Egg Donation Process at BHF

Egg donation is a process whereby a young, healthy woman undergoes an IVF cycle to have eggs retrieved for the use of another person (“intended parent”). The egg is fertilized and the resulting embryo can be transferred into the uterus of the intended mother. Though the DNA of the baby is technically that of the donor, studies show that parents who build their families in this way are grateful and relieved to have this option available to them, bond normally with their babies, and do not regret using a donor.

Egg donor options

1. A relative, friend, or someone in your life. You may want to know your donor personally and be assured that she has qualities that you admire. However, ensuring that both of you are comfortable requires open communication between you and your donor, especially if they are someone with an active presence in your life.  It will be important for you, your donor, and your partner (if applicable) to meet both together and separately with a mental health professional knowledgeable about third party reproduction.  This ensures you have considered all angles of this special relationship. 
2. Donor from an agency. You have the ability to choose from a large selection of women who have donated or are willing to donate their eggs. You can filter through donor profiles to find those who match the qualities that are important to you- from educational background to hair color. We can help put you in contact with a reputable agency to make your selection from. In most cases, this donor will remain anonymous.

Fresh vs. Frozen

Frozen

In order to use frozen donor eggs, the donor must go through an egg freezing cycle to harvest the group of eggs. Usually this is done pre-emptively i.e. without an intended parent already lined up.  If the donor is from an agency, this group of eggs is divided up then frozen in batches of about 6-8. They will remain frozen until you choose to fertilize them, making them embryos. From the 6-8 eggs you started with, you can typically end up with 1-3 transferable embryos. These embryos can also be frozen until the time of embryo transfer where one will be placed by the doctor directly into the uterus for implantation.  Frozen donor eggs tend to be slightly cheaper than fresh donor eggs, but not remarkably so.  Frozen donor eggs are a good option for hopeful parents who will be happy with one child.  While it is possible that a single batch of donor eggs may yield more than one successful transfer, it is statistically not a high chance.
<h3Fresh

A fresh donor egg is, simply, an egg that has never been frozen. Fresh donor eggs are retrieved through the same procedure; however, all of the eggs retrieved will be at your disposal rather than only having a batch of 6-8. These eggs will be fertilized and the embryos will be left to mature for 5 days.  At this point, you may choose to do a fresh transfer of an embryo into the uterus. This embryo has not been frozen at any point of this process. But since only one embryo is transferred at a time, the remaining embryos can be frozen for later transfer if needed. Or you may choose to do genetic testing of your embryos for chromosome counting.  Fresh embryo transfers of untested embryos have a 45% chance of success, whereas a frozen embryo transfer of a tested embryo has a 70% chance of success. The option of having more eggs at your disposal can provide peace of mind to those hoping for multiple children.

Schedule an IVF Consultation

We understand that you are likely experiencing a variety of emotions regarding starting a family with the help of a fertility specialist. The first information we impart to new patients is that infertility is common and there can actually be several reasons for infertility in a person or a couple. This is why we start with a full workup, so we have a complete picture with which we can base our treatment plans.

Book an appointment with us.