Egg donation in Pasadena offers a solution for many couples interested in growing their family but who, for various reasons, cannot produce viable eggs. As an egg donor, you experience the rewarding feeling of helping create a family. As the recipient, you benefit from receiving an egg when there’s no option for using your own egg. For same sex male couples who desire a family, egg donation is the only option.
Who Benefits From Donor Eggs?
The egg donation process involves an anonymous donor or someone you know who volunteers their egg, and the recipient who uses the healthy, viable egg to conceive. There are many medical reasons couples and individuals may use an egg donor for their child. Here are some of the reasons people opt for donor eggs to grow their families:
- Same-sex male couples
- Older mothers whose eggs aren’t viable
- Women with genetic conditions they don’t want to pass on.
- Women with premature ovarian insufficiency.
- Previous failed IVF due to poor egg quality
- Women in menopause or with premature menopause.
- Women with no ovaries.
- Those who’ve experienced recurrent miscarriage.
You may choose an egg donor from an agency or a donor with a biological connection to the mother or a dear friend. No matter who your egg donor may be, all donors go through a careful and thorough screening before approval.
What You Need to Know as An Egg Donor in Pasadena
If you’re considering becoming an egg donor, congratulations. You are doing a remarkable service for a couple or individual who longs for a child of their own. There are certain key aspects of the egg donor process you should know that will prepare you for the process.
- Screening and Eligibility Requirements: First, you undergo a medical screening and psychological evaluation. This assures you’re in good health, have no genetic or chromosomal abnormalities, and are of sound mind in making your decision. In some cases, the clinic may request a background check. Your age is a factor as well. Most fertility specialists recommend donors between 21 and 34 years of age.
- Ovarian Stimulation: You’ll undergo ovarian stimulation through a series of hormone medications, and the doctor monitors your progress in order to time the egg retrieval. Because of the hormonal stimulation, you produce a few eggs at one time.
- Egg Retrieval: The egg retrieval procedure requires sedation. You’ll experience no discomfort during this procedure. The doctor uses an ultrasound they guide a needle to your ovaries and draw out the mature eggs. After the procedure, you’ll go to recovery, and once the doctor allows, you can go home. Expect some minor discomfort over the next 24 hours. Your doctor will advise you regarding medication and recovery.
- Compensation: Typically, the donor enters into a contract with the recipient, which goes over her compensation.
What You Need to Know as A Donor Egg Recipient
Using donor eggs to conceive isn’t new. The first successful egg donation in the U.S. took place in 1983. The first baby born via donor egg was the following year. Since those early days, egg donation has become a common fertility treatment. If you’re thinking about using donor eggs to grow your family, here are a few things you need to know.
- Donors: You may decide to use eggs from an anonymous donor or an agency that deals with egg donation, or you may decide to use eggs donated by a friend or relative on the mother’s side. Many couples choose to maintain a biological connection by asking a relative. In the case of same-sex male couples who wish to maintain a biological connection, eggs donated by one partner’s relative are fertilized by the other partner’s sperm.
- Screening: Recipients can rest easy knowing all donors, known and anonymous, undergo a strict screening process.
- Matching: Many recipients who use anonymous donors seek out donors based on physical traits, educational background, or personal background.
- IVF: Once the doctor retrieves the eggs, the lab fertilizes them using the male partner’s sperm or donor sperm. Once the lab confirms the embryos are viable, they are ready for transfer into the recipient’s uterus. In the case of a same-sex male couple, the doctor transfers the embryo(s) into a gestational carrier (surrogate). Should you request preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), it’s done at this time.
- Legal Consideration: Some states require a legal contract between donor and recipient, especially if the donor is a friend or family member. Legal counsel clarifies parental rights going forward.
We Can Help You
If you’d like more information about egg donation in Pasadena, please contact LA IVF. Whether you’re considering becoming an egg donor or you’d like to explore your third-party options for growing your family, we can help.
