Egg donation (or Oocyte donation) involves removing eggs from a woman (donor) who is healthy and fertile. After being removed, the eggs are either frozen for the future or used immediately by hopeful parents-to-be.
1 in 8 families struggle to have children. At Indiana Fertility Institute, we believe that everyone deserves the chance to have a family. Our egg donation program is uniquely focused on matching recipient patients with donated eggs with the goal of achieving a successful, healthy pregnancy.
Egg Donors must be healthy women between the ages of 21-30, with no significant medical history (non-smoker/vaper), and a BMI (body mass index) less than 35 to qualify. Women who elect to apply and participate in Indiana Fertility Institute’s egg donation must undergo the following prior to donation:
Egg donation involves a woman, known as the donor, undergoing a medical process to provide healthy eggs to another woman who cannot use her own eggs for conception. The donor undergoes hormonal treatments to stimulate her ovaries, allowing multiple eggs to mature. Once the eggs are ready, they are retrieved through a minor surgical procedure. These eggs are then fertilized in a lab with sperm from the intended father or a donor. The resulting embryos are transferred to the recipient's uterus, where they can develop into a pregnancy.
Oocyte donation is a method of assisted reproduction technology in which a fertile woman donates an egg, or oocyte to receive the benefit of helping a family conceive. Some women are unable to produce oocytes for a multitude of reasons, including prior health issues, advanced age, or premature ovarian failure.
The start of the egg donation process will correspond to the beginning half of a woman’s menstrual cycle. It is crucial to control the timing of the follicle (sacs that contain the oocyte) and oocyte development to increase the chance of obtaining more than one oocyte. Therefore, fertility drugs are used. Subcutaneous injection medications, such as Lupron (leuprolide acetate) and FSH (purified follicle stimulating hormone) are self-administered.
Blood tests and pelvic ultrasounds will be conducted once it is determined the follicles are nearing maturity. Once it is determined that the follicles are mature, hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) will be administered via injection, and the oocyte retrieval will be scheduled for 36 hours post-injection.
The retrieval process is considered an outpatient procedure, and requires mild sedation, allowing you to recover at home same-day. It is performed by ultrasound-guided ovarian aspiration, a procedure in which an ultrasound probe is inserted in the vagina and the follicles are visualized on the monitor screen. A needle is inserted through the vagina and into the follicle, and the contents aspirated with a suction device. The fluid is immediately passed into the laboratory to identify if an oocyte is present.
Following the procedure, you will recover for about 1-2 hours and then be free to recover at home. We do require that someone is available to drive you home. Feeling bloated for the remainder of your cycle due to the stimulation of the ovaries is normal. The next few periods may have a delayed start and be heavier than normal but normal menstrual cycles should resume within two months. If complications post-procedure arise, care will be provided through Indiana Fertility Institute.
We truly value your selflessness and compassion, and therefore, our egg donors are generously compensated. There’s no greater gift than helping a family achieve their dreams. Become an egg donor today.