Recipient
Some of the couples coming to Coastal Fertility Medical Center will need the
help of third party reproduction to help them fulfill their dreams of becoming
parents. Here at Coastal Fertility we have a physician run egg donor program
available for those couples needing their service. Egg donation is now an option
for women suffering from premature menopause, poor egg quality, and diminished
ovarian reserve. Patients with prior IVF cycles resulting in poor egg/embryo
quality are also excellent candidates for donor oocytes. By utilizing an egg
donor the couple can have a child biologically linked to the father and carried
by the mother. Egg donation can also be combined with sperm donation and still
allow the mother to experience the joy of pregnancy and control the gestational
environment. The pregnancy rate at Coastal Fertility Medical Center, using our
donor eggs is very high and makes it possible for many of our couples to realize
their lifelong dream of becoming parents.
Our donors are recruited locally and used only in our practice
for our patients. They must meet our very strict criteria of:
· must be between the ages of 21-30 years old; · non smokers; · no drug use; and · healthy
The egg donors must complete a detailed medical and family history
form to apply as a donor. Upon receipt and review of the history, Our fertility
team will consult with the candidate about the medical implications and requirements
necessary to donate. On that meeting the donor will undergo a complete physical
exam, ultrasound, blood screening, and drug screening. We also require our donor
to meet with our reproductive therapist to discuss her decision to donate and
to undergo MMPI testing. At Coastal Fertility Medical Center we screen all of
our donors before offering their services to our patients. Our donor egg program
is anonymous, meaning the couples are matched with a donor by the donor egg
coordinator and physician according to the couples criteria and requests. The
couples are given the health and family profile to review and have an ongoing
relationship with the donor egg coordinator to facilitate the couple's decision.
Another option for egg donation is to have a known donor (friend,
sister, or other relative of the woman's) come into the practice to donate specifically
for that patient. We require the donor to go through the same screening criteria
in order to donate.
Yet another alternative to using the donor egg program at Coastal
Fertility is to go to one of the many agencies in the area. Our fertility team
can provide couples with a referral to an agency that can provide a selection
of donors for them to choose from. Many of the agencies allow the couple to
view photographs of the potential donors.
Donor
We are so grateful for the generous women that participate in our donor egg
program. These women give some of our couples new hope of becoming parents after
many years of disappointment.
After an initial phone conversation with an egg donor candidate
the donor is sent a detailed family and medical history form to fill out and
return with a current photograph. The egg donor program at Coastal Fertility
Medical Center is anonymous, meaning the recipient will not receive any identifying
information about the donor. The photograph is used only by the physician and
donor egg coordinator when considering the donor for a couple.
Upon receipt and review of the medical history form, the donor
will meet with our fertility team for a consultation to discuss your decision
to donate as well as undergo a physical exam. We screen for infectious diseases
every 6 months up to the time of donation as well as screening the donor's sexual
partner. Another part of the screening process involves meeting with our therapist,
Ellen Speyer, MFCC, for another opportunity to discuss your decision to donate
as well as MMPI psychological testing. After the screening process is completed
the donor egg coordinator will present the donor's profile to the couples within
the Coastal Fertility Medical Center practice and facilitate the match.
The egg donor cycle is comprised of three components:
Initially we suppress the cycle with an injectable medication
that the donor begins on cycle day 21. Once the donor is hormonally suppressed
she will start the ovarian stimulation medication. During the stimulation cycle
we stimulate the ovaries with medication that cause the development of multiple
follicles. It is very important during that time that the donor be monitored
by the physician to insure a successful cycle. The egg retrieval is done at
our outpatient surgical center with an anesthesiologist present.
Our donors compensation starts at $5,500 upon egg retrieval.
A woman can donate up to 3 - 4 times.
