Most women experience a natural decline in ovarian function after age 35. Aging naturally causes a decrease in egg quality, which for some women may increase the need to use donor eggs in order to become pregnant.
Donor Egg IVF: The Basics
The reproductive potential of some women is compromised because they do not produce eggs, produce low-grade eggs and/or embryos, or are carriers of a genetic condition.
An option for these women is to undergo donor egg IVF, which is done in conjunction with IVF treatment. Treatment with egg donation involves a woman who serves as an egg donor and a woman who serves as the recipient.
Donor Egg IVF can be used for women who have a healthy uterus, but who either have no eggs (women with early menopause or history of surgical removal) or eggs that have not responded to medications or IVF.
It is a process whereby the egg donor has eggs removed from her ovaries and then fertilized with sperm in our laboratory. The fertilized eggs (now embryos) are then transferred into the uterine cavity of the recipient woman for implantation and the establishment of pregnancy.
Who Uses Donor Eggs?
- Women of advanced reproductive age
- Gay men
- Women who are carriers of a genetic disease
- Women with egg-factor infertility
- Women with multiple failures to conceive after IVF
- Women with a low response to ovulation induction
- Women who’ve undergone cancer treatment
- Women without ovaries
- Women with genetic diseases or chromosomal translocations that they wish to avoid passing on to their offspring.
Egg donors may be a member of the patient’s family, a friend, or an anonymous volunteer screened by our staff. The egg donor must use fertility drugs to stimulate the development of multiple mature eggs, whereas the recipient takes estrogen and progesterone to prepare the uterus for embryos derived through egg donation. The sperm of the husband, partner, or sperm donor is used to fertilize the eggs. All egg donors are screened before they are accepted into the program.
Anonymous egg donors are healthy women between the ages of 19-33 who go through the following testing procedures before being accepted:
- Medical history and physical examination
- Testing for infectious diseases
- Screening for inheritable diseases through the family health questionnaire
Members of our nursing staff can discuss with you the egg donor option
Donor Egg: Fast Facts
- Donated eggs are used only with IVF cycles
- For fresh egg donation (a friend/family member), the egg donor takes medications to stimulate egg production and then undergoes an IVF egg retrieval
- For frozen egg donation, eggs are obtained from an egg bank, thawed, fertilized and the resultant embryo(s) transferred into the recipient’s uterus
- A donor’s eggs are fertilized with the partner’s sperm or donor sperm
- Embryo(s) are then transferred to your uterus
Give the Gift of Life and Love
Congratulations! You are taking the first step in creating a miracle.
Why become an egg donor?
The longing to build a family and nurture a child is one of the most basic and natural desires for many women. Unfortunately, some women are unable to conceive. For many patients, receiving a donated egg is the last hope for a baby. Most of the time, those considering egg donations have tried everything else to conceive- exhaustive testing, countless appointments with fertility specialists, and strained relationships.
Through the Egg Donation Program at NewLife Fertility Centre, these women are given hope. Because caring and compassionate young women make the ultimate gift by donating their eggs, these women are given the opportunity to conceive, carry and deliver a child.
Who can become an Egg Donor in Canada
Anyone who has been screened for communicable diseases as mandated by Health Canada can become a donor.
However, all potential Egg Donors must meet the following basic criteria:
- Egg donors Age between 21 and 32 years old
- The egg donor must be a non-smoker
- Healthy Egg donors
- Mature and prepared to help a couple have a child
- Have low FSH levels and at least 6 eggs
The egg donor must use fertility drugs to stimulate the development of multiple mature eggs, whereas the recipient takes estrogen and progesterone to prepare the uterus for embryos derived through egg donation. The sperm of the husband, partner, or sperm donor is used to fertilize the eggs.
Anonymous egg donors will go through the following testing procedures before being accepted:
- Medical history and physical examination.
- Testing for infectious diseases.
- Screening for inheritable diseases through family health questionnaire.
They will also be required to sign anonymity consent as well as attend a counseling session prior to donation.
Who are the candidates to receive donated eggs?
NewLife Fertility Centre facilitates both Anonymous and Known (Designated) Egg Donor programs. These programs allow patients to choose an Anonymous Egg Donor, or to use donated eggs from a woman known to them.