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Information About Egg Donation As An Alternate Route To Pregnancy

By Heidi J. Dillon


One of the causes of female infertility is the inability to release healthy ova, or eggs each month. When this is found to be the cause, one route fertility doctors might suggest is egg donation. This procedure involves the use of a donor egg from another woman, which is then fertilized and implanted into the womb of the recipient.

More often than not, candidates for this approach are older women, possibly close to menopause, who may fail to ovulate reliably or the quality of their own eggs may be questionable due to their age. Chemotherapy or surgical removal of the ovaries are other reasons for using this approach. A family doctor or gynecologist can recommend these women for treatment at a facility that performs this procedure.

It can be very costly to receive this treatment, and most other assisted reproductive procedures for that matter as well. This cost covers all stages from pre-screening to implantation in addition to compensation for the donor, and it usually runs several thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. A contract must also be signed between the two parties since it also has a legal aspect in terms of responsibilities and rights.

The process of selecting a donor is done anonymously except in cases where a friend or family member agrees to act as a donor. Potential recipients can select donors who meet their preferred criteria in terms of appearance, education, ethnicity and such, they must also prepare a letter introducing themselves that will be given to any donors of interest. Donors who accept a recipient's request are considered a match.

The first step in the whole process is to synchronize the menstrual cycles of both the recipient and the donor. On day one of the donor's period, her ovarian function will be evaluated through ultrasound and blood tests, and she will be given birth control pills. Eventually other fertility drugs in the form of both injections and pills will be taken as well.

The donor's present ovulation pattern will cease as she takes oral contraceptives and daily gonadotropin injections for about a month. Following this round of medications, she will then have a period that will occur at the same time as that of the recipient, which is necessary for successful embryo implantation.

The next step involves the recipient taking a daily injection so her ovaries will mature many eggs, their maturation will be monitored by ongoing ultrasound checks and blood tests. When the eggs are ready, an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin will be taken to aid in their release, and in a day or so they can be harvested and fertilized with the male partner's sperm. The recipient is also given a course of injections to prepare her womb lining and suppress ovulation. A cervical catheter will then be used to introduce two to four embryos into the uterus.

Many couples become parents through this procedure, although sometimes in vitro techniques fail, and the pregnancy ends in miscarriage. The hormones taken can also cause side effects in some patients such as breast tenderness, mood swings, hot flashes, and very rarely pain and swelling from hyper-stimulation of the ovaries.




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