You can build a family with help from donor eggs
Donor eggs and in vitro fertilization (IVF) can make dreams of parenthood come true. Women may need donor eggs due to diminished egg quality or quantity. Age, cancer treatments and certain conditions can cause these issues. Egg donation can also help single men and gay couples welcome a baby. No matter the circumstance, our Southern California fertility center as a successful program for donor eggs.
How we select egg donors
At our Southern California fertility center, we carefully select our egg donors. We want to ensure our patients receive the highest-quality donor eggs. Our egg donors are 20 to 30 years old. They are also healthy and do not use tobacco or illicit drugs.
The screening process includes the following steps.
- A complete medical history of the potential egg donor and her family
- A physical examination
- An ultrasound of the donor’s ovaries by one of our doctors
- A complete infectious disease screening
- A comprehensive drug panel
- A psychological evaluation
If the potential donor passes these tests, she becomes one of our egg donors. We provide test results and a photo of every donor to couples so that they can make the best decision for their family.
What happens next?
Once hopeful parents choose a donor, our fertility specialists coordinate the recipient’s and donor’s menstrual cycles. Then, the recipient of the donor eggs receives an oral form of estrogen to prepare her uterine lining.
Hormone medications stimulate the donor’s ovaries for about two weeks. When ready, we retrieve her eggs and combine them with the sperm. Dr. Anderson or Dr. Royster then transfer one healthy embryo to the hopeful mother’s uterus. We don’t transfer more than two embryos at a time. Parents can freeze extra embryos for future use.
We have patients who travel internationally to our Southern California fertility center for donor eggs. In this case, we initiate treatment in their home country. However, we require them to arrive about one week before the egg retrieval. We also ask that they stay at least one week after the embryo transfer. We provide concierge services for travel, lodging, dining and transportation.
If you’re ready to start IVF or want to learn more about donor eggs, contact us today.