How does an assisted reproduction treatment with donor eggs work?

Published: 16 March 2017|Last updated: 30 November 2020|

Egg donation is an assisted reproduction technique in which a woman (the donor) gives one or several eggs to another woman (the recipient). Fertilization of these eggs is performed using sperm from the couple and results in embryos which are then transferred to the recipient, with any unused embryos being frozen.

This technique has proved very effective and allows many couples with little chance of having children, due to failure or abnormalities of available oocytes, to fulfill their dream of creating a family.

The first pregnancy using this technique was achieved in 1983 in a patient with early menopause. Since then, this procedure has undergone many changes in the technology used which greatly simplified implementation.

Due to high pregnancy rates, we recommend using this technique on women with ovarian failure as well as on those which, although they able to produce their own eggs are carriers of certain genetic diseases or chromosomal abnormalities.

Who can benefit from egg donation?

In this group we include:

  • Early menopause: premature cessation (before age 40) of ovulation. This situation affects approximately half of the women who come to be recipients of oocytes. The main causes are:
    • Women with genetic anomalies whose own eggs should not be used in order to avoid pathologies in their children.
    • Women with several failed IVF attempts due to a low ovarian response, fertilisation or gestation failure after two or three tries (implantation failure).
    • Women with hidden ovarian failure. These women need Assisted Reproduction techniques as their basal hormonal level is altered which may indicate low ovarian stimulation response for IVF.
    • Women affected by repeated miscarriages which are caused by a genetic factor.
  • In this group we include:
    • Women with primary ovarian failure. Generally these women are affected by gonadal dysgenesis due to either numerical or structural chromosomal alteration.
    • Women affected by early menopause (under 40) independent of causes such as chemotherapy, surgery, etc.
    • Menopausal women.

    EUGIN considers that women under 45 can undergo this technique. As far as women who are aged between 45 and 50 are concerned, each case has to be previously considered and evaluated individually.

Thus, in accordance with the case of each woman we study during the first medical visit, we will assess your medical history. We should not forget that egg donation is framed within the legislation on organ donation, and in this area, Spain has led the European ranking for more than 25 years. For further information on gamete donation, as well as a thorough understanding of how we select our donors, you can read more here. Thanks to the altruistic actions of our donors, many couples and mothers are able to fulfill their dreams.

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