Some people assume couples and individuals who experience infertility will decide to stop at one or two children. While this may be true in many cases, there’s no specific guideline for families who struggle to conceive.
If you’ve dreamt of having a big family all your life, who says your dream won’t come true because of fertility issues? Whether you’re trying to get pregnant in your 40s, are struggling with secondary infertility, or have poor egg quality, there are other options to consider.
Egg donation is ideal for women who want to add to their growing brood but don’t have the right number or type of eggs to do so. If you’re thinking about using donor eggs, there are a few things you should know.
What Do You Need to Know About Egg Donors?
While there are many different reasons why women choose to become egg donors, the process they’ll undergo will be very much the same.
Before a woman’s eggs are considered for donation, she must participate in a thorough screening process. This includes a variety of tests like:
- Drug testing
- General health examinations
- Psychological evaluations
- Background checks
Hopeful parents will be given access to the data obtained during this screening process. In addition, potential parents will receive information about the donor’s physical appearance, professional, and education backgrounds. Whether egg recipients are searching for a donor with similar physical traits, ethnicity, or professional goals, they will have the opportunity to find the perfect match for their family.
Once all of the pertinent information has been gathered, the donor’s eggs will be collected and frozen to await selection. Thanks to the state-of-the art technology known as vitrification, a flash freezing technique which exposes the donor eggs to cryoprotectants that prevent ice crystal formation and decay, the quality of the eggs is well maintained during the freezing and storage process.
After an individual or couple has chosen a donor, their selected egg lot will be sent to their fertility clinic to await fertilization and implantation.
What Does the Physical Frozen Donor Egg IVF Process Entail?
Finding a donor is the first step in the egg donation process. Once that decision has been finalized, a couple will begin the physical frozen donor egg IVF process.
To start, the prospective mother will undergo a series of essential health examinations, which will include a variety of bloodwork and ultrasounds. These will provide her doctor with baseline information about her reproductive system. Using this information, the doctor will prescribe a series of medications, including progesterone and oestrogen, to help prepare her uterus and endometrial lining for the upcoming embryo transfer.
During this hormone-therapy phase, the woman’s response to the medication will be evaluated using bloodwork and transvaginal ultrasounds. When the IVF team at her fertility clinic determines her body is ready, they will schedule the embryo transfer.
During the transfer, the doctor will implant the fertilized embryo directly into the woman’s uterus with the use of ultrasound technology and a thin catheter. This process is fast and pain-free.
Two weeks post-transfer, a blood pregnancy test will be administered to check the patient’s hCG levels. With any luck, the number will be high enough to prove successful implantation has taken place.
Continue Building Your Family with Donors Eggs
If you’ve dreamt of a large family your entire life, there’s no reason to let infertility struggles ruin your dream. Despite advanced age, secondary infertility, and deteriorating egg quality, there’s still hope thanks to donor egg IVF.
Egg donation is a versatile option that allows a woman to expand her family despite hardships she may have already endured. Not only will you still be gaining the children you’ve always wanted, but you’ll have the opportunity to carry them the same way you did your other sons or daughters, if you already have them.
Donor eggs may not be the path you were planning on, but the final result is worth any roadblocks along the way. When you look at your children surrounding their new brother or sister, it won’t matter where the egg came from. All you will care about is the lifetime of precious memories waiting to be made with your new addition.
