What is egg donation?
The procedure of using another woman’s eggs for conception by a recipient couple.
I am interested in donating my eggs, where should I start?
You should be between ages 21-35 and in excellent health. You should read as much as possible about the process and, if possible, ask women who participated in the process about their experience. You should then contact some of the national egg banks and ask for information about becoming a donor.
We are interested in finding an egg donor, where should we start?
Call me at 405-945-4701.
Is the egg donation process legal?
Yes. In the State of Oklahoma, the recipient couple is considered the legitimate father and mother. The donor has no rights or responsibilities to the child so born, and the child can not claim the donor as parent.
What are the indications for egg donation?
If a woman is unable to produce viable eggs ( due to early menopause, absence of ovaries, poor ovarian function, poor quality eggs) or may transmit serious or fatal abnormalities to her children due to a genetic abnormality, she may be a candidate to receive another woman’s eggs.
How do we find out about available egg donors?
Contact one of the national egg banks.
What are your selection criteria for an egg donor?
Women who wish to serve as donors must be between ages 21-35 and in excellent physical and mental health. . They must exhibit full understanding of the process. Their family history must be free of inherited diseases such as alcohol abuse, mental illnesses, hereditary cancers, and severe cardiovascular disease. If they donated elsewhere before, they must have had less than 6 prior donation cycles. They must pass rigorous screening consisting of a physical examination, psychological screening, and screening for infectious diseases (including HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) and cystic fibrosis. Additional genetic testing is performed on donors based on selective criteria.
What are the risks to the egg donor?
There are no known major long-term risks to the donor. The procedure is not associated with earlier onset of menopause, reduction in future fertility, or cancer. Immediate short-term complications are extremely rare but may include ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, bleeding, infection, injury during egg retrieval, or anesthesia complications.
How many times can a person donate eggs?
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproduction (SART) recommend that no more than 6 egg donation cycle be performed per individual.
What are the costs of an egg donation cycle? Is there any financial compensation to the donor?
Currently (though price periodically changes), the recipient couple is expected to pay approximately $20,000-22,000 per cycle, depending on how many eggs are requested from the egg bank.
Would you allow disclosure of the donor’s identity to the recipient couple and vice versa if both or either request it?
Absolutely not. Anonymous (now termed “unidentified”) egg donation is exactly that- anonymous. If all parties sign up initially for an anonymous donation, the physicians or clinics involved will not allow disclosure later on. Medical information, however, may be given to the recipient couple at any time, as long as the donor’s identity is protected. Physicians and clinics will not usually notify the donor whether pregnancy has resulted from their donation procedure. However, in this age of home genetic testing and shared information on the social media, the identity of the egg donor may be searchable and available through venues other than the egg bank or physicians (“anonymity is a relative term nowadays, hence the change in terminology to “unidentified”…”)
AN EGG DONATION CYCLE
Preparation of recipient:
Interview with Dr. Reshef
Blood work for infectious diseases (HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, GC, chlamydia)- on both husband and wife.
Semen analysis for IVF screen (husband)
X-ray of the uterus (HSG) or ultrasound or hysteroscopy
“Mock cycle” (optional)- estrogen pills, injections, or skin patches for several weeks, followed by an ultrasound to assess the lining of the uterus, followed by progesterone cream or suppositories or injections for 7-10 days, followed by an endometrial biopsy (small sample from the uterine cavity to assess the readiness of the lining for implantation). the mock cycle lasts approximately 4 weeks.
Preparation of donor:
Performed by another practice based on criteria of a particular egg bank. Generally, it includes:
Interview with nurse coordinator after filling questionnaire
Interview and physical examination (including an ultrasound)
Blood work for infectious diseases (see above)
Interview with a psychologist
Genetic testing when indicated
Actual egg donation cycle:
Recipient: estrogen (skin patches, pills, or injections) for several weeks, followed by an ultrasound to assess the uterine lining. Progesterone will be taken by recipient in addition to estrogen patches. Recipient’s husband will give a sperm sample on the day of donor egg thaw. Embryo transfer (usually 1- 2 embryos) will be performed 5 days after insemination of frozen-thawed eggs. Pregnancy test will be performed 9-14 days after embryo transfer.
Donor: The process usually lasts a total of 6-7 weeks. The egg bank determines the ovarian stimulation protocol. Ultrasound to ascertain that the ovaries are suppressed by the medications above (“suppression check“) will be performed at week 4 or 5. In the first 5 weeks, the donor is seen only twice. The donor then takes 6-10 days of daily injections to stimulate the ovaries to produce several eggs (week 6). During week 6, she is seen every other day for 4-5 times. Egg retrieval is performed under IV sedation on week 7. The donor may start light duty the next day and possibly may return to normal activities in 1-2 days. Stimulation of the donor’s ovaries and egg retrieval are usually performed elsewhere (another practice or at the egg bank facility) Frozen eggs are shipped from the egg bank to the facility performing the transfer, thawed, and then fertilized with the receipient’s husband’s sperm or with donor sperm.