Conditions In Which You Require Donor Gametes While IVF Treatment

Donor gametes i.e. using donor egg and sperm cells, are recommended for those who can’t use their own egg & sperm during fertility treatments like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI). In such cases, doing fertility treatment with donor eggs or sperm has a comparatively higher chance of success to achieve pregnancy.

Before we understand in which cases a donor egg or donor sperm is needed, it is essential to understand the IVF treatment and in which stage your fertility doctor may recommend opting for the Donor Programme.

IVF is a kind of Assisted Reproductive Technology for couples dealing with multiple factors or severe infertility. IVF is carried out with a combination of hormonal treatments to stimulate follicles and ovaries.

At maturity, the eggs are retrieved from the ovaries to make a fusion with the sperm in a petri dish. The fertilized egg, i.e., embryo, is then placed back in the uterus for the implantation.

What is the Donor Programme in IVF?

While in IVF treatment, if your fertility doctors found that the quality or quantity of eggs and sperm of the intended parent isn’t good enough for fertilization, they may recommend using either donor sperm, donor egg, or both depending on the medical condition.

The procedure involves finding a donor (who’ll be young and have a better quality of eggs & sperm) and removing gametes from him/her, fertilizing them in a laboratory, and then transferring the resulting embryos into the recipient’s uterus. In other cases, if you have a frozen embryo in the past, you can use them now without needing a donor.

Your fertility specialist at the fertility clinic will conduct a selection programme to find a suitable donor and will carefully run through the legal procedures. You are required to sit with your healthcare provider to discuss the cost and process of using donor eggs or sperm.

When to Consider an Egg Donor?

Egg donation has helped many people struggling with infertility to conceive. During the IVF process women’s eggs are retrieved after maturation to be fertilized with the partner’s sperm. But what if ovaries aren’t producing enough eggs? Or, is the quality of the egg low?

You might be a candidate for donor eggs if you have any of these conditions:

• Age-related infertility: The number & quality of eggs declines as the woman ages, especially after her 40s. In cases where they are unable to get pregnant even after repeated intercourse, they might need IVF along with donor eggs.
• Poor egg quality
• If there is a risk of transferring genetic disease.
• Premature ovarian failure,
• Early menopause
• Previous history of IVF failures
• Post-cancer treatment
• Other past surgeries that damaged ovaries
• Diminishing or Low ovarian reserves

When to Consider Sperm Donor?

A sperm donor is a person who donates semen (the fluid containing sperm that is released during ejaculation) to help a couple who is trying to get pregnant. The sperm donor needs to go through screening such as age, semen testing, genetic testing, medical history, psychological evaluation, etc.

The couple may be recommended using sperm donor in fertility treatment, if there is -

• Severe Male Infertility
• Poor Sperm Production
• Low Quality Sperm
• Abnormal shaped sperm
• Risk of genetic disease

What to Expect after the Donor Programme?

Couples who are undergoing conventional IVF treatment sometimes require using donor gametes in order to achieve pregnancy. In general, donors can be either known to the recipients or anonymous.

However, the risk of gamete donation is relatively low as the procedure of retrieving eggs and fertility medication are the same as they are for women using their own eggs in the IVF process.

The success rate of IVF significantly improves as the process overcomes the issues with egg & sperm in intended parents.

Consult a Fertility Specialist

Whether you need a donor gamete or not for your IVF process, you need to consult a fertility specialist at the best IVF center in Patna — Crysta IVF. Because not everyone wants to pursue egg donor IVF because of the high cost involved. Discuss with highly-experienced fertility experts to find alternative options or why you needed a gamete donor in the first place and the IVF cost in Patna.