What is Egg Donation: Procedure, and Donor Criteria

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What is Egg Donation Procedure, and Donor
Criteria
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What is Egg Donation?

• A woman can help another woman in having a baby
  by donating her eggs (or oocytes).
• It is a part of assisted reproduction and is a
  fantastic family-building option for couples in
  which the female suffers from severe gamete
  production problems.
• Couples who are carriers of hereditary diseases
  but do not want to pass their disease on to their
  offspring can also donate their eggs.
• The Indian Council of Medical Research says that
  egg donation should be a private process and that
  the donor should undergo a thorough examination
  before her eggs are used.

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Benefits of Egg Donation

• The following are some benefits of egg donation
  that should be taken into consideration
• A couple who wanted to start a family but was
  unable to do so for personal or medical reasons
  will be able to receive the gift of parenthood
  from the female.
• Given that donors undergo a set of tests to rule
  out any genetic or infectious diseases prior to
  donation, it enables the female egg donor to get
  free medical testing.
• Donating eggs has financial benefits in addition
  to being a kind deed.

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• The female is made aware of her potential for
  conception. Additionally, the clinics encourage
  women to freeze their eggs as well, which may be
  useful in the future.
• It may allow the female to become involved in the
  life of the child whose birth was made possible
  by her decision to donate eggs.

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What are the Types of Donors?

• In some countries, egg donors are not related to
  patients. They do it mainly for financial
  support. However, the patient has the option to
  choose their own donor from among their friends
  or relatives.
• In India, donors can be anonymous, semi-anonymous
  or even met.
• It is determined by both the donor and the
  recipient.

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Who is it intended for?

• Mature or menopausal women.
• Adoptive couples who are unable to adopt.
• If a woman is unable to conceive after IVF or
  ICSI, she can opt for egg donation.
• Oocyte donation is the best option for women with
  ovarian failure or undergoing radiation or
  chemotherapy.
• If a woman has a chromosomal defect, she may
  choose to have this procedure to prevent her
  children from inheriting the genetic condition.
• If the patient has tuberculosis or endometriosis,
  the quality of eggs may be low, making egg
  donation a viable option.

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Screening Procedure the Donors

• The eggs are usually taken from women between the
  ages of 30 and 35.
• These women are not only healthy, but they are
  also free of any illnesses or genetic disorders.
• Women are screened for AIDS and hepatitis at
  fertility clinics.
• Donor's marital status is not required.
• A donor who is already pregnant is preferred as
  it confirms her ability to bear children.

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Egg Donation Procedure

• The recipient's and donor's cycles should be in
  sync. When this occurs, the fresh embryo is
  transferred.
• The doctor may prescribe medications to ensure
  that the cycles are in sync.
• The donor is injected during the procedure in
  order to produce a large number of eggs.
• When the eggs are mature enough, she is given
  local anesthesia to ensure the transfer.
• No surgery is required to remove the eggs from
  the vagina.
• The eggs are then fertilized in a laboratory with
  the male partner's sperm. This can be completed
  through IVF or ICSI.

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• After two days of incubation, the fertilized egg
  develops into a four-celled embryo.
• On day three, an eight-cell embryo develops, and
  after five days, you get a multicellular
  blastocyst.
• On any of these days, the egg is likely to enter
  the uterus.