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IVF with Donor Eggs

Using donor eggs for IVF can be a transformative step in your surrogacy journey.

Donor egg IVF for surrogacy gives you the opportunity to become a parent if your eggs are not viable or if you are not able to provide eggs.

Contact us online if you need a fertility clinic with an egg donor program. We can connect you with reputable clinics near you.

This article takes a look at why donor egg IVF may be part of your journey, all of the steps involved, its cost and the different aspects you have to consider when deciding if it’s right for your situation.

IVF with Donor Eggs: The Process Step-by-Step

Egg donor IVF offers another avenue to becoming a parent if you or your partner:

  • Have issues with egg quality
  • Diminished ovarian reserve
  • Don’t want to pass on genetic conditions
  • Are a same-sex couple

Whether you are pursuing traditional IVF or using donor eggs for surrogacy, donor eggs can be a stepping stone on your path to parenthood.

To give you an idea of what you can expect, here’s an example of the steps you’ll need to take for IVF with an egg donor:

When it comes to choosing an egg donor, you are able to select a donor who meets your preferences. This includes everything from physical traits to education to lifestyle and more.

In addition to stimulating your donor’s ovaries and watching the development of their follicles, this involves making sure the egg donor and recipient’s menstrual cycles are synchronized for when the embryo transfer occurs.

Embryos will be monitored as they continue to develop toward day 3 or day 5 embryos.

If you, your partner or your families have a history of genetic disease, PGT can identify chromosomal or genetic abnormalities in the embryos before the embryo transfer takes place. Embryos that are viable for use are then frozen.

The final step of egg donor IVF is the embryo transfer. The embryo is transferred to your or your surrogate’s uterus. Once that takes place, there is a recommended two week wait before testing for pregnancy using a beta hCG blood test.

Find out more about how to find an egg donor

Surrogacy with Donor Eggs

An egg donor and surrogacy give you the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a parent, particularly if IVF with donor eggs is unsuccessful because of:

  • Age
  • Uterine health issues
  • Unexplained infertility

Partnering with a surrogate can bypass these issues because they’ll carry your baby to term. Surrogates must meet certain requirements and are extensively screened to ensure they can safely complete a pregnancy

There are general requirements although the professional you work with may have different requirements than another. American Surrogacy, for example, requires:

  • Age range of 21-40
  • At least one successful pregnancy. No more than five vaginal births and three cesareans births
  • Currently raising a child
  • No felony convictions
  • No major complications from previous pregnancies

When it comes to surrogacy with donor eggs, it can increase your chances of living out your dream of becoming a parent.

Creative Family Connections cited a success rate for a healthy birth rate as high as 75% in the U.S. among IVF clinics. It rose to 95% once the surrogate was pregnant.

Find out more about IVF success rates with donor eggs

How Much Does IVF with Egg Donor Cost?

When it comes to the cost of donor egg IVF, you can break it down into two parts, the cost of IVF and the cost of obtaining donor eggs.

The average cost of IVF according to the Department of Health and Human Services ranges from $15,000-$20,000 per cycle but depending on the professional you work with, this may include costs for egg retrieval and the medications used for ovarian stimulation.

Using an egg donor for your journey means those costs won’t be included in your final costs. 

The cost of using donor eggs for IVF has a wide range, anywhere from $10, 000-$45,000 based on cost packages offered by reputable fertility clinics like CNY Fertility and Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.

Your cost will be determined by:

What are the Disadvantages of Using Donor Eggs for IVF? (Emotional Considerations)

If using an egg donor is an option for your situation when it comes to growing your family, there are a couple of things to consider beyond the financial aspects discussed above.

IVF with an egg donor can bring about a number of emotions, from happiness and hope to sadness and stress.

One emotional consideration to think about is how you will feel about not being genetically related to your child. But the relationship you will have with your child goes much deeper than genetics.

How you go about parenting and showing your child how much you love them is what sparks the bond between you both.

No matter how long you have been trying to grow your family, learning that you may need donor eggs for IVF can be difficult to process.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has a directory of qualified mental health professionals that can address the wide range of emotions you may feel during this journey. 

Learn more about fertility loss grief

Will My Baby Look Like Me If I Use Donor Eggs?

Physically, your child may not look like you. If you your child sharing a resemblance with you or your partner is important to you, you can try to find an egg donor that looks like you or has similar traits. Egg donor profiles allow you to choose traits about your egg donor.

If you use a known egg donor, such as a family member, similar physical traits may be passed on but they are known to skip a generation too.

Next Steps

A fertility clinic will be needed to help complete the medical steps of this journey. If you don’t have one yet, we’re here for you.

Get in touch with us online today to get connected to reputable clinics that are located close to you.

Male and Female couple smiling with surrogate mother
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