Women who are unable to conceive using their own eggs may benefit from donor eggs. Our Reproductive Medicine Center has an active egg donation program to provide couples with this option. Our thorough screening process helps ensure that egg donation is safe for donors and a suitable option for recipients.

Women experiencing the following issues may be eligible for a donor egg.

  • Reduced ovarian function, such as premature ovarian failure, menopause, diminished ovarian reserve
  • Poor egg and/or embryo quality
  • Multiple previous failed attempts to conceive via assisted reproductive technology
  • Autoimmunity
  • Sterility due to previous surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy
  • Recurrent pregnancy loss
  • Genetic diseases which may be passed on to offspring
  • Advanced reproductive age

Becoming a Recipient of Donor Eggs

All recipient couples are expected to complete several screenings.

  • Psychological evaluation by a licensed mental health professional specializing in reproductive issues.
  • A semen analysis for the male partner — must have been done within one year of treatment
  • Standard in vitro fertilization (IVF) screening — completed within one year of treatment

If the female of the recipient couple is 45 years old or older, additional screenings will need to be completed within one year of treatment.

Recipients are required to view the online presentation.

People interested in receiving donor eggs will be provided with a username and password to our secure and confidential online donor profiles. If you have a username and password, log in here. Consents are due prior to starting the cycle coordination.

Availability of Donors

We offer the use of anonymous or directed (known) donation of eggs. Anonymous donor selections are submitted online through a website. 

  • Screened donors that have completed a psychological and medical evaluation and have been deemed eligible for donation by the provider. 
  • Candidate donors that have submitted an application containing health, sexual and social history. They are pending psychological and medical evaluation and acceptance by the provider. 

Available donors are for anonymous donation only. If you desire a directed donation, you may solicit your own donor candidate. Some of the prescreened donors listed may have frozen eggs available. We only working with outside donation agencies if there are no acceptable donors based on religious, ethnic or racial preference. The Reproductive Medicine Center abides by the FDA regulations for tissue donation.

 

Egg Donation Options

We have two means of offering egg donations:

  1. Fresh cycle — This involves synchronizing your menstrual cycle with that of the donor.
    • Advantage: You have the potential ability to receive more eggs and ultimately have more embryos.
    • Disadvantage: You need to synchronize your menstrual cycle with that of the egg donor. This can take several months and is dependent on the availability of the donor.
  2. Frozen Egg Bank — We control your menstrual cycle with medication and do not need to synchronize your cycle with that of the donor since we already have her eggs.
    • Advantage: You have the ability to start a donor cycle within weeks and avoid the potential lengthy wait times.
    • Disadvantage: There are fewer eggs (no more than six) for fertilization and thus, fewer embryos.

Overall pregnancy rates are similar between the two types of egg donation.

Regardless of which option you choose, we would request that you select a first, second and third choice donor at your designated time. When it is your turn to select a donor, the donor nurse coordinator will contact you to provide you with a password to access the donor profiles.

No Guarantee of Outcome

Our Reproductive Medicine Center offers no guarantee due to the following:

  • The donor may decide to not complete the donation process.
  • The donor may not respond to medications to stimulate egg production.
  • The donor may overstimulate to medications necessitating the cancellation of the cycle.
  • A candidate donor may not pass the medical or psychological screening.
  • The donor is not obligated to proceed at any time, including after a cancelled cycle.

From the National Data summary, the percentage of transfers resulting in live birth from egg donation is between 50% and 60%. There is no warranty regarding the success rate of egg donation or the health and characteristics of any child or children that may be conceived by these procedures.

To start the process to become a potential recipient of donor eggs, please call our Reproductive Medicine Center at 414-777-7700 to schedule a new patient consult.