A woman can produce one mature egg every month. It will become an embryo when it is fertilized. The embryo develops during pregnancy. Egg donation is the procedure where, the intended mother fails to produce healthy eggs and chooses a donor for the Assisted Reproduction process. The process of egg donation involves IVF as the eggs are fertilized in the laboratory. The donated egg can be used to help the infertile woman to carry and deliver a child. One can choose for an egg donor if:
- The intended mother does not have eggs in the ovaries
- If they are not fit for having a child
In certain cases, the woman may not be able to have children with their own eggs. It is because their own eggs may not be fit to conceive because of certain genetic anomalies. The eggs may not be that healthy or may be damaged. In such cases, the couple may seek the help of an egg donor. The eggs collected from the donor cannot be preserved and so, the recipient has to be made ready for implantation.
The five stages involved in the procedure of egg donation:
- Initial Screening
- Medical Screening Process
- Legal Process and Balance of Funds
- Synchronization and Stimulation
- Egg Retrieval
First time donors should visit the doctor to have an initial screening. The donor’s blood will be drawn on the third day of the menstrual cycleto perform hormone tests and transvaginal ultrasound may be performed. The donor is then stimulated and synchronisation of the cycles of the recepient and donor is done.The egg is retreived from the donor and transferred into the recipient after IVF. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is used to increase the ferilization rates. Once the egg gets fertilised, it will be transferred to the recipient’s uterus.