All You Need to Know About Embryo Donation
Embryo Donation
is the answer to many families’s prayer. When a woman goes though IVF or IUI
treatment, many mature eggs are produced for fertilization. It is estimated
that in US alone, each woman on an average has around 700,000 excess mature
eggs. These can be frozen and used later on. It is an option given to all women
who can preserve their eggs and donate it to others who are in dire need of a
family. Embryo Donation is thus a
life saver!
The success rate of an Embryo
Donation is based on a many factors. An embryo donation for research shows that successful pregnancies
depend on the quality of the embryos at the time they were frozen. Other factors
like age of a woman and the number of eggs provided by the recipient are also taken
into consideration. Overall it promises a success rate of about 40% to all.
When is an Embryo
Donation Used?
It might surprise you, but there are many women around the
world who are unable to produce their own egg. In such special cases, it can be
a boon to them. Other cases of Embryo
Donation include:
·
Women born with ovaries producing very few eggs.
·
Ovaries producing poor quality eggs.
·
Women with premature ovarian failure.
·
Patients who have undergone cancer treatment
like chemotherapy.
·
Genetic disorders.
·
Patients who repeatedly fail to respond to other
infertility treatments.
The Procedure
In the US it is legally obligatory to test all the donors
and the recipients. These regulations states that donors must be free of
certain diseases like HIV, Hepatitis etc. tests are conducted by proper environment
as per the rules of the FDA.
·
All donors and recipients must provide a
detailed medical history.
·
They need to be tested for diseases like HIV,
Hepatitis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea and more.
·
Blood type and Rh factor must be determined.
·
The recipient must undergo a pelvic and uterus
exam.
·
If the recipient is over 45 years of age,
thorough heart assessment is needed.
·
Proper counselling and consultation with a
doctor is mandatory for both donor and the recipient.
KEY NOTE
The biggest challenge in an Embryo Donation procedure is matching the menstrual cycle of the
donor with the patient. To achieve this, doctors may give medications to the
person receiving the embryo. This manipulates the cycle and synchronizes it
with that of the donor. Some of the most successful pregnancies are occurred
when the cycles are matched.
Cost of an Embryo
Donation Procedure
Embryo Donation
has a lot of emotional and financial implications. Apart from the usual IVF
cost of the donor, a fertility clinic can ask for their standard frozen embryo
transfer charge up to 8000 UD dollar. Specialized Embryo Donation centers and adoption agencies have slightly higher
fees ranging anywhere between 9000 – 18000 dollars.
FAQ
Who can be a donor?
Anyone who can produce healthy eggs can be a donor, like a
relative, a friend or an anonymous person. The younger the donor, the better;
all donors must be below 35 years of age. Make sure to visit embryo donation clinics and consult a
fertility expert in detail on your matter.
Can a single woman go for Embryo Donation?
Although this treatment are adopted by couples who have no
hope of having a child, single women can very well experience pregnancy through
this procedure. It is an excellent alternative for all single women who want to
use frozen embryos to achieve pregnancy.
Can I adopt embryos?
Unlike sperm banks, there are no egg banks available for
women. Hence this is essentially an adoption or a sharing method, where you
adopt a frozen embryo of another woman and achieve pregnancy. The adopting
family can use the donating embryo and give birth to their adoptive child.
Is Embryo Donation
legal?
Embryo Donation
is legal in many countries including USA and Australia. However, there may be
some legal complications. Many couples opt for open embryo donation, where both the donor and the recipient meet
before going through the procedure. The legalities also lay stress on the
parental right of the donor and other issues that can crop up controversies. It
is important that the recipient consult a lawyer and create an agreement entering
before the procedure.
Do all clinics support Embryo
Donation?
No, all clinics are not equipped with trained personnel and
technology for an Embryo Donation
procedure. There are special fertility clinics with professionals that cater to
this purpose.
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