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IVF with Donor Egg Process Step by Step

IVF with Donor Egg Process Step by Step

In vitro fertilization with a donor egg can be a transformative and hopeful way for many individuals who face challenges with egg viability. Yes, women over 40 years old, with poor ovarian reserve, and with a history of miscarriages can benefit from IVF using donor eggs.

However, what happens in this process? Is it the same as the IVF procedure with normal eggs? You’ll get an elaborate view of this in the upcoming sections. Understanding these steps prepares couples and patients emotionally and makes them opt for financially-friendly decisions.

So, let’s get started.

Step 1: Initial Consultation and Assessment

As usual, the first step involved in any treatment is initial consultation and assessment. A fertility expert will analyze you completely and go through your individual medical history.

They will clearly give you the reason why you need to rely on donor eggs and share insights on the entire IVF using donor eggs. However, this process varies from hospital to hospital, typically, these are the steps followed.

Step 2: Choosing a Donor

This is an important step where you need to be even more careful and conscious. During this process, the couples using donors will look for several factors, while the doctors test whether the donor egg will match the patient’s body.

Typically, donors are chosen based on physical characteristics, educational background, and medical history. In addition, blood tests, personality including egg color and hair color, donor location, and donor’s lifestyle habits are also considered before finalizing the donors.

Step 3: Synchronizing Cycles (Donor and Recipient)

Synchronizing the menstrual cycles of the donor and recipient is the essential thing for successful in vitro fertilization. So, fertility experts use medications to suppress the recipient’s natural cycle, which helps to prepare her uterus for implantation.

If you’re planning to use frozen embryos, then there is no need to synchronize the cycle. Just after 3 weeks of hormonal preparation, patients can undergo embryo transfer.

Step 4: Donor Stimulation and Monitoring

Doctors monitor the donor’s menstrual cycle and start providing stimulating medicines. This helps your body produce more eggs, which improves the chances of successful pregnancy outcomes.

Doctors provide fertility medications daily for 8 to 14 days. They will monitor the body through scans and blood tests every 2 to 3 days.

Step 5: Preparation For Egg Retrieval

Once the donor is selected, specialists start preparing their body for the egg retrieval process. They will be provided with stimulating hormones to produce many eggs.

A donor will have follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries. Doctors also provide GnRH antagonists with fertility medications to prevent premature ovulation before retrieving.

Step 6: Egg Retrieval from Donor

After 36 hours of the trigger shot, doctors will collect the eggs from a donor. Then, donors will undergo a minor procedure to retrieve eggs. This short procedure takes around 20 minutes and doctors will provide a mild sedative that minimizes the discomfort.

While undergoing this process, donors need to intake sufficient prenatal vitamins including folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids.

Step 7: Fertilization of Eggs with Sperm

Once after collecting the donor eggs, embryologists will fertilize the eggs with your partner’s sperm or donor sperm. The fertilized eggs are cultured in the laboratory for many days and the temperature in the lab is maintained properly similar to a woman’s body.

Step 8: Embryo Culture and Monitoring

After few days of egg retrieval embryo transfer done in this period embryologists will closely assess the growth of embryos and wait patiently until they reach the blastocyst stage. Patients can also do PGT-A testing, which is Preimplantation Genetic Testing to analyze whether the embryos are chromosomally normal.

If it is necessary, then couples or patients can choose this test before implantation.

Step 9: Preparing the Recipient’s Uterus

Before the final step of embryo transfer, it is important to prepare the recipient’s body for implantation. Recipients need to take IVF injections, including hormonal medications such as estrogen and progesterone. to improve the chances of successful implantation.

Along with this, recipients need to follow the fertility expert’s prescription and lifestyle habits that create a better environment for the embryos inside the womb.

Step 10: Embryo Transfer

Transferring the embryo to the recipient is the final stage of In vitro fertilization. After the embryo is fertilized, embryologists will discuss the cycle results and transfer the embryo.

A long and thin catheter containing an embryo will be inserted and passed through the cervix into the uterus. While the thought of embryo transfer might seem painful, the procedure is generally painless, with only mild cramping expected

The Two-Week Wait and Pregnancy Test

This is the most exciting phase of IVF, whether it can be using your fresh eggs or a donor’s. Because after transferring the embryo, you can expect pregnancy results. However, you need to wait two weeks, still, pregnancy confirmation is the next step.

After embryo transfer, the fertilized embryo starts implanting into the uterus lining and your body starts releasing pregnancy hormones hCG if the implantation is successful.

But, make sure to wait for two weeks and take pregnancy tests to know the accurate results.

Conclusion

IVF treatment with donor eggs is good success rate and best way to overcome infertility. Many heterosexual and same-sex couples benefit from in vitro fertilization using donor eggs.

Understanding the entire IVF process using donor eggs makes you stress-free while undergoing the treatments. So, be straightforward and communicate openly with your fertility expert and partner, they provide you emotional and psychological support.

FAQs

How does donor egg IVF differ from traditional IVF?

One of the major differences between traditional IVF and in vitro fertilization using donor eggs is the success rate. You can expect improved success rates while doing IVF using donor eggs.

Advantages of opting for IVF with the donor egg program?

The benefits of choosing in vitro fertilization with donor eggs improve chances of successful pregnancy outcomes. Donor eggs help women with many problems such as poor ovarian reserve, repetitive IVF failures, and unexplained infertility.

With the help of donor eggs, patients can possibly prevent heredity risks and select the baby’s gender.

Will it take a long time to get pregnant with donor eggs?

If frozen donor eggs are used in IVF treatment, then it takes around 6 to 8 weeks. When you’re using fresh eggs from the donor, then it takes 12 to 16 weeks which is quite a long time.

List out some disadvantages of donor eggs in IVF

Similar to the advantages, using donor eggs in IVF also has some disadvantages.

  • There is a chance for unknown heredity factors and the possibility of sexually transmitted diseases.
  • The most important pregnancy risk with donor eggs is improved blood pressure during gestation, which is a condition called Preeclampsia.
  • The child doesn’t share a genetic link with the mother.
  • Couples and family members may have a severe emotional and psychological impact.
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Dr Niveditha

Dr. Niveditha is the co-founder of The Hive Fertility and Research Centre. She is a young and passionate fertility expert who aims to provide high-quality fertility treatments to her patients. During her 10+ years of service as a fertility expert, she has helped several hundreds of patients overcome their infertility and become parents. She also specializes in the fields of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive endocrinology

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