Egg donation treatment is a process in which eggs used in the IVF process are retrieved from a fertile woman other than the expectant mother. Oocyte donation is currently almost the only effective treatment for women with ovarian failure and older women willing to have a baby. Although egg donation treatment is available in many countries in Europe, Cyprus is considered as the most experienced country in this treatment method.
As fertility rates are in a decreasing trend across the European continent due to the aging population and other factors, Near East University IVF Centre stands forefront with her success in achieving pregnancies in IVF treatment including egg donation treatment. The live birth rate per embryo transfer is over 50% in embryos created after oocyte (egg) donation.
Who Is Recommended Oocyte (egg) Donation?
- Women with primary ovarian failure or without ovaries
- Menopausal women with reduced or no ovarian function
- Families who do not want to pass on their genetic diseases to their newborn
- Those who could not get pregnant due to low oocyte quality despite trying assisted reproductive technologies at least 3-4 times
- Those with advanced reproductive age (> 40 years),
- Special circumstances; It is recommended for those with Turner syndrome or those who receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy due to cancer and similar diseases
Egg Donor
First of all, the identities of both donor and recipient are kept confidential. Donors to be accepted for the egg donation program must be between the ages of 20 and 35 and in good health. Women, who want to donate eggs, need to be in good health, physically and emotionally. To this end, they should be willing to undergo physical, gynecological and psychological evaluations.It is of importance to conduct screening tests in compliance with ESHRE and ASRM criteria and determine that the prospective donors are free from medical and genetic disorders, and infectious diseases. Donors to be accepted are also required to have a series of tests including blood group and RH factor test, infection panel for In the syphilis, anti-Hepatitis B antibody), Hepatitis B virus antigen, anti-Hepatitis C antibody, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) / type 2 (HIV-2); chlamydial infections, and gonorrhea.
Informing the Couple
It is essential to inform the couple about the medical procedure of egg donation treatment. The questions of the participating couple must be answered clearly and accurately by their doctors. Before continuing the procedure, informed consent stating that they accept the treatment procedure must be obtained from the couples.
Stages of the Process
- Egg Donor Matching: The physical characteristics of the couple is matched with the most appropriate anonymous egg donor whose observable characteristics such as body-build, skin color, and hair color, as well as whose blood type, Rh factor, ethnicity match with those of the couple as much as possible.
- Stimulation of the donor's ovaries: As in the conventional IVF treatment, on day 2 or 3 of the donor's menstrual cycle, egg stimulating medication is started to stimulate the development of follicles of the ovaries resulting in the production of multiple eggs in one cycle. The follicular development is monitored via ultrasound and when the desired egg number and size are ensured, the mature oocytes are retrieved through a procedure called ovum pick up (OPU). The retrieved eggs are either vitrified for later use or fertilized with the male partner's sperm collected on the same day of the egg retrieval to form embryos.
- Preparation of the recipient: The recipient's uterine inner wall, namely the endometrium, is prepared for embryo transplantation. This process can be either synchronized, that is simultaneously with the stimulation of the donor egg cells, or with the transfer of the frozen-thawed embryo(s) created from the donor egg(s) that fertilized with the sperm of the recipient's partner.
- Embryo Transfer: The embryos created from donor oocytes are duly transferred when the endometrium of the recipient woman is at ultimate receptivity. Unused embryos may be frozen for later use upon the demand of the couple.
Estrogen and progesterone, which were used to ensure the endometrium receptiveness for embryo implantation, are continued until the day of the pregnancy test (usually 12 days after embryo transfer), If the test is positive, these medications may be continued for several weeks. - Pregnancy test: A blood pregnancy test is done usually 12 days after the embryo transfer.