Donor Egg

 

Sometimes fertility issues make it impossible to achieve pregnancy without the help of an egg donor. As a result of a variety of medical conditions, a woman/couple may seek an egg donor to allow the birth of a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF).  

 

An egg donor can either be anonymous or a directed/known donor to the recipient patient. If a directed or known donor is selected, a legal agreement between the recipient and egg donor is required. If an anonymous egg donor is being used, no legal contract is required. The anonymous donor is required to sign a consent which includes a waiver and release, forever relinquishing any rights to any child or children born.

 

Our donors at RHS are between the ages of 21 and 32 and are recruited from the Western PA and Pittsburgh areas. All donors are screened for substance abuse and communicable diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. A complete medical/genetic history is obtained to gather information about the donor’s personal and family health history. Also, a written psychological evaluation, along with multiple counseling sessions, helps us to determine if an individual is an appropriate egg donor. Egg donors are screened according to FDA requirements for eligibility.

 

RHS strives to meet the varied needs and desires of our intended parents. The coordinators put a significant amount of time and effort into finding what we feel makes a close match. Once egg donors become available, the recipient will be notified and profiles will be sent for review. The recipient patient will have approximately two weeks to confirm.

 

Once the egg donor had been chosen, the intended parent(s) will begin planning the IVF cycle with a nurse coordinator.

 

Donor Sperm

Many couples experiencing male factor infertility may choose to undergo donor insemination (DI) in order to achieve pregnancy. During DI, the physician or nurse places donor sperm into the female’s reproductive tract near the time of ovulation. Donor insemination has become one of the most effective methods for couples with severe male factor infertility to experience pregnancy and childbirth. Patients may also choose this treatment in the absence of a male partner.

 

In order to decide whether to undergo donor insemination, couples need to know the cause(s) of infertility. At RHS, patients who are interested in DI undergo a thorough evaluation prior to initiating treatment. Donor insemination may be indicated if there are significantly abnormal semen characteristics and if the female appears to be fertile after a series of tests.

 

All sperm must be frozen and stored until adequately screened. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends that all sperm be frozen for at least six months prior to insemination. Here are some donor sperm cryobanks that have been approved by RHS:

 

            California Cryobank, Inc.

            11915 La Grange Avenue

            Los Angeles, CA  90025

            (800) 977-3761

 

            Fairfax Cryobank

            3015 Williams Drive,    Suite 110

            Fairfax, VA  22031

            (800) 338-8407          

 

            Cryobiology, Inc. Sperm Bank

            4830-D Knightsbridge Blvd.

            Columbus, OH  43214

            (800) 359-4375

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 8:31 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.