EGG DONATION
Egg donation is indicated for women who cannot impregnate, for various reasons, with their own eggs. In these cases it has been shown that egg donation is the most effective method and perhaps a unique opportunity to have a child. No woman should abandon the effort to have her own genetic child, but the choice of donation has much higher success rates and will surely lead you a step closer to your dream.
INDICATIONS
Egg donation is the best choice for two categories of women. The first category relates to the woman's inability to produce a sufficient number of eggs for fertilization. The most common reasons are premature or non-menopause and the presence of dysfunctional ovaries due to age (over 40 years). Also, a surgical procedure of ovarian removal or chemotherapy treatment is another cause of infertility that belongs to this category. Finally, we also have the presence of turner syndrome, subformed ovaries, but also from birth ovarian failure that lead the woman to choose egg donation. In the second category, there are women who produce a sufficient number of eggs, but problems have been identified such as the existence of an inherited gene abnormality or a history of multiple miscarriages. Also, if there have been many IVF attempts without pregnancy, and if a reduced response to ovarian stimulation has been observed then the choice of egg donation is a one-way course for these women.
ANONYMOUS EGG DONORS
Greek law imposes anonymity between the donor and the recipient base of the human reproduction law, Government Gazette 4272, Art. 145, Article 15. This means that neither the couple is allowed to know the donor's identity, nor does the donor know the couple. Every woman must decide for herself if she wants to help another woman with this act. The law does not allow for financial compensation for this act, but provides for a donor's compensation for medication as well as for travel expenses, loss of income due to leave from work, etc.
In the Mediterranean Fertility Center an egg donation program is being run from a list of donors who wish anonymously to donate their eggs. The donors, after they have signed their consent, donate their ova while they are scrutinized, always taking instructions before starting their treatment.
Donor testing includes:
- Her age (up to 28 years of age)
- Assessment of family and medical history
- Testing of proper ovarian function
- Special blood tests such as HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, etc
- Cardiac Examinations
- Check by a special scientist for good behavior/conduct as well as the educational level/intellectual culture.
A great deal is being done to match the characteristics of the donor on the basis of the criteria you give us in the special feature form. Our team always has as a priority the best possible service for patients; it may take a few days longer to wait until the right donor is found for you.
IVF CYCLE WITH EGG DONATION
By trying to make the process even clearer, we are going to analyze the procedure/steps that take place during an IVF cycle with an egg donation.
Donor's Procedure
-
Medication for ovarian stimulation
As in a classic IVF cycle, donors receive fertility medications for 10 to 15 days as appropriate. During this time the donor ultrasound and blood tests are checked. During this phase, the donor is called to leave her work or to interrupt any activity, and a proper way of life is proposed (proper nutrition, minimal alcohol consumption, etc.). As soon as the eggs reach the maturation phase, human chorionic gonadotropin (h-CG) is administered and after 2-3 days the egg is collected.
-
Egg collection
In the presence of an anesthesiologist, a slight intravenous narcotic is administered and the process of egg collection takes about 15 minutes. After the act and for half to one hour (1), the donor stays in the center area to ensure that there is no problem with her health. Ideally, we expect 10-12 eggs of good quality and our embryologist informs the recipient about this. From the 10-12 eggs approximately 7-8 will be naturally fertilized. An important role in this is played by both egg quality and sperm quality.
Recipient's Procedure
-
Uterus preparation
By administering hormones, the recipient's uterus is prepared to accept the embryos and pregnancy can be supported. The suitability of the uterus is monitored by hormone blood test and ultrasound. In some cases, a test embryo transfer is recommended to confirm the accessibility of the endometrium and to ensure its smooth process.
-
Fertilization
The eggs are fertilized in the laboratory with the sperm of the recipient’s partner and are placed in the furnace under ideal circumstances. Cell division is achieved in the next 2-6 days, and the eggs are now called embryos.
-
Embryotransfer
Embryotransfer is achieved with 3rd or 5th day embryos. From the eggs collected, some will evolve smoothly to embryos by the 3rd day. After the consultation of the doctor with the embryologist, is likely to proceed at this date for your embryo transfer. If we decide not to do the embryotransfer with the 3rd day embryos, we wait until the 5th, the blastocyst stage. This means that some of the 3rd day embryos will develop into blastocysts. This procedure is also a criterion for separating the best embryos. The embryos that actually make it to this stage have been proven to have higher pregnancy achievement rates.
-
Pregnancy test
Fourteen (14) days after the egg collection blood test for β-chorionic gonadotropin is performed. In case of a positive result and after contacting our center’s team, you can contact your gynecologist for follow-up just like a typical pregnancy.
Each IVF cycle is different and is always treated on a case-by-patient basis. Our doctors and embryologists judge what is best for your case and with what method the highest fertilization rates will be achieved.
Always remember that there is the possibility of cryopreservation of extra good quality embryos for future use. Our embryologist will inform you about the procedure and the number of embryos that are worth freezing.
