This week is National Infertility Awareness Week (April 24 – May 1, 2010). Every year one out of every six couples is diagnosed with infertility. There are many reasons behind infertility and a wide range of problems that may cause it, as well as a wide range of solutions. One potential source of help is using an egg donor.
I asked infertility consultant Mindy Berkson, founder of Lotus Blossom Consulting, about egg donors being as an option for dealing with infertility...
Examiner: Who is a good candidate for using a donor egg to get pregnant?
Mindy: A good candidate is a woman who has compromised quality eggs and or low ovarian reserves. Fertility begins to decrease at age 27. By the time a woman is 30 years old, approximately 90 percent of her ovarian reserve is depleted.
Infertility has become a much prevalent issue with women choosing to delay childbearing for careers, schooling, life partners.
Examiner: What should you look for in a doctor that specializes in egg donor procedures?
Mindy: Embryology success rates are the most important factor s when identifying a physician to help you with in-vitro fertilization.
Examiner: How long is the process from deciding to go the egg donor route to getting pregnant typically? Describe the steps.
Mindy: Donor selection is the first step to using an egg donor. Donors can be anonymous or known. Anonymous is the most common form of donation in the US. Donors are recruited by agencies who then represent and facilitate the arrangement for all involved parties.
The donor will then undergo a psychological and medical evaluation prior to being considered an ideal candidate for in-vitro fertilization.
The donor’s menstrual cycle will be coordinated with the intended mother, typically through the use of hormones and or medications. The donor will inject herself with hormones to increase egg production. At a certain point in her cycle, she will undergo a minor surgical procedure to retrieve the eggs from both her ovaries. The eggs will be fertilized with intended father sperm.
The newly formed embryos will be closely monitored in the laboratory for 3 to 5 days.
With proper growth and cell division, one to two embryos will be selected for transfer to the intended mother in hopes that implantation will take place.
Because more than one embryo is often transferred, the rate of multiple birth has also increased and thus, twins pregnancies are not uncommon.
Examiner: What to think about when selecting a donor....knowing what the donor looks like or not? Should you select an in-state or out of state donor, etc?
Mindy: Most often, my clients are seeking to identify a healthy donor with a relatively healthy three generational family history. Often clients seek to match their own ethnicity in a donor as well as a resemblance in facial shape, eye and hair color.
Seeking a donor in-state may have some advantages, but may also be very limiting. Things that should be considered are:
• How many times has the donor donated and in what geographical area has she donated. For example, many fertility centers recruit their own pool of donors and often they share cycles with other patients. The advantage is that they are helping to hold down costs for their patients, but the distinct disadvantage is that one donor is procreating in a small geographical area to more than one family.
• Donor fees and agency fees vary geographically. Often finding a donor in a different region of the country can cost less than identifying a donor in your region of the country. In my experience, even with adding travel expenses, the total costs is the same or less, it is the allocation of funds that is different.
But the relevant point is not to limit your search for the ideal candidate in a local market search.
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