Recipient

Some of the couples coming to the Reproductive Medicine & Fertility Center will need the help of third party reproduction to help them fulfill their dreams of becoming parents. Here at RMFC we have a physician run egg donor program available for those couples needing their service. Egg donation is now an option for women suffering from premature menopause, poor egg quality, and diminished ovarian reserve. Patients with prior IVF cycles resulting in poor egg/embryo quality are also excellent candidates for donor oocytes. By utilizing an egg donor the couple can have a child biologically linked to the father and carried by the mother. Egg donation can also be combined with sperm donation and still allow the mother to experience the joy of pregnancy and control the gestational environment. The pregnancy rate at the Reproductive Medicine & Fertility Center, using our donor eggs is very high and makes it possible for many of our couples to realize their lifelong dream of becoming parents.

Our donors are recruited locally and used only in our practice for our patients. They must meet our very strict criteria of:

• must be between the ages of 21-30 years old;
• non smokers;
• no drug use; and
• healthy

The egg donors must complete a detailed medical and family history form to apply as a donor. Upon receipt and review of the history, Our fertility team will consult with the candidate about the medical implications and requirements necessary to donate. On that meeting the donor will undergo a complete physical exam, ultrasound, blood screening, and drug screening. We also require our donor to meet with our reproductive therapist to discuss her decision to donate and to undergo MMPI testing. At the Reproductive Medicine & Fertility Center we screen all of our donors before offering their services to our patients. Our donor egg program is anonymous, meaning the couples are matched with a donor by the donor egg coordinator and physician according to the couples criteria and requests. The couples are given the health and family profile to review and have an ongoing relationship with the donor egg coordinator to facilitate the couple's decision.

Another option for egg donation is to have a known donor (friend, sister, or other relative of the woman's) come into the practice to donate specifically for that patient. We require the donor to go through the same screening criteria in order to donate.

Yet another alternative to using the donor egg program at RMFC is to go to one of the many agencies in the area. Our fertility team can provide couples with a referral to an agency that can provide a selection of donors for them to choose from. Many of the agencies allow the couple to view photographs of the potential donors.

Egg Donors

We are so grateful for the generous women that participate in our donor egg program. These women give some of our couples new hope of becoming parents after many years of disappointment.

After an initial phone conversation with an egg donor candidate the donor is sent a detailed family and medical history form to fill out and return with a current photograph. The egg donor program at the Reproductive Medicine & Fertility Center is anonymous, meaning the recipient will not receive any identifying information about the donor. The photograph is used only by the physician and donor egg coordinator when considering the donor for a couple.

Upon receipt and review of the medical history form, the donor will meet with our fertility team for a consultation to discuss your decision to donate as well as undergo a physical exam. We screen for infectious diseases every 6 months up to the time of donation as well as screening the donor's sexual partner. Another part of the screening process involves meeting with our therapist, for another opportunity to discuss your decision to donate as well as MMPI psychological testing. After the screening process is completed the donor egg coordinator will present the donor's profile to the couples within the Reproductive Medicine & Fertility practice and facilitate the match.

The egg donor cycle is comprised of three components:

• cycle suppression;
• controlled ovarian hyperstimulation; and
• egg retrieval.

Initially we suppress the cycle with an injectable medication that the donor begins on cycle day 21. Once the donor is hormonally suppressed she will start the ovarian stimulation medication. During the stimulation cycle we stimulate the ovaries with medication that cause the development of multiple follicles. It is very important during that time that the donor be monitored by the physician to insure a successful cycle. The egg retrieval is done at our outpatient surgical center with an anesthesiologist present.

Our donors compensation starts at $5,000 upon egg retrieval. A woman can donate up to 3 - 4 times.