Most women experience a natural decline in ovarian function after age 35. Aging naturally causes a decrease in egg quality, which increases the need to use donor eggs to become pregnant for some women.
Donor Egg IVF: The Basics
For some women, the reproductive potential is compromised because they do not produce eggs, produce low-grade eggs and/or embryos, or are carriers of a genetic condition.
An option for these women is to undergo donor egg IVF, which is done in conjunction with IVF treatment. Treatment with egg donation involves a woman who serves as an egg donor and a woman who serves as the recipient.
Donor Egg IVF can be used for women who have a healthy uterus, but who either have no eggs (women with early menopause or history of surgical removal) or eggs that have not responded to medications or IVF.
It is a process whereby the egg donor has eggs removed from her ovaries and then fertilized with sperm in our laboratory. The fertilized eggs (now embryos) are then transferred into the uterine cavity of the recipient woman for implantation and the establishment of pregnancy.
Who Uses Donor Eggs?
Women of advanced reproductive age
Women who are carriers of a genetic disease
Women with egg-factor infertility
Women with multiple failures to conceive after IVF
Women with a low response to ovulation induction
Women who’ve undergone cancer treatment
Women without ovaries
Women with genetic diseases or chromosomal translocations that they wish to avoid passing on to their offspring.
Egg donors may be a member of the patient’s family, a friend, or an anonymous volunteer screened by our staff. The egg donor must use fertility drugs to stimulate the development of multiple mature eggs, whereas the recipient takes estrogen and progesterone to prepare the uterus for embryos derived through egg donation. The sperm of the husband, partner, or sperm donor is used to fertilize the eggs. All egg donors are screened before they are accepted into the program.
Anonymous egg donors are healthy women between the ages of 19-33 who go through the following testing procedures before being accepted:
Medical history and physical examination
Testing for infectious diseases
Screening for inheritable diseases through the family health questionnaire
Members of our nursing staff can discuss with you the egg donor options.
Donor Egg: Fast Facts
Donated eggs are used only with IVF cycles
For fresh egg donation (a friend/family member), the egg donor takes medications to stimulate egg production and then undergoes an IVF egg retrieval
For frozen egg donation, eggs are obtained from an egg bank, thawed, fertilized and the resultant embryo(s) transferred into the recipient’s uterus
A donor’s eggs are fertilized with the partner’s sperm or donor's sperm
Embryo(s) are then transferred to your uterus
Give the Gift of Life and Love, Become an Egg Donor
Congratulations! You are taking the first step in creating a miracle.
Why Become an Egg Donor?
The longing to build a family and nurture a child is one of the most basic and natural desires for many women. Unfortunately, some women are unable to conceive such desires. For many patients, receiving a donated egg is their last hope for having a baby. Most of the time, those considering egg donations have tried everything else to conceive—exhaustive testing, countless appointments with fertility specialists, and strained relationships.
Through the Egg Donation Program at Care Fertility Centre, these women are given hope. Because caring and compassionate young women make the ultimate gift by donating their eggs, these women are given the opportunity to conceive, carry, and deliver a child.
Who Can Become an Egg Donor in Canada?
Anyone who is screened for communicable diseases as mandated by Health Canada can become a donor.
However, all potential egg donors must meet the following basic criteria:
Between 21 and 32 years old of age
Must be a non-smoker
Healthy
Mature and prepared to help a couple have a child
Must have low FSH levels and at least 6 eggs
The egg donor must use fertility drugs to stimulate the development of multiple mature eggs, whereas the recipient takes estrogen and progesterone to prepare the uterus for embryos derived through egg donation. The sperm of the husband, partner, or sperm donor is used to fertilize the eggs.
Anonymous egg donors must go through the following testing procedures before being accepted:
Medical history and physical examination.
Testing for infectious diseases.
Screening for inheritable diseases through family health questionnaire.
They will also be required to sign anonymity consent as well as attend a counselling session prior to donation.
Who are the candidates to receive donated eggs?
Care Fertility Centre facilitates both Anonymous and Known (Designated) Egg Donor programs. These programs allow patients to choose an Anonymous Egg Donor, or to use donated eggs from a woman known to them.
