatment cycle are the medical history and the age of the recipient. However, some patients choose the donor egg IVF treatment because of a higher pregnancy rate. Usually, patients going through egg donor programs may expect a better chance to become parents than patients using their own eggs – depending on the women’s age. The reason is “quality eggs” which are received from young, healthy egg donors.

What are the types of donor egg programs?

• IVF programs with fresh donor eggs require the cycles of both the donor and recipient to be synchronized therefore the process requires planning and can be fairly rigid in order for synchronization to happen. As no invasive procedures are involved here – such programmes are often highly efficient (the success rate is about 50-70%).
• IVF programs with frozen donor eggs allows more flexibility when it comes to planning. However, this type of programme has certain limitations as well. Freezing and thawing oocytes may lower their quality which in turn can slightly reduce the success rate of infertility treatments by 5 to 10%. Yet in most cases, infertility clinics have extensive experience and proper equipment and are capable of neutralizing this issue successfully.
• Double donation programs – the sperm from a bank is used instead of your partner, and donor eggs from young women. In that case, you may expect a higher number of embryos but the “genetic link” between child and parents will be missing as both partner and women gametes come from donors.

At EggDonationFriends IVF clinics listing pages, you can find out which overseas infertility centers perform which type of programme, to what extent effectively, and at what cost.

What are the reasons to go for donor egg IVF abroad?

Undergoing IVF treatment with donor eggs abroad has many advantages. There are an increasing number of fertility clinics in in numerous countries offering egg donation programmes and professional medical care to a very high standard. International couples, who decide to take a ‘pregnancy trip’ due to various reasons, are usually offered:

• Easier access to certain services (e.g. no waiting lists, etc.);
• High-quality infertility treatments at lower costs than in their home country;
• Fertility clinics’ experience in the field of egg donation programs;
• IVF centers and fertility specialists with an international reputation;
• The attractive geographic location of fertility centres, so treatment can be combined with some time off in a holiday hot spot
• The success rate of infertility treatment is higher than in national centres.

What is the time-frame of donor egg IVF abroad?

Oocyte recipients should prepare themselves for IVF treatment with donor eggs by undergoing necessary medical examination and testing. If no contraindications occur the patient may begin an egg donor programme which is likely to consist of the following stages:

• An initial appointment with a fertility specialist;
• Donor selection (parent-recipients should be assisted by a physician or embryologist);
• Laboratory procedures (man deposits sperm to be used for donor’s eggs fertilization first – then embryos are cultured in the IVF lab);
• A patient and embryo transfer preparation (woman takes medicines which make her uterus ready for taking the embryos; the embryo transfer procedure may require a short stay in a fertility centre).

If you are not sure whether you need to undergo an egg donor programme, please consult an infertility specialist.

Donor egg IVF abroad – what’s important?

Before you make a final decision concerning your treatment abroad, think which of the above factors matter for you the most and ask for details in more than one fertility centre. What else is good to know?

• Legal regulations in the country of your choice – e.g. limitations on donating and receiving gametes, requirements to be met by donors, donorship anonymity regulations, procedures allowed within IVF programmes, limitation on the number of children born thanks to a single donor, etc. Age limit for patients, the maximum number of embryos to transfer within an IVF cycle. 
• Plan your travel and stay – find out the costs of travel, transfers and accommodation, check out where to seek help while your stay in a country, how to find your way around town, what places to see, etc.
• Local healthcare conditions and standards – Please note that infertility treatment (including egg donation programmes) may lead to medical complications! As rare as they may be – it is highly advisable to know what aid you can count on in local hospitals. You may need to take specific medical documentation with you and/or purchase additional medical insurance prior to departure!
• The most trustworthy, prestigious and credible IVF centres in a country – who are the best fertility clinics, who are the most reliable, who offers the most affordable treatments
• Find out what other patients (past or present) have to say: Simply ask the community!

How to choose a clinic for donor eggs IVF abroad?

Choosing a fertility centre to undergo infertility treatment is an important step! Before you take it, do consider a few things. Prior to selecting, please check:

• Fertility centre’s overall experience in egg donor programme;
• Fertility specialists’ qualifications and experience as well as the technological equipment used by the clinic;
• Whether the IVF clinic has its own egg bank or uses an external supplier;
• The waiting list for women looking for egg donors
• How are egg donors evaluated/qualified (medical examination and verification);
• What sort of information regarding egg donors is available to international patients;
• IVF clinic’s full offer, medical procedures availability and pricing options – treatment costs;
• Languages that are spoken by the clinic’s personnel;
• The success rates of egg donation programmes that are achieved by the fertility clinic.
• The maximum age of a woman that can be qualified for the egg donor programme
• Treatment plan – is it possible to discuss it before visiting the centre
• On-line and on-site counselling options with psychologist, doctor, nurse, midwife

When contacting an IVF clinic of fertility konsultant for the first time it is good to ask what the entire treatment process entails; how many visits will you have to make during your treatment and how long will each step last, what medical procedures are in use there and what assistance can you expect from the clinic (e.g. airport transfers, hotel booking, etc.).