Egg donation is offered to women whom the ovarian function is coming to an end. It can occur prematurely when the woman is younger than 39. It can occur in women of advanced reproductive age and also in women whom the egg quality is pretty low leading to multiple IVF failures.
The medical legal framework regarding IVF procedures declares that the egg donor:
- Should be below 35 years of age.
- Does not have to be anonymous.
- Can be a relative but not of the ‘vertical line’ mother - daughter, but
sister – cousin- aunt.
Egg recipients are allowed to receive IVF services up the age of 54.
- Hepatitis B - Hepatitis C - HIV – VDRL – Thalasseamias - Cystic
Fibrosis
- Full karyotype
- Congenital deafness
- Fragile X
Muscular dystrophy Duchenne and many other (exam package of almost 200 hereditary diseases).
It is mandatory to mention that the woman candidate for egg donation has been examined thoroughly, in order to assure to a vast extend that no hereditary diseases can pass to the future child born by the recipient.
According to the Greek medical legal framework for IVF, it’s been allowed the import of donated eggs from abroad. So, egg recipients can choose easier and from a greater pool, disposable eggs.
If the recipient is above 50 years of age, the fertility specialist must send the medical file of the patient to the National Authority for IVF stating that the patient is capable of carrying out a pregnancy in order to have a formal authorisation to proceed.
The medical treatment of the recipient involves the preparation of the endometrium. It can be achieved in a normal cycle or in HRT cycle.
In an HRT cycle we ‘build’ the endometrium by using estradiol valerate tablets and when the thickness and the texture of the endometrium is satisfactory we add progesterone preparation by vaginal and subcutaneous route. The period for the preparation of the recipient towards the embryotransfer day takes about 17-18 days.
We tend to offer 7-8 eggs of excellent quality and we aim to transfer 1-2 blastocysts of excellent quality. If more available we freeze them for future use.
The embryotransfer is a very simple but at the same time delicate procedure where with a very thin flexible catheter we place 1-2 embryos in the endometrial cavity. 10 days later the recipient takes a pregnancy test. If the pregnancy test comes up positive all medications must continue till week 10 of the pregnancy when the by then formed placenta takes over the pregnancy all the way to delivery of the baby/babies.
The ‘legal compensation’ for the egg donor is havering around 1700 euros.
The success rate is obviously quite high and is havering above 60% pregnancy rate.
Concluding, by offering egg donation in specific groups of infertile patients, we are shortening the route to their goal which is clear, what else, a healthy baby.
