When you are faced with infertility issues, or your In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycle has failed in the past, you can choose to have eggs donated to you. You have the option to find your own donor – a family member or friend – for the IVF procedure, or a clinic can help you with advertisement for an egg donor. Some women contact agencies and volunteer to be an egg donor for women who are going through the IVF procedure. This is not always the case, but it has been known to happen.

There is a counseling process that both the egg donor and the couple seeking IVF will need to go through. During this process you and the donor will decide if this is a procedure both parties are willing to agree to legally. If you are both in agreement, you will have to work out the legalities of the eggs and parental rights. The various aspects of the donor procedure are also explained thoroughly during the donor counseling process.

There are different IVF cycles your donor must go through in order to collect the eggs. The donor’s eggs are monitored so a specialist can determine the best times to collect her eggs. This is done by an ultrasound and blood tests. The eggs are fertilized in a laboratory, just like they would be during the IVF procedure. The fertilized eggs will then be planted inside the recipient’s uterus, not the donor. It typically takes three to four days before the eggs are taken from the laboratory and planted inside of your uterus, but after this process is complete you will be able to take a pregnancy test two weeks later to determine if the procedure was a success.

Type of Donor Eggs

The type of donor eggs you choose will have a significant role in your success rate. You can use frozen donor eggs, or you can use fresh donor eggs for your IVF procedure. Frozen eggs are stored in an in-house egg bank, but fresh eggs are taken from the donor after the counseling process, instead of being stored in the egg bank.

The success rates for couples that use fresh eggs are typically higher than those who use frozen eggs. One clinic showed a 76 percent success rate for fresh eggs, while the success rate for frozen eggs was 46 percent. These success rates are based on pregnancy, not live birth rates. The fertilized donor eggs may result in pregnancy after they have been planted, but this does not guarantee that you will carry the baby – or babies – to full-term.

Success Birth Rates with Donor Eggs

If you choose to have the IVF procedure using donor eggs, the success rates are positively high. Studies show that those patients who used fresh donor eggs, 54.9 percent actually gave birth. Those who used thawed donor eggs had a 35.7 percent success rate of giving birth. There are important factors that can help you have a high success rate:

• 35 years of age or younger
• High sperm count

Before you have the procedure, make sure to screen your egg donor’s health, as this plays a key role in your success rate. You should also use a fertility clinic that has a record of successful IVF with egg donor birth rates; however, this does not guarantee you will be successful.

We can help find an appropriate egg donor so that you may move closer to fulfilling your dream of having a baby. Contact us for a private consultation to get started!