Fertility Associates of Memphis

ARTICLE ARCHIVE

Life Cannot Be Conceived Without You

By Hallie Bensinger, FNP

Why are donor eggs (oocytes) needed?
One of the most challenging aspects of fertility therapy is helping the patient with poor ovarian reserve achieve pregnancy. Poor ovarian reserve may be associated with advancing age, premature failure of the ovaries, or genetic defects. When infertile couples have been unsuccessful with treatments using the female partners’ own eggs, then in vitro fertilization (IVF) with eggs donated from another woman may be a very effective alternative. It allows the recipient and her husband to experience pregnancy, the special bonding process that pregnancy allows, and childbirth. Breastfeeding is also possible if the woman wishes to do so. The child conceived through donor egg IVF would be biologically linked to the husband when his sperm is used during the procedure.

Donor Screening
One of the most challenging parts of participating in IVF with donor eggs is finding a suitable donor. Donors must go through a very thorough screening process prior to being accepted as a donor. Ideally, a donor is under the age of thirty, doesn’t smoke and has proven fertility. She undergoes psychological screening, as well as numerous tests for sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS or HIV and hepatitis. Treatment of the donor requires multiple trips to the clinic for blood testing and ultrasounds while undergoing the process of egg donation, and she is required to take daily injections for two to four weeks. Taking these things into consideration, finding the right donor requires significant effort. As compensation for the donor’s time, inconvenience and effort, she usually receives a monetary honorarium.

Couples may choose either a known donor or an anonymous donor. Patients may have a friend or relative that might be a suitable donor. There are also agencies that exist for the purpose of donor recruitment, and that have donors readily available. Fertility Associates of Memphis currently recruits donors from the Shelby County area, saving money spent on the donor’s travel.

Donor Eligibility
Healthy women between the ages of 21-32 who are normal weight, do not smoke or have any history of drug or alcohol abuse may be eligible if they pass certain screening tests. The potential donor will meet with one of our practitioners for a physical exam, and she will be asked to fill out an extensive medical and family history form. Blood testing including ovarian reserve, thyroid function, blood chemistries, hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and possible genetic screening for diseases such as thalassemia, cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease or sickle cell disease will be obtained. Egg donors are required to complete an urine drug screen and undergo an evaluation by our clinical psychologist.

The evaluation of the donor may take more than 4 weeks to complete. Neither the donor nor her insurance company will be charged for these tests and evaluations. All results will remain with Fertility Associates of Memphis and are confidential to the extent permissible by law.

Treatment for the Donor
The donor’s treatment will take approximately four to six weeks to complete. The first month begins with her menstrual cycle. She will take medications that will suppress her ovarian function in order to prepare her for her stimulation cycle. With the following menstrual cycle, she will begin injecting medications to stimulate her ovaries to recruit multiple eggs. During this two week period of ovarian stimulation, the donor will be visiting the office frequently for blood tests and vaginal ultrasounds. When the eggs are mature, they will be retrieved by a transvaginal, ultrasound-guided egg retrieval. On that day, the donor will be given a light anesthetic and while she is asleep, a needle is passed from the vaginal wall into her ovaries to retrieve the eggs. The procedure takes about 15 minutes and the donor returns home in an hour or two. She will usually return to work or normal activities the next day. Once the eggs are retrieved, the donors’ involvement is completed.

Treatment of the Recipient
The process for the recipient of donor eggs is relatively simple. Prior to the donor’s treatment, the recipient will begin a series of hormone treatments to synchronize her uterine lining to that of the donor. The day the donor is undergoing the egg retrieval procedure, the recipient husband will produce a semen sample to fertilize the eggs (oocytes). Three to five days after retrieval of the eggs and fertilization, embryos will then be transferred to the recipient woman’s uterus. The recipient continues on hormone treatments until she is 10 weeks pregnant.

Why Be a Donor?
Building a family through egg donation is a great opportunity for some women—whether they are donating or receiving eggs. For the woman donating her eggs, she is giving an unfathomable gift—life cannot be conceived without her. For the couple receiving donated eggs—they have the opportunity to realize a lifelong dream of having a child of their own. Success rates for live births are high—currently over 60% per attempt. By becoming a donor, a woman may help couples realize their dream of having a family. Even in the event that the recipient couple does not conceive, the she has given the infertile couple an opportunity that they may never have had if not for the donor’s efforts.

How to Become a Donor
If you are interested in participating in an egg donor program, either as a recipient of donor eggs or if you would like to help another couple realize their dreams, please contact our office for more information. If you are interested in becoming a donor, please fill out a questionnaire and fax it to our office at (901) 747-4446. You may also mail the questionnaire to: Fertility Associates of Memphis, 80 Humphreys Suite 307, Memphis, Tennessee 38120. Please contact us for information or questions.