Finding the Next Step in Treating Your Infertility: Are Donor Eggs Right for You?
It’s safe to say; most women don’t plan to struggle with infertility. When sitting with your partner or friends, you don’t excitedly discuss your preferred reproductive treatments and which IVF drugs you hope you’ll take.
When biology fails us, we’re left trying to find reputable companies, like Donor Egg Bank USA, to help us figure out the next best step in conceiving a child.
If a woman is facing an infertility diagnosis, she may have several questions about what to do and how to proceed. For many women and couples, egg donation is an ideal solution.
Who are the Ideal Candidates for Donor Egg IVF?
In the beginning, egg donation was primarily geared towards the 1% of women who suffered from premature ovarian failure (POF).
In recent years, doctors have found that a variety of different women are good candidates for donor eggs. While POF is still a significant reason for donor egg usage, other women who struggle with poor egg quality and diminished ovarian reserves are also likely to benefit from using an egg donor.
Other potential candidates are women dealing with factors like:
- Multiple failed rounds of IVF
- Genetic conditions which can be passed down to a child
- Women over 40 years old
Should You Choose Fresh or Frozen Donor Eggs?
It’s a common misconception that fresh donor eggs are the only ‘good’ option for a woman who’s considering egg donation. On the contrary, a critical scientific advancement has made frozen donor eggs a worthy competitor.
A revolutionary flash-freezing process known as vitrification has been a game-changer within the donor egg industry. This technique exposes the collected eggs to advanced cryoprotectants, which help prevent ice crystal formation during the freezing and storage process. Thanks to this discovery, frozen donor egg IVF success rates closely mimic those of fresh eggs.
Another advantage of using frozen donor egg IVF is its cost. Its widely-known infertility treatments are quite costly. Donor eggs are no exception. The average fresh donor egg cycle can cost more than $22,000. In contrast, frozen eggs can be used for as low as $15,000.
While $15,000 is still an understandably large amount, there are options available to make the process more affordable.
Many fertility clinics and management agencies, such as Donor Egg Bank USA and Ally Escrow Managament, offer competitive financing options and money-back guarantees in the event a pregnancy doesn’t occur. Additionally, there are various grants and scholarships available to struggling families. Finally, women can request more affordable medications if they’re valid options.
What’s Involved in the Frozen Donor Egg IVF Process?
Once an individual or couple decides to try frozen donor egg IVF, the process can begin. After selecting from a pool of highly-screened potential donors, their chosen lot of eggs will be sent to their fertility clinic to await thawing and fertilization.
The hopeful mother will begin a series of pre-IVF screenings, which include bloodwork and ultrasounds. These tests will assist her doctor in choosing the right regimen of hormone medications, like progesterone and estrogen, in preparing her body for the upcoming embryo transfer.
While taking these medications, her process will be monitored through bloodwork and transvaginal ultrasounds until her team decides she is ready for the transfer.
At this time, an embryo transfer will be performed. During this procedure, the developing embryo will be placed directly into the woman’s uterus under the guidance of a thin catheter and ultrasound technology.
Two weeks after the transfer has taken place, the woman’s doctor will perform a blood pregnancy test to identify the hopeful presence of hCG—the pregnancy hormone. If the right level of this hormone is found, it’s a good indication the cycle was a success.
Taking Your Next Step to Become a Family
Little girls who grow up playing with dolls don’t usually imagine dealing with infertility or needing an egg donor to get pregnant. What they imagine is watching their bellies grow, planning nurseries, and picking out names. With frozen donor egg IVF, all these things are possible.
When you bring your child into the world and look down at their sweet face for the first time, it won’t matter how they got here or whether you share DNA. All you’ll care about is the bond you’ve forged throughout your pregnancy and the beautiful life ahead for both of you.
