A Closer Look at Assisted Conception: How Does a Donor Egg Work?

If you’re reading this blog, you may be…. A hopeful parent looking into assisted reproduction. Understandably, you may be asking yourself dozens of overwhelming questions regarding this journey. How do I find the right egg donor? How do I work together with my current clinic and a new egg bank? What are my options in terms of plans and pricing? What does insemination look like? You may ALSO be an aspiring egg donor interested in the idea of donating your eggs BUT want to be more informed on the process of hormone medications, retrieval, and egg freezing. So, how does a donor egg work?

Today, we’ll address this question from both perspectives: the donor and the recipient!

 

 

Who Needs Donor Eggs?

While each person’s exact circumstances are completely unique, many singles and couples seek our reproductive services for the following reasons.

• Those with diminished ovarian reserve or premature ovarian failure.
• Couples facing male factor infertility.
• Those with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss.
• Those with a history of one or more serious and debilitating genetic diseases.
• Older individuals with diminished fertility.
• Those who are single, looking to start a family through insemination.
• Same-sex couples who want to become parents.

 

How Does a Donor Egg Work for Aspiring Egg Donors?

So, how does a donor egg work in terms of preparing and retrieving the right number of eggs for a future parent to use?

Before an egg donor can head to that retrieval room, they need to complete hormone stimulation. This is a process in which the egg donor will self-administer hormone injections, to mature a larger number of eggs than would mature in a normal menstrual cycle. Each period cycle, only ONE egg will actually mature. When you think about it, the only eggs being retrieved are eggs that would have otherwise not matured and have been reabsorbed into the body.

Once their ovaries have been stimulated for a 2-week period, it’s time for the egg retrieval procedure!

Let’s dig into exactly how these eggs will be retrieved from our lovely donors.

While our egg donor is under twilight sedation, an ultrasound probe will be inserted into their vaginal canal with a microscopic needle. This will pass through their vaginal wall, then locate the follicles within her ovaries, which hold the matured eggs. With a suctioning device, the eggs will be retrieved (with no scarring or incisions!).

 

What Happens to a Donor’s Egg After They’re Retrieved?

Once the eggs have been retrieved by our clinical professionals, what happens to them? In most cases, they will be frozen through the process of cryopreservation, if the future parents intend on using frozen rather than fresh eggs.

 

How Does a Donor Egg Work for Future Parents?

Now that we know how donor eggs are retrieved, how does a donor egg work for future parents? At The World Egg and Sperm Bank, ALL our egg donors in our database have frozen eggs already in the bank, so you won’t need to wait for eggs to be retrieved in order to choose a donor.

 

Choosing the perfect egg donor

Before you find your donor eggs, you need to choose the right egg donor for YOU first (view our donors HERE)! What qualities can you view within a donor database? We encourage our future parents to look into:

• Genetics: While the features of a future baby will also consider the genetics of the male partner, recipients can view ethnicity, race, hair color, hair texture, eye color, height as well as other features. This allows recipients to choose a donor which most closely aligns with their own features if they so choose.
• Medical History: Our medical history allows you to see whether a donor is a good match in terms of overall health, based on our extensive medical screening results.
• Donor’s bio and personality: Establishing an emotional connection with your donor can be crucial to the selection process. For example, maybe their reason for donating really resonated with you. Perhaps they have similar or admirable school and career passions, hobbies, and or dreams. While these donor’s unique qualities do not quite biologically transfer, this helps create a special connection, when you are unable to meet said donor.
• Register Online– Create a account with us (for free) to view the full profile of the donor(s) you’re keen to move forward with.
• Work with one of our Client Representatives: Our friendly and empathetic client representatives will help guide you towards finalizing your decision on an egg donor. Once it has been finalized, they will help you reach out to your clinic to plan shipping and receiving dates to then start insemination plans with your clinic.

 

How Does In Vitro Fertilization Work with Donor Eggs?

Many future parents may be well versed in the process of In vitro fertilization, others may not, which is okay! In vitro fertilization is the procedure in which a woman uses donated, mature eggs to become pregnant. They will be fertilized with the male partner’s sperm, becoming an embryo.

• For frozen eggs, you will start your cycle once the eggs have been received from our bank to your clinic.
• A date for transfer will be given by your clinic.
• Your clinic will thaw the frozen donor eggs, fertilized in their lab to become embryos, and you will finally undergo an embryo transfer a few days later.
• This procedure consists of your doctor inserting a thin tube into the vagina, which contains the embryo, through your cervix and into the womb.

 

 

Become an Egg Donor OR View our Egg Donors!

Whether you are trying to become a parent or donor, we have great resources and staff to assist you in your journey! View our database of available egg donors or apply to become one!

 

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