Donor Egg IVF Program
While for most women and couples, ovum or egg donation is not their first choice, we have seen that virtually all our patients who have chosen this path to parenthood bond strongly with their donor egg babies and go on to have a completely normal family. We feel that this is a viable and important option to be able to offer our patients who may not be able to acheive success with their own eggs, do not have ovaries, or are of an advanced maternal age (between 45 and 50 years). We also offer guidance and support for gay, alternative lifestyle couples who are seeking to start a family.Some of the couples coming to The Fertility and Gynecology Center will need the help of third party reproduction to help them fulfill their dreams of becoming parents. Here at The Fertility and Gynecology Center we have a physician run egg donor program available for those heterosexual and gay couples needing their service. Our staff is experienced and skilled at coordinating the care for patients who live locally or internationally.
For women who have failed multiple IVF cycles, who may have POF (premature ovarian failure), poor egg quality or those who are of advanced maternal age (between 43-50 years old), the donor egg program is an option when seeking another path towards motherhood. Patients with prior IVF cycles resulting in poor egg/embryo quality are also excellent candidates for donor eggs. Egg donation has some advantages over adoption. By utilizing an egg donor the female partner(mother) can have a biologic child, although it will be genetically different, and the male can be the biologic and genetic father of the child. The surrogate mother is in total control of her pregnancy, from nutrition to environment, and will have the joy of experiencing pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. No one would ever question whether or not she was the mother since the baby would be born from her body. With adoption, the child is neither biologic or genetic, and of course, there will always be the question of who the biologic mother was. Egg donation can also be combined with sperm donation for both heterosexual and gay couples.We have a well-screened egg donor registry in-house. Our own donors are generous individuals willing to help infertile couples who would otherwise not be able to realize their dreams of become parents. The process is completely anonymous and kept 100% confidential. Our patients are also welcome to use a known egg donor (someone they find themselves) or an outside egg donation agency.
Karen Warfield, our Donor and IVF coordinator, will provide you with individualized care and support in your search for a suitable donor. She will provide you with all the necessary instructions to be in sync with your donor as you begin the IVF cycle. It can be a very emotional process, but be assured that our staff will help you every step of the way.
Your choice of an egg donor is entirely up to you. At our center, donors are recruited locally, can be brought by the patient or arranged through an agency. The egg donors must complete a detailed medical and family history form to apply as a donor. Upon receipt and review of the history, our fertility team will consult with the candidate about the medical implications and requirements necessary to donate. On that meeting the donor will undergo a complete physical exam, ultrasound, blood screening, and drug screening. All donors undergo the screening and testing required by FDA regulations.
Who makes a good candidate for the egg donor program? Those who…
- Have stopped menstruating due to premature menopause
- Have genetic reasons
- Are of advanced maternal age >40
- Are recovering from cancer therapy, chemo or radiation
- Had an oophorectomy, or removal of both ovaries
- Had few or no eggs or a very high FSH in previous IVF cycles
- Failed multiple IVF cycles
- Are suffering from auto immune disorders
- Are needing to use both egg and sperm donors for an IVF cycle
Although we do have an in-house list of unsolicited donors, we are not an agency. It may be necessary to go outside our center because we do not have a match for you or for personal preference. You may prefer to use a donor agency. Start by reading the how-to’s of selecting a good donor agency at Parents Via Egg Donation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping intended parents.
There are a number of Donor Agencies and Frozen Egg Banks, here is a list of a few :
Extraordinary Conceptions
Conceptions Center (Large Asian Donor Database)
Pacific Egg Donors (Large Asian Donor Database)
Embryo Donation Agencies
Another option for those who cannot conceive with their own eggs is “embryo adoption”. There are couples who have gone through IVF and have had their leftover embryos frozen. Some of these couples opt not to go on to have more children via IVF with their remaining embryos. There are three options: donating them to a couple who is unable to conceive, donating them for research purposes, or destroying them. Embryo donation allows the genetic parents to give their embryos to someone who cannot conceive any other way. Embryo “adoption” allows the intended mother to experience pregnancy and the birth of a child. The embryos that are adopted are sent to our center in a cryotank and then transferred into the intended mother by Dr. Ramirez.
There are now more than 600,000 frozen embryos in storage in the United States, and hundreds of thousands more worldwide. All of the embryos that are available for “adoption” are matched with the intended recipients in these programs. There are agencies that specialize in these types of “embryo adoptions”.
To learn more please see:
Nightlight Christian Adoptions & Embryo Adoption Awareness Center
