July 6, 2007, Newsletter Issue #35: Process of Egg Donation

Tip of the Week

Though each Fertility Specialist has their own specific routine that they follow, there are some basic steps that are generally the same with each egg donation process, including;

Day 1 (start of cycle): The Egg Donor undergoes assessment of ovaries and has blood tests to check hormone levels. Fertility drug treatment is administered in sync with the donor's usual menstrual cycle.

Day 5: Progesterone therapy is initiated in the egg recipient to prepare the uterus for implantation of the fertilized egg.

Day 11: Egg donor is again assessed, including the use of ultrasound, the given an additional fertility drugs to stimulate follicle development.

Day 17-19: Several ultrasounds are performed to assess the status of the ovaries and follicles development until it's determined that the patient is ready for retrieval, also called "harvest."

Day 21: If the follicles are large enough, the egg donor gets shots of hormones, to ready the eggs to be harvested.

Day 22 : The egg recipient receives a shot of progesterone, another fertility hormone, to further prepare her uterus for the soon-to-be implanted eggs.

Day 23: Eggs are harvested from the egg donor, using a long needle, guided by ultrasound. The eggs are placed into a test tube or petri dish and fertilized.

Day 26-28: The recipient will receive between 2 and 4 embryos depending on age and quality of embryo, via implantation into her prepared uterus. Any remaining viable embryos will be frozen, if the first cycle does in a pregnancy.

As you can see, there are specific steps that must be taken, in a prescribed manner, in order to synchronize both the egg donor and the egg recipient, to ensure successful development, harvest, and transfer of donor eggs.

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