IVF with Egg (Oocyte) Donation
Since the 1980s, egg donation has been an option to have their baby for patients rather than directly adopting a child to have a family as in the past. The egg recipient (intended mother) carries the pregnancy and, thereby, remains in control of the gestational environment and experiences the emotional attachment that goes along with it. Furthermore, the offspring can be biologically related to the male partner if using his sperm.
What is IVF with an Egg (Oocyte) Donor?
IVF using donated eggs gives women, who can’t conceive using their own eggs, a chance to have their own babies.
IVF with donor eggs is an IVF cycle in which donated eggs are used rather than the female partner’s eggs. Donated eggs from a suitable anonymous donor are fertilized with sperm provided by the patient’s partner.
Who is suitable for the IVF treatment with donated eggs (OD, DIVF)?
Egg (Oocyte) Donation is a procedure performed for patients who do not want or cannot use their eggs during an IVF treatment for several reasons. This treatment can be considered;
How do we select our egg donors?
All our donors are;
Which criteria do egg donors have to meet?
In addition to the above-mentioned requirements, donor candidates must pass all required blood tests, ultrasound scans, gynaecological examination and genetic testings to ensure they have sufficient ovarian reserves and are free of infectious and most frequent genetic diseases. This comprehensive selection process generally takes a couple of months.
Required tests which are determined by the Ministry of Health in North Cyprus include;
Only those who have completed this process are added to our anonymous donor list.
The process of IVF treatment with Egg donors step-by-step
1 - Preparation Phase & Free consultation
2 - Selecting the Donor
After our doctor examines your tests and confirms the treatment option with you, we will ask you to fill out an Egg Donor Recipient form to start searching for the best donor candidate for you. We have a diverse egg donor network, so once we get information about your physical characteristics and blood type, we will check for and send you the most suitable donor options so you can choose one.
3 - Synchronising the donor’s and your preparation
Note: As well as being able to do a fresh IVF cycle (preparing the donor and you at the same time), we can also create the embryos with donor eggs and partner’s sperm (if collected before) and freeze them as a 1st step, and then we can start your treatment for the embryo transfer whenever you feel ready.
Is there any difference in success rates of using fresh & frozen embryos during IVF?
Recent medical research and many fertility specialists indicate that the pregnancy rates of fresh embryos vs. frozen embryos are almost the same, while others state that frozen embryo transfer cycles produce greater success rates than fresh transfers.
So if we prepared the donor, collected eggs, and created the embryos with partner sperm already, there will be no need to synchronize your and the donor’s cycles. We will only prepare you for the embryo transfer.
4 - Collection and fertilization of eggs
5 - Embryo cultivation until blastocyst stage (5th day)
After fertilization, the embryos will be kept in a particular culture medium in the laboratory for five days. Following embryo creation, the embryo divides and multiplies its cells over 5 to 6 days to become a blastocyst. (A healthy embryo will contain about 6 to 10 cells three days after fertilization. By the fifth or sixth day, the fertilized egg is known as a blastocyst — a rapidly dividing ball of cells) The embryo’s quality depends on the quality of the sperm and the eggs. Embryo cultivation until the blastocyst stage allows us to select the highest quality embryos with the highest potential to develop further. Embryos that survive this stage of development have a high implantation potential once transferred into the uterine cavity.
6 - Embryo Transfer
The highest-quality embryos are selected and transferred into the uterus at the end of the laboratory process. The number of embryos to be transferred is decided by our doctor with you, considering your age, general health, previous unsuccessful IVF attempts and the quality of the embryos. (If more than one embryo is transferred, the possibility of multiple pregnancies increases.) Based on the regulation in North Cyprus, we are allowed to transfer a maximum of three embryos at one transfer.
7 - Embryo Freezing
After one or two healthy embryos are transferred into the uterus, the remaining embryos are frozen for future use on the same day of embryo transfer.
In this way, your IVF cycle is completed. You will perform a pregnancy blood test after 12 days after the embryo transfer date and let us know the result.
What is the success rate for IVF with egg donation at Cyprus IVF Hospital?
The success rates can vary each year depending on several factors, as per below;
The success rate in IVF with egg donation at our hospital is up to 88%, based on our 2022 operational results.
More information about our success rate can be found on our website in the link below.
Why to Choose Cyprus IVF Hospital for IVF with Egg Donation?
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What characteristics should be considered in the selection of egg donors?
After the intended parents fill out the Egg Donor Recipient Form, we provide them with the most suitable donor options for choosing their egg donor accordingly.
The most critical point in selecting an appropriate egg donor is the blood type of the intended mother to make sure that the baby’s blood type is the possible combination of the intended parents’ blood types. The other criteria considered while choosing the donor options are age, hair & eye colour/ weight & height/ ethnicity (if there is a special preference).
Will the baby look like me?
Each child comprises a 50/50 mixture of genes from the egg and sperm. So, an egg donor only has a 50% chance to influence appearance. The child’s physical characteristics may favour one parent, both or neither parent – everyone has seen a child that looks nothing like their parents.
In the case of egg donation, if the partner’s sperm was used, the baby may look more like its father anyway because he and the baby share 50% of his genes.
In the case of egg donation, the appropriate donor is selected according to the mother’s physical characteristics to increase the possibility that the baby looks like the intended mother (The same is considered for the sperm donor as well in the sperm donation procedure).
Are egg donors anonymous?
Yes. According to the North Cyprus Ministry of Health’s IVF regulations, egg donation must be done anonymously. Donor confidentiality is protected by a legal consent form separately signed by both the donor and the recipient.
What information does each party have about the other?
The donor can not access information about the recipient (intended parents). Recipients can only learn specific details about the donor, like blood type/age/hair & eye colour/ethnicity/ weight & height/occupation/hobbies, which will help them in the selection process. The photos of donors can not be shared with intended parents.
What is the next step if the first embryo transfer fails?
Initially, the cause of the failure should be determined by our specialists, and the decision will be made for further protocols accordingly. If all the embryos are not used during the first transfer, the remaining can be used for future embryo transfer attempts.
What is the success rate for IVF with egg donation at Cyprus IVF Hospital?
The success rates can vary each year depending on several factors, as per below;
- Age of the woman
- The quality of sperm
- History of previous pregnancy
- Uterine or endometrial receptivity
- Lifestyle factors of the patient
The success rate in IVF with egg donation at our hospital is up to 88 %, based on our 2022 operational results.
More information about our success rate can be found on our website in the link below.
What is the price of IVF treatment with egg donation?
For detailed information about the pricing, please visit our webpage: https://cyprusivfhospital.com/pricing/