The donor egg program has been established to assist couples who cannot have a child because the woman is unable to produce normal eggs. This can occur for several reasons:
Some women undergo menopause at a very early age and are then unable to produce normal eggs. Other women may still have normal menstrual cycles but are unable to produce eggs, which can be fertilized Some women may have no ovaries and thus be unable to produce eggs. Other women may produce eggs, which are defective in some way.
Each of these women has a normal uterus and can become pregnant and carry pregnancies to term. In order for these women to become pregnant, donated human eggs are used, in an in vitro fertilization procedure, whereby the donated eggs are fertilized with sperm from the partner of the woman who can not produce normal eggs, and the resulting embryos are then transferred into the woman's uterus. The birth mother will be the legal mother and her partner will be the legal father.
How the Process Works
In order to increase the chances that the woman will become pregnant from the donated eggs, the donor is given medications to make her ovaries produce multiple mature eggs in one ovulatory cycle. (To the best of our knowledge, there is no damage from these medications and they should not affect future reproductive capabilities.)
The donor begins the donation process by taking birth control pills. Several medications are then used to stimulate egg maturation in the donor’s ovaries. One type affects the pituitary gland and the other affects the ovaries. These medications are given by injection over a 10-12 day time period. Major side effects from these medications are rare. Sometimes a donor may “overreact” to the injectable medications and the ovaries produce too many eggs.
The donor will be monitored at the clinic every other day and then daily during her donation cycle. She will have a blood draw and ultrasound at each appointment. Once the eggs have reached maturity, the egg retrieval will be scheduled.
An egg donor should be in excellent health between 21 and 31 years of age. The donor must complete a medical and genetic history and will undergo a full screening exam. The donor must adhere to the rigid schedule of monitoring and will be asked to abstain from sexual intercourse during the donation cycle.
Once a donor is accepted into the program, an anonymous profile of her is given to potential recipients. The donor actually participates in the donation procedure after a recipient couple has chosen her. It sometimes takes several months for a donor to be chosen by a recipient.
Pacific NW Fertility’s Donor Egg Program is very important for women who have no normal eggs of their own and it is their only chance to become pregnant. We hope that you will consider being a part of the Donor Egg Program. Please remember that you will be committing approximately three weeks of your time, but will be well compensated.
For more information or if you have further questions, please contact Stephanie Frickleton, Donor Program Coordinator at sfrickleton@pnwfertility.com or (206) 515-0042.