Planning a child with donor egg IVF
Egg donor IVF is a fertility treatment option for those who can’t use their own eggs, for whatever reason. Especially when using a screened egg donor (as opposed to a family member or friend), the success rates for egg donor IVF are good—higher than the average IVF success rates for couples not using a donor.
While egg donor IVF means the intended mother will not be genetically related to her child, the intended father will be, unless a sperm donor is also being used. This makes it more attractive of an idea than embryo donor IVF. With an embryo donor, neither intended parent would be genetically related to the child.
Gay male couples interested in family building with IVF will also require an egg donor. In this case, one of the intended fathers will be genetically related to the child, assuming they don’t use a sperm donor.) A gestational carrier would be required to carry the pregnancy and give birth to the child.
When Egg Donor IVF Is Needed ?
In conventional IVF treatment, the woman takes fertility drugs to stimulate egg production in her ovaries. Once the eggs reach maturity, they are retrieved via an ultrasound-guided needle.
The retrieved eggs are placed in a petri dish with sperm cells, and hopefully, some eggs are fertilized. The resulting embryos can then either be transferred to the mother’s uterus, transferred to a gestational carrier’s uterus, or frozen for a later cycle.
But what if the intended mother’s ovaries aren’t producing enough eggs for regular IVF? Or what if the intended mother’s ovaries are completely absent? What if a gay male couple wants to have a child? Then egg donor IVF may be recommended. Here are some situations in which egg donor IVF may be required or recommended.
- Age related infertility (most often for women age 40 or older)
- A single male with a gestational carrier
- Gay male couple having a child with a gestational carrier
- Genetic disease risk on female partner’s side
- Low ovarian reserves (indicated by very high FSH levels or a low antral follicle count)
- Primary ovarian insufficiency (also known as premature ovarian failure)
- Post-cancer treatment (if the ovaries or eggs were damaged or removed)
- Repeated canceled IVF treatment due to poor or low ovarian response
- Unexplained repeated IVF failure
- Woman born without her ovaries due to a congenital anomaly
Where to Find an Egg Donor ?
Your fertility doctor can discuss with you in detail your options for finding an egg donor. That said, there are a number of common sources.
Donor Sources
- A friend or family member
- Another infertile couple willing to share their retrieved eggs
- Egg bank (in this case, frozen eggs)
- Egg donor agency
- Fertility clinic offering you IVF treatment