Donor Eggs

There are thousands of women at any given time that cannot become pregnant using their own eggs. Whether the reason is medical or surgical damage to your ovaries, chromosomal conditions (such as Fragile X permutation), early menopause, primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), or simply poor egg quality, hopeful parents are often able to successfully become pregnant by using donated eggs from women who are willing to undergo the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

 

Our donor egg program most commonly utilizes “anonymous” donation, where you the recipient does not meet the donor personally.  You will receive your donor’s characteristics and your donor is matched to you based on this information. Occasionally, you may have a close relative or friend that offers to donate their eggs to you, which is referred to as a “known donor”. We are supportive of using a known donor, however they would need to undergo all the same medical testing and preliminary screening as an anonymous donor would for your safety.

 

Once we match you with a donor, all medical and psychological screening must be completed for the donor before the egg donation cycle begins. This screening is done to confirm that the donor is medically healthy and able to donate. Additionally a blood test is usually required to assess the donor’s hormonal levels and ovarian reserve (chances of having eggs to collect). Psychological screening is conducted by a psychologist to ensure that the donor is aware of all the psychological implications of the egg donation process. This screening will help determine whether the donor is psychologically sound enough to participate.

 

Once the donor has completed all the screening and testing, she is ready for the hormone stimulation and egg collection. Many patients undergo what is called a “matched, fresh donor egg cycle”. This means the donor’s stimulation cycle is matched with your embryo transfer cycle so when the eggs are collected, they can be fertilised with the sperm of your choice, the embryos grown in the laboratory and then transferred directly into your womb to become pregnant, just as if you were undergoing IVF with your own eggs. Alternatively, the donor eggs could be collected and fertilised and embryos frozen in order to delay your embryo transfer. This option is good if you are considering genetic testing of the embryos (PGT) or if you need to delay the transfer for medical or other reasons. Finally, some donors undergo hormone stimulation and egg retrieval without a planned recipient. This means the donor eggs are then frozen and ready to be used when you are.

 

Egg donation can be a very costly process in many clinics. Part of the reason is many donors are given a sum of money for their participation, and in some places this can be quite substantial. We work with donors who participate mostly out of a spirit of good will and generosity. As a result, we can keep costs lower and help more couples to realize their dream of having a family without undergoing excessive financial burden.

 

To discuss the different options and find what would work best for you, contact us.

 

A testimony from one of our donors:

 

“Being an egg donor is something that I will take with me through the rest of my life. I am so thankful that I was given this opportunity to help couples realize their dream of bringing a life into this world. It is emotionally rewarding to be a part of this incredible journey.”

 

As well as having our own in-house donor database, Cayman Fertility Centre also works with agencies who uphold the highest medical and ethical standards. We are proud to partner with Donor Egg Bank USA who has met our high standards for quality and consistency to offer you frozen donor eggs with confidence. Search Donors