Egg Donation

The Effects of Age on a Woman’s Eggs

The success rates with IVF are higher today than ever before. One of the most important factors affecting the pregnancy rate with IVF is egg quality which, in turn, is greatly affected by the age of the woman producing the eggs. As a woman ages, the proportion of eggs having an abnormal number of chromosomes increases. The use of eggs donated by women in their twenties is a treatment option with a very high success rate due to the high egg quality. Donor eggs are used to assist conception in women with varied reproductive problems including premature ovarian failure, decreased ovarian reserve, poor egg quality in prior IVF cycles, or women with chromosomal translocations or genetic disease that they wish to avoid passing on to their offspring. In addition, donor eggs can be used along with gestational surrogacy to allow gay men to have their own biological children.

Egg Donation Process

Once a donor has been fully screened, the donation process begins. Donors will take hormonal medications to stimulate their ovaries to produce multiple eggs. When the eggs are mature, they are retrieved in a minor surgical procedure performed under sedation. The retrieved eggs are then immediately frozen and stored in the egg bank.

For intended parents using frozen donor eggs to get pregnant, the journey starts with selecting a donor from an egg bank. They review detailed profiles that include the donor’s medical history, physical characteristics, and sometimes personal essays or photos. The person carrying the pregnancy also undergoes a medical evaluation, including blood tests and ultrasounds, to ensure she is healthy and capable of carrying a pregnancy. If you intend to carry the pregnancy yourself, you must be under the age of 55 at the time of embryo transfer.

Next, the donor eggs are fertilized in a laboratory with sperm from the intended father or a sperm donor. The fertilized eggs, now embryos, are cultured for several days, and the healthiest embryos are selected for transfer. Approximately two weeks after the embryo transfer, a blood test is performed to check for pregnancy. If successful, the intended mother continues to be monitored through early pregnancy to ensure its progression.