IVF with donor eggs

In vitro fertilization programs with donor oocytes allow to achieve pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby if the patient does not have her own eggs or if they are of very poor quality, and therefore cannot be used in the ART cycle.

Most often, IVF with donor oocytes is carried out if a woman decides to become a mother at a late reproductive age or there is a high risk of transmitting a genetic pathology to the child.

Sometimes, specialists are not able to get the gametes of both spouses. In this situation, programs are implemented either with the simultaneous use of donor oocytes and sperm, or with donor embryos.

Indications

IVF with donor eggs can be recommended in the following cases:

• the absence of eggs, which can be caused by both the onset of natural menopause and primary ovarian insufficiency, adnexectomy, radiation or chemotherapy treatment, as well as congenital malformations of the organ;
• low quality of oocytes caused by genetic sex-linked pathology (for example, X-linked ichthyosis);
• repeated IVF failures, when there is a poor ovarian response to stimulation, the obtained embryos are of poor quality and pregnancy does not occur after their transfer to the uterine cavity.

IVF with fresh and vitrified oocytes

Until recently, IVF programs were carried out only using fresh (that is, just obtained) donor oocytes, but now vitrified donor eggs are more often chosen for fertilization. Previously, it was not possible to freeze female sex gametes, since in the process the ice crystals formed that damaged the cell structures of oocytes. The innovative method of ultrafast freezing, which is called vitrification, allows you to ensure that the substance immediately goes into a glassy state, so ice crystals do not form.

When using fresh oocytes, you must first synchronize the menstrual cycles of both women. In order for several oocytes to mature in the ovaries at once, ovulation is stimulated with the help of hormonal preparations. Then, the follicular puncture is performed, as a result of which specialists receive the follicular fluid containing eggs. After this, the oocytes are fertilized with the sperm of the patient’s husband or the donor, the embryos are cultured for several days in special multi-gas incubators, and then 1 or 2 of them are transferred to the uterine cavity of the recipient. The remaining good quality embryos can be frozen and stored in the reproduction center to be used later in the cryocycle.

Why is the use of vitrified oocytes preferable?

The fact is that in this case, financial costs and time are reduced, because:

• donor preliminary preparation is not required;
• there is no need to synchronize the menstrual cycles of the recipient and the donor;
• the risk of program disruption is excluded.

What is included in the program?

The IVF program with a personal anonymous oocyte donor includes:

• donor selection and examination;
• stimulation of ovulation with hormonal preparations;
• follicular puncture;
• embryological stage;
• transfer of embryos into the uterine cavity of the patient.

Medicines are paid separately.

The IVF program with vitrified donor oocytes includes:

• donor eggs thawing;
• ICSI procedure. The fundamental difference between this method and classical IVF is that the embryologist selects spermatozoa with the best characteristics and, using special micro-tools, injects each of them into the cytoplasm of the donor's egg;
• embryological stage;
• transfer of embryos into the uterine cavity of the patient.

Who can become an oocyte donor?

ART programs using donor genetic material are regulated by order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 107n. All candidates must comply with the strict requirements specified in the document.
Only an adult woman under the age of 35 can become a donor who:

• does not have any somatic diseases, which should be confirmed by the conclusion of the therapist;
• completely mentally healthy;
• does not have hereditary pathologies, which is confirmed by the results of the medical genetic examination;
• has at least one own child.

Potential oocyte donors should also have normal body weight.

How is an oocyte donor selected?

All donors who are in the database of the centers of reproduction and genetics “Nova Clinic” chain underwent a thorough examination in full compliance with the requirements of the Ministry of Health. Since the donor procedure is anonymous, patients cannot personally get to know the donor or see his photos. However, we provide all the necessary information that will help to make a reasonable choice. In particular, patients receive information about the age, height, body type, face shape, hair color, shape and color of the eyes, nose shape, as well as the education and profession of the donor. In addition, the database must contain information about the blood group and Rh factor.

We do not have a waiting list; all oocyte donors can immediately participate in the program.

Fact about IVF with donor oocytes

According to statistics, the efficiency of IVF programs with donor oocytes is higher than in the case of using the patient’s own gametes, due to the excellent quality of the genetic material.