Who Can Donate Eggs?

The most common reason why couples turn to receiving donor eggs is poor egg quality eggs. Most common reason for poor quality eggs is age. A woman’s egg quality lessens as she ages and significantly declines after the age 35. In some younger women, quality can be poor due to genetic issues, leading to infertility.

Egg donation is when a woman (donor) gives her eggs to another woman (recipient) allowing her to have a baby.

Who can donate eggs ? Any one

• Willing to donate eggs
• Age 21 and 34
• In good health
• Have no viral/sexually transmitted infections

They will be anonymous (unknown) to the intended parents, as per law. These anonymous donors are recruited through egg donation programs or agencies and are not known to the recipient.

The Process of egg donation involves:
• The egg donors are screened and ensured in good health.
• The donor is given hormone injections
• Follicles in the ovary are monitored on ultrasound scan for growth
• Once follicles reach certain size, they are ready for retrieval i.e., Egg Collection.
• Under sedation, under ultrasound guidance, the follicles are aspirated.
• The eggs from this fluid are separated are evaluated by an embryologist.
• Then sperm from the male partner or a sperm bank are placed around (called in vitro
fertilization – IVF) or injected into each egg (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection – ICSI)
• An embryo (fertilised egg) is then transferred into the recipient’s uterus 3 to 5 days later.
• If successful, the embryo will implant into the uterus and develop into a healthy baby.

The success of egg donation is higher than IVF cycles with own eggs. It also depends on many factors but is not considered to be related to the age of the recipient.

It’s all worth it in the end – We know and totally agree that IVF is a lengthy procedure and can take up a lot of time and effort. It can be emotionally draining for the couple and even cause anxiety or stress. But all this makes complete sense when you get the positive result for the pregnancy test and deliver a healthy baby. It is undeniably the happiest moment for the couple to be able to hold their baby in their arms. IVF can neither guarantee pregnancy nor promise live childbirth, yet it is the most successful Assisted Reproductive Technique (ART) for couples who are unable to conceive naturally due to fertility issues.