There are so many factors to consider throughout your fertility journey. Should you start with an intrauterine insemination (IUI)? Will in vitro fertilization (IVF) provide a higher success rate? When, if at all, should you consider an egg or sperm donor? According to the CDC, 12% of all IVF pregnancies are achieved through egg donation. If you’ve experienced difficulty becoming pregnant learning more about the process and benefits of egg donation can help you make an informed decision about your next steps.
Why Choose to Use Egg Donation?
Depending on your personal situation, egg donation may be your best choice when beginning your IVF journey. There are many reasons patients decide to pursue pregnancy through egg donation:
- Higher IVF pregnancy success rates
- Premature ovarian failure
- To prevent passing on serious diseases
- Damaged eggs due to medical conditions/treatments
- Unsuccessful previous IVF treatments using your own eggs
- Egg donors are highly-screened for genetic disorders, infectious diseases, psychological conditions, and general health
Using a donor egg
While not every patient is a candidate for egg donation, patients who have a healthy uterus may be able to conceive with a donated egg, even at an advanced maternal age. Because egg donors are young, IVF cycles using those eggs have a higher success rate per cycle. Egg donation is a great choice for patients who may not be able to use their own eggs due to genetic diseases they don’t want to pass on to their children or who needed aggressive medical treatments for cancer or another illness, but who would otherwise be able to successfully carry a pregnancy using healthy eggs. All of these factors – and whether egg donation is a viable treatment option for you – will be thoroughly discussed during an appointment with Dr. Levi.
What is the Process
Using a donated egg very much follows the regular process of an IVF transfer. After selecting a donor (be it a directed donor/someone you know or anonymous), the egg will be fertilized with your partner’s (or a donor’s) sperm. During this time, you will begin the IVF process of preparing your uterus for an eventual embryo transfer and implantation.
Egg donation has allowed many patients to experience the joy of pregnancy and the successful delivery of a healthy baby. We offer this option to our patients. We work with you to find the perfect donor match, providing you with genetic and ethnic background information in addition to characteristics such as eye color, height, hair type, etc. To learn more about whether this option is available to you, contact us by phone or online to schedule an appointment with Dr. Levi.