Egg Donation

For women who have gone through early menopause, who produce inadequate numbers of eggs, or who have failed IVF using their own eggs, egg donation is a viable option to assist them in achieving pregnancy.

According to fertility clinics, egg donation can be expensive. It can also be an emotional experience, and it has a variable success rate, however the pregnancy rate is better than that normally achieved using In Vitro Fertilization and the woman's own eggs.

The egg donation process usually includes:

• screening for the appropriateness of receiving a donor egg
• finding a donor - the donor should be less than 35 years of age, without chronic health problems or genetic diseases, and should match most of your donor criteria, be it physical attributes, intelligence or creative gifts.
• compensating the donor - up to $5000
• hormone therapy to prepare your uterus for the egg
• egg donation
• pregnancy testing to confirm pregnancy or lack thereof
• if positive, ongoing hormonal therapy for at least 2 months

Egg donations can be made anonymously or through a family member, friend or known acquaintance.

As with any medical procedure, there are some risks. The risks of egg donations are similar to those associated with egg retrieval for In Vitro Fertilization: bleeding at the needle insertion site, pelvic or vaginal tenderness or ovarian cyst production. Infection, internal bleeding or puncture of the bowel may also occur, however these are very rare.

Talk to your fertility doctor, or contact a fertility clinic to obtain more information about Egg Donation.