Egg donation program in Los Angeles, Southern California.
Newport Beach
949-642-8727
Aliso Viejo
949-831-8929
Egg Donation (Oocyte Donor) Program
Decline of Egg Quality with Advanced Maternal Age
The use of donor eggs has become much more commonly used to treat women who have fertility problems that are the result of poor egg quality. As women age, not only do they have fewer eggs (since they are born with all of the eggs that they will ever have and don’t make any new ones), but the ones that they have left are also more likely to be genetically abnormal. These abnormalities usually take the form of either an extra or missing chromosome. We now know because of the information obtained through embryo biopsy and genetic testing, that even relatively young women in their early thirties have only about 40% of their eggs genetically normal. As women age, this number becomes even less such that when a woman is over 40, only about 10% of her eggs are genetically normal. Some women may have fewer than the average number of eggs for their age which is why even women in their thirties are now using donor eggs. The use of eggs of higher genetic quality results in pregnancy rates of 60-80% with the transfer of only 2-3 embryos. See also our information on Age and Fertility. Watch a video with Dr. Anderson discussing egg donation treatment.
Choosing Egg Donation
Because the pregnancy rate of IVF with donor eggs is 80-90% in our program, this form of treatment has become a very acceptable option. It has obvious advantages over adoption including a genetic link to the couple, patient control of the prenatal period, complete confidentiality without the risk of later contact by the donor, no chance of having the baby taken away during the first year of life and the ability to experience the bonding process during the course of pregnancy.
About our Egg Donor Program
An active egg donor program is operated at the center. The process of egg donation starts with the selection of a previously screened young woman to serve as the donor of eggs that have a high percentage of genetic normality. The egg donors we use are most often between the ages of 20 and 25. The potential donors are screened by family medical history, psychological evaluation, infectious disease testing, drug screening and medical history and physical examination. Once all of the tests are completed satisfactorily, the donor’s profile with pictures is available for a couple to review. Donors are selected by the patients and are available on an anonymous or non-anonymous basis.
Further information about the donor oocyte program may be obtained at www.elitefertility.com.
Egg Donor Treatment Cycle
The treatment cycle starts with synchronization of the menstrual cycles of the donor and recipient with medication. This usually takes about 2 weeks. Once the cycles have been synchronized, the recipient starts to take oral medication to develop the lining of the uterus just as it would in a natural cycle. A few days later the donor begins to have her ovaries stimulated to produce between 10 and 20 eggs. This process takes about 2 weeks. When the eggs are mature, they are retrieved from the donor’s ovaries and fertilized with the husband’s sperm. Embryos are transferred into the uterus of the recipient 3 to 5 days later. From this point on, the recipient is treated just as she would be in an IVF cycle using her own eggs.
Legal Issues With Egg Donation
There are many countries and even some states in the United States that do not permit the use of donor eggs. Since in California egg donation has always been permitted, we have over 15 years of experience with the procedure, and have successfully treated couples from all over the world. Because California has such a long history of egg donation, the public has been more aware and accepting of the procedure, which makes it easier to recruit potential egg donors. We therefore have the largest pool of egg donors in the United States.