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The donor egg program has
been established to assist couples who cannot have a
child because the woman is unable to produce normal
eggs which can be fertilized. This can occur for
several reasons. Some women undergo menopause at a
very early age and are then unable to produce normal
eggs. Other women may still have normal menstrual
cycles but are unable to produce eggs, which can be
fertilized; still other women may have no ovaries
and thus be unable to produce eggs, and some women
may produce eggs, which are defective in some way.
Each of these women, however, has a normal uterus
and can become pregnant and carry pregnancies to
term normally. In order for these women to become
pregnant, donated human eggs are used, in an in
vitro fertilization procedure, whereby the donated
eggs are fertilized with sperm from the partner of
the woman who can not produce normal eggs, and the
resulting embryos are then transferred into the
woman's uterus. The birth mother will be the legal
mother and her partner will be the legal father.
In order to increase the chances that the woman
will become pregnant from the donated eggs, the
donor is given medications to make her ovaries
produce multiple mature eggs in one ovulatory cycle.
To the best of our knowledge, there is no permanent
damage from these medications and they should not
affect future reproductive capabilities. There have
been a few reports that fairly long-term use of
these drugs may increase the incidence of ovarian
cancer. To date these reports, however, have not
been substantiated, but nonetheless, this
correlation has been reported.
Several medications are used to stimulate egg
maturation in a donor’s ovaries. These medications
are administered by way of subcutaneous injections.
One type of medication affects the pituitary gland
and the other type affects the ovaries. Frequently
the donor will take birth control pills before
starting the injectable medications.
Major side effects from these medications are
fairly rare. Sometimes a person “overreacts” to the
injectable medications and the ovaries produce many,
many eggs. This can cause the donor some abdominal
discomfort and bloating that may last several weeks.
Severe hyperstimulation (less than 1% of all
patients) is a temporary condition but may
necessitate bed rest or even hospitalization in very
rare circumstances. If the donor were to have sexual
intercourse while on these medications or within a
week of stopping the medications, there is a
definite risk of a pregnancy, including a multiple
pregnancy. Therefore, the donor is asked to abstain
from sexual intercourse during the month of egg
donation.
The donor will come to the physician's office on
day two of the menstrual cycle during which she is
going to take the fertility drugs. The donor has
frequently been asked to take birth control pills
for 21 days prior to this. She may have a blood draw
and an ultrasound scan of her ovaries on that day.
The ultrasound scan involves using an ultrasound
probe, which is placed into the vagina so that the
ovaries can be easily visualized. The donor is
taught to give her own injections of the medications
or she arranges for these injections to be done.
(This injection teaching is done BEFORE the donor
starts her cycle.) On the sixth or seventh day after
the beginning injection, the donor will begin going
to the physician's office daily for a ultrasound
scan and a blood draw. The procedure for taking the
eggs is usually done about ten to thirteen days
after the donor starts the injections. This varies
with the way in which she responds to the
medication. The day the eggs are taken is determined
by the results of the ultrasound examinations and
the blood tests.
The egg retrieval procedure itself is performed
in the clinic in a surgical procedure room. A nurse
anesthetist is present to give the donor intravenous
medication to alleviate pain. These medications
cause the donor to fall asleep during the procedure.
The procedure takes between thirty and ninety
minutes. The eggs are removed from the ovaries using
a hollow needle, which is attached to the ultrasound
probe. The needle goes through the side of the
vagina into the ovaries and the eggs are aspirated
from the ovaries. After the procedure, the donor is
observed for 1-2 hours at the clinic. A responsible
adult must drive the donor home and stay with the
donor for the remainder of the day. Following the
procedure, the donor may experience a little vaginal
bleeding and some lower abdominal discomfort, but
this is usually fairly mild. The donor might
experience some abdominal discomfort for the next
two weeks or so, but it is rare for it to persist
beyond that time. There is a very slight, but real,
risk of heavy bleeding and/or infection from the egg
recovery procedure. The donor returns to the clinic
about one week after the egg retrieval procedure for
a check-up.
Within two weeks of the egg retrieval, the donor
will receive a $4000 reimbursement for the donor’s
time and trouble. (This does NOT apply to “known”
donors.) If the donor were to be cancelled after she
began taking the stimulation medications because of
poor response, she would still be reimbursed $200
for her time. If, for any reason the donor decides
to stop participation in the program, she would
receive no reimbursement for her time. If the donor
is cancelled because of non-compliance to the
requirements of the program, the donor will receive
no reimbursement for the time she has spent in the
program.
An egg donor should be in good general health and
between 21 and 31 years of age. It is preferred, but
not required, that the donor has had a prior
pregnancy. The donor must complete a medical and
genetic history and a full screening exam which
includes testing for a number of infectious dieases.
The donor must be able to adhere to the rigid
schedule of monitoring progress during the time she
is taking medications. The potential donor is not
reimbursed for her time and inconvenience during the
screening process.
Once a donor is accepted into the program, an
anonymous profile of her is given to potential
recipients. The donor actually participates in the
donation procedure only after a recipient couple has
chosen her. It sometimes takes several months for a
donor to be chosen by a recipient.
A Donor Egg Program is very important for women
who have no normal eggs of their own and it is their
only chance to become pregnant. We hope that you
will consider being a part of the Donor Egg Program.
Please remember that you will be committing
approximately three weeks of your time.
If you have further questions, please contact
Stephanie Frickleton Donor Egg Coordinator
at:
Pacific Northwest Fertility
1101 Madison Street
Suite 1050
Seattle WA 98104
sfrickleton@pnwfertility.com
(206) 515-0042
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phone number: 206-515-0000
email: