Egg donor

An egg donor is a woman who provides usally several eggs (ova, oocytes) for another person or couple who want to have a child. Egg donation involves the process of in vitro fertilization as the eggs are fertilized in the laboratory. The role of the egg donor is completed after the eggs have been obtained. Egg donation is part of the process of third party reproduction.

Indication

The need for an egg donor may arise for a number of reasons. Infertile couples may resort to the service of an egg donor when the wife cannot have biological children because she may not have eggs that can be successfully fertilized. This situation is often based on advanced reproductive age. Another indication would be a genetic disorder on part of the woman that can be circumvented by using eggs from another person.

Screening

An egg donor needs to be screened in a number of ways before egg donation should proceed.

1. Medical and reproductive evaluation. A donor needs to be young (age 20-35), fertile, and healthy.
2. Sexual activity evaluation. Donors with risky sexual practices need to be excluded to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.
3. Screening for drug abuse.
4. Evaluation to reduce the risk of genetic disease.
5. Screening for disease that could be transmitted sexually, including HIV, hepatitis B and C.
6. Ecxclusion of recipients of human organ transplants.

Procedure

Egg donors are recruited, screened, and consented prior to participation in the IVF process. Some patients bring their own, designated donors, while other patients rely on the services of often anonymous donors typically recruited by egg donor agencies or, sometimes, IVF programs. Once the egg donor is recruited, she undergoes the IVF stimulation therapy, followed by the egg retrieval procedure. After retrieval, the ova are handed over to the recipient couple, fertilized by the sperm of the male partner in the laboratory, and after several days, the resulting embryo(s) is placed in the uterus of the recipient. For the embryo transfer the lining of the recipient has been appropriately prepared in a synchronous fashion. The recipient is usally the person who requested the service and then will carry and deliver the pregnancy and keep the baby.

Results

Results in treatments with the use of egg from donors often have a better than 50% chance of success. With egg donation, women who are past their reproductive years or menopause can become pregnant. The oldest woman thus to give birth is Adriana Iliescu, age 66. Babys born after egg donation are not genetically related to the recipient.

Motivation

An egg donor may be motivated by a number of reasons to provide eggs. Some egg donors may be altruistic and feel that participation in the reproductive process provides a benefit for another person, sometimes a person they know or are related to. Others may be attracted to the monetary compensation.

Risks

Egg Donor

Egg donation carries risks for donor and recipeint. The egg donor may suffer complications from IVF, specifically there could be bleeding from the oocyte recovery procedure and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Also unintended pregnancy could occur. The long term impact of egg donation on donors has not been well studied.

Recipient

The recipient has the risk of contracting a transmittable disease. While the donor may test negative for HIV, such testing does exclude the possibility that very recently HIV has been contracted, such the recipient faces a residual risk of exposure. The recipient also trusts that the genetic and medical history of the donor is accurate. Multiple birth is a complication if the physician transfers too many embryos.

Custody

Generally legal documents are signed to hand oocytes over to the recipient and renounce rights of ownership and custody on part of the donor, so that there will be no claims on part of the donor concerning the offspring.

Legality

Use of egg donors is regulated and /or prohibited in many countries.

Reference

ASRM Practice Committee Reports, Fertility Sterility 82, Suppl. 1, Sept. 2004.