Egg Donation

Egg donation can be used when other reproductive options have either been exhausted or are not available. We provide the needed support to patients during the process of selecting an egg donor.

There is now a great deal of logistical potential and versatility in resources when planning your family. Eggs can be donated anonymously or non-anonymously (directed). Resultant embryos can be used as fresh embryos (just fertilized and cultured) or thawed after being frozen. Embryos themselves can be derived from eggs just harvested (fresh eggs) or from frozen eggs in an egg bank (similar to a sperm bank). All options work equally well, and Chelsea Fertility NYC has success with all these options.

Why Choose Egg Donation?

Oocytes (eggs) from young, healthy women possess greater fertility potential and this potential is utilized in donor oocyte treatment. In this process, oocytes from another woman (the donor) are fertilized with sperm and the resultant embryos are placed in the recipient’s uterus.The oocytes are stimulated and retrieved from the donor using routine IVF-ET techniques.The donor may be “known” and recruited by the recipient or may be unknown to the recipient, having been recruited by Chelsea Fertility NYC or an outside donor egg agency.

We understand that choosing egg donation may carry with it a simultaneous sacrifice of hope for pregnancy with one’s own eggs or oocytes, and this can be a feeling of great loss. There are likely many characteristics you hope your oocyte donor will possess, and you probably desire that your egg donor will possess many of your own characteristics. Our IVF team will help in any way we can to assist you in selecting a donor who meets your most important expectations.

When Is an Egg Donor Recommended?

• Women who experience premature ovarian failure or diseases associated with premature ovarian failure (POF).
• Women who have undergone radiation and/or chemotherapy treatment or surgical removal of the ovaries.
• Women who carry a serious genetic disease who wish to diminish the chance that the disease will be passed on to their offspring and choose not to have PGD/PGT-A.
• Women whose age is sufficiently advanced so that their fertility potential is impaired significantly.
• Women who have had repeatedly poor quality embryos during previous IVF cycles.
• An egg donor can be also be used to assist in the family building process single parents and members of the LGBTQ community.

Anonymous vs. Known Egg Donors

A short time before initiating a treatment cycle, the egg donor has a very thorough evaluation of their medical, psychological, and family history. Egg donors can be anonymous or known. A known donor is someone that you know who has volunteered to provide you with her eggs. Typically, she is either a friend or relative. An anonymous donor is an individual that we have recruited through our Anonymous Egg Donation Program. She has volunteered to provide her eggs to a recipient and expects to remain completely unknown to the recipient. She also expects to have no knowledge as to the final outcome of the cycle.

The Egg Donation Process: Fresh Egg Donation & IVF

The donor is given medication to de-program her normal ovulatory menstrual cycle. After the donor’s period has started, daily subcutaneous injections of a pharmaceutical gonadotropin preparation, such as FSH are prescribed. When ultrasound and blood testing indicate that development of the follicles is optimum, the donor receives a trigger injection called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Two days after the hCG injection, oocyte retrieval is performed and the oocytes are also inseminated on this day. Transfer of fertilized eggs (embryos) to the recipient’s uterus is generally performed five days after the oocyte retrieval when the embryo is at the blastocyst stage.

In general, recipients can have a “fresh” or a frozen embryo transfer. For a fresh transfer, the recipient’s cycle must be manipulated to synchronize her with the donor.When the donor’s cycle has “caught up” with the recipient’s, a simulated (artificial) 28 day menstrual cycle will be created in the recipient with the hormonal medications.We perform blood tests for hormone levels and/or an ultrasound as oocyte retrieval approaches to ensure an optimal response.Fresh embryo transfer will be performed 3-5 days after oocyte retrieval. A sensitive blood pregnancy test will be performed on the 10th day after embryo transfer.

The Egg Donation Process: Frozen Egg Donation & IVF

Use of frozen eggs from a donor is also an option for those in need of a donor to build their family. Clinical pregnancy rates are similar between fresh and frozen cycles, but that frozen cycles are more cost-effective, with a shorter time to cycle start and significantly lower cancellation rates.

Egg Donation for LGBTQ & Gay Patients

At Chelsea Fertility NYC, we work with many LGBTQ couples in securing the resources needed to help start their families. We’ve worked hard to ensure that our efforts follow strict FDA and national ASRM standards and guidelines for using egg donor, and /or gestational carriers.We invite you to learn more about LGBTQ & Gay Parenting.

Information for Egg Donors

We thank you for your interest in helping others fulfill their dream of having a baby. Egg donation is a generous and inspiring gift that deserves sincere gratitude and admiration. Prior to your participation as an egg donor, we ask that you contact Chelsea Fertility NYC for information.