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Egg Donation Process
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| At this stage, you'll be asked to give us with all needed pertinent information. These include your personal qualities, ethnic background, medical history, etc. |
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| Upon receipt of your completed application forms, the donor coordinator will set up an appointment to meet with you. Your application will be thoroughly reviewed. You will also undergo a High-risk Evaluation interview.
We will do a quick vitals check (height, weight, blood pressure, temperature) and may or may not draw hormone screening and sonogram.
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You will need to undergo screening tests to determine your eligibility. These include blood tests for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV (AIDS) testing, blood type and Rh, hematology, physical examination, Pap smear, and vaginal cultures. You will sign a consent form allowing us to perform these tests. Testing may require 2-3 visits and will be scheduled according to your menstrual cycle and your daily schedule. The Center pays for all testing and you will have no out of pocket expenses for these tests. Results of your tests are classified as confidential and will not be released to anybody without your consent except to those allowed by law such as Department of Health representatives, legal personnel under the direction of a judge, etc. Test results, containing only your donor code as identification and not your name nor any other personal information, will be given to the recipient's physician (if any) as part of quality assurance and as proof to the other party that you are qualified to donate eggs.
Other qualifications that need to be met are:
- Acceptable hormone levels at natural day 3 of cycle:
- Acceptable antral follicular count (at least from "Day 3"):
At least 7 follicles in each ovary (or at least 14 follicles total)
- Desired donor BMI (Body Mass Index):
- Hormone injections are subcutaneous and in order to be absorbed properly by the body, donors must have a desirable BMI. BMI calculates the body fat based on height and weight measurements.Donors must fall in the BMI range of 18-29
- Underweight = <18.5
- Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
- Overweight = 25-29.9
- Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
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After we confirm that you are negative for all infectious diseases and STDs, you will proceed to make appointments for your psychological evaluation and genetic counseling. These appointments will be at a different facility. You will be required to make these appointments within a certain time-frame. These tests will also be paid for by the clinic.
You will be required to make one more visit to the clinic to draw blood for your genetic screening test. Results will come back in approximately 2 weeks. This is the final step of your screening.
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| When all testing is completed, the Medical Director will evaluate your results and if everything is okay, you will be accepted as a donor. Upon acceptance into the Donor Program, you will be required to sign a contract agreeing to abide by certain rules that would be required of you as an active donor. You will then be included in our list of active donors. This list may be shared with other IVF Programs and physician's offices where patients choose their particular donors. The donor list contains donor's unique code number, race, ethnic origin, hair color and texture, eye color, height, weight, skin tone, blood type, education, occupation, hobbies, etc. When a patient chooses you, we will contact you and establish a time for the start of your donor cycle. We require that you avoid alcohol and recreational drug use during the time that you are cycling as well as use protective devices (e.g., condoms) during intercourse. The donor cycle usually lasts up to 6 weeks from the start of screening until post-op visit. |
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In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), which is the fertilization of an egg outside the body is the oldest of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) procedures and was originally designed to bypass diseased fallopian tubes. Variations on IVF are the basis for many related ART procedures including utilization of donor eggs. Most IVF cycles are performed using one or more fertility drugs to increase the number of eggs produced. Multiple follicles (the part of the ovary that contains the eggs) are needed to obtain a high number of eggs retrieved for fertilization, thereby increasing the number of resulting embryos. The greater the number of embryos transferred into the recipient's uterus, the chance of conception increases accordingly.
You will be taking daily injections of fertility drugs (a process called induction of ovulation) such as Lupron, Menopur, Follistim, or Gonal-F provided by the recipient or by this organization to encourage the development of multiple follicles. All injections given subcutaneously (under the skin). The process is usually initiated on day 20 of your cycle previous to the cycle of egg retrieval. These medications are taken in the morning and the in the evening. Instruction on injection techniques will be provided to you. You will also be told which medication to take on a daily basis. Risks and side effects of taking fertility drugs will be explained to you.
Your progress will be determined by regular monitoring of blood levels of Estradiol and FSH as well as vaginal ultrasound to measure the development of follicles. These tests may be done in the physician/client's office or in our affiliated facilities, whichever the clients prefer. At a time determined by the physician, an injection of human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is given to bring the eggs to final maturity. You will undergo a procedure for egg retrieval, 32 to 36 hours after this injection. The egg retrieval is done on an outpatient basis at the center.
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| Aspiration of follicles to obtain the eggs is usually performed through guidance by ultrasound under I.V. sedation. This retrieval method has been used widely in the United States since 1986 and has a low rate of complications. You need to fast starting midnight of the day of the retrieval. The retrieval process consists of aspirating the ovarian follicles and identifying the eggs in the follicular fluid under a microscope. The eggs are then held in an incubator until the time of insemination in the laboratory. You will be able to go home within a few hours after the procedure. Another adult must drive you home because regulations do not allow you to drive yourself after undergoing anesthetic sedation. |
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You will be seen one to two weeks after the retrieval to ensure your health is alright. Additional office visits will be scheduled if needed.
The process of IVF involves the intentional controlled overstimulation of the ovaries in order to obtain a maximum number of mature eggs. It is possible that this may result in a dramatic increase in the size of the ovaries, causing a number of symptoms referred to as Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). It usually occurs 5-7 days after retrieval and is most often managed by over the counter medication and avoiding strenuous activities. Most symptoms are mild however, in extreme cases; they may require hospitalization to monitor fluid balance in the body.
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