The Top Three Scenarios in Which an Egg Donor Is Needed Because of Infertility
Some couples are already aware that they need an egg donor to build their family, but for others, learning they need one can be an uninvited surprise. Egg donation offers a remarkable opportunity, but coming to terms with using an egg donor can be a difficult adjustment. Regardless of whether you knew egg donation was needed or if it was a surprise, the donor selection process is still the same.
Chelsea Fertility NYC has highlighted the top three scenarios in which egg donation is needed. Of course, there are more than three types of infertility cases that lead to using donor eggs, so please keep this in mind when consulting with a fertility specialist if you are having difficulty conceiving.
Age - Even though many women are certainly tired of hearing about how age relates to fertility, it’s still true that a clear correlation exists. Older parents-to-be may struggle to conceive without assisted reproduction due to a lowered quality and/or quantity of the female partner’s eggs. Infertility treatments can certainly be used to assist in conception, but they may not be recommended after the eggs are screened or if previous treatment was unsuccessful.
Family genetics and history - Female partners who carry certain genetic conditions can choose to use an egg donor to avoid passing the condition to their child, but still enjoy the ability to be pregnant. This is for cases where the female partner chooses not to under PDS/PGS, which would screen for any genetic abnormalities and remove the genetic condition from the embryo prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Previous medical treatment - Certain life-saving medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can damage a person’s fertility and make it difficult to conceive later in life. Egg donation is used in cases where a woman underwent cancer or other medical treatments earlier in her life, but now faces lowered egg quality and/or quantity to the point where conception without third-party reproduction is not possible.
In an era of modern family building, with services like egg donation and gestational surrogacy becoming more prominent in the infertility and LGBTQ communities, more couples are open about how their family came to be. Deciding to use an egg donor is a momentous decision, and support services, case managers and your fertility specialist are available to assist through every step of the process.
