Egg donation is steadily growing in popularity. This fertility treatment offers an alternative path to parenthood for patients who cannot have a baby otherwise.
The process entails obtaining eggs from a young, healthy donor to enable another woman to conceive as part of IVF.
At AtlasCARE IVF in the Republic of Georgia, our expert fertility specialists assist patients in the donor selection process, coordinate all screening and cycle overviews for both donor and recipient, and provide caring support throughout the step-by-step egg donor process.
How is Egg donation regulated in Georgia?
Egg donation is anonymous in Georgia. This means that the privacy of the egg donor and their personal information (such as the donor’s name or her address) is not available to patients.
We use eggs provided by previously screened donors to help women conceive as part of IVF.
All donors are between the ages of 21 and 28. Before being admitted into our program, candidates must complete a thorough screening process to ensure that they are healthy and prepared for the donation journey ahead.
Who can be an egg donor in Georgia?
All prospective donors must meet the following requirements:
- Age limit: 21-28
- Good health state
- No genetic disorder or disease that can be passed onto the child
- Successful completion of the screening process
- Commitment to the egg donation process
Only candidates that complete the screening process and meet all our requirements will be added to the donor database.
What is the process of becoming an egg donor?
All potential donors are first required to fill out an application that includes detailed medical information about themselves. If they pass the initial application process, we will ask them to go through an extensive screening process which includes medical, fertility, and genetic testing. If a candidate meets all the requirements, her profile will be uploaded into our database.
How do I choose an egg donor?
AtlasCARE IVF has one of the most elite egg donor databases to date. Our donors undergo a very detailed screening before joining our egg donation program. This is to ensure they are fertile and free from any genetic/infectious diseases.
If you choose to use an anonymous donor, we will ask you to describe the ideal egg donor and to provide a photo of yourself. Based on your specifications, we will offer you a few donor profiles for consideration.
We will also provide you with comprehensive information about your donor, including height, weight, eye color, and screening reports. The donor’s name or any other personal information will not be shared.
Bringing a person who will serve as an egg donor (known or non-anonymous donor) is also an option at our clinic. In this case, the aspiring donor will have to undergo the same screening process and meet the qualifying criteria as any other anonymous donor would have to do.
How does the procedure work?
Once the donor has been matched to the recipient family, the treatment process can begin.
Egg donor cycle
The first step entails taking medication to suppress the donor’s natural cycle and synchronize it to the recipient’s cycle.
The donor will also take fertility medication that will cause the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. The medication is taken in the form of shots for about ten to twelve days. During the ovulation stimulation phase, we will monitor the donor through blood tests and ultrasounds to evaluate the progress and development of the eggs.
When eggs become large enough, a hCG injection (also known as a trigger shot) is administered to stimulate the final maturation of the donor’s eggs.
The next step is the egg retrieval procedure, which takes only 15-20 minutes. The donor will be placed under light anesthesia and the fertility doctor will retrieve mature eggs using ultrasound-guided aspiration. The catheter guided by ultrasound for visualization will be inserted through the cervix and into the ovaries where multiple eggs will be collected.
Donors are advised to have bed rest after the egg retrieval. The next day they will be ready to resume their normal activities.
The egg donor cycle takes about two weeks to complete. If donated eggs contribute to achieving a successful pregnancy, donors are eligible to start a new egg donation cycle after another official match has been made.
Recipient cycle
While the egg donor is taking stimulation medication, the patient prepares her uterus for the embryo transfer. This involves taking estrogen and progesterone supplements to reach an optimal thickness of her uterine lining.
While fertilized eggs (embryos) are growing in the laboratory, the embryology team will perform regular assessment. This involves close monitoring of embryos under a microscope in order to assess their quality. Only the best-looking, high-quality embryos will be transferred into the patient’s uterus. Depending on the assessment results, one or more embryos will be placed into the patient’s (or the surrogate mother’s) uterus on day 3 or day 5 after egg retrieval.
The number of embryos that will be placed in a woman’s uterus depends on their quality and the patient’s age. If embryos are transferred when they reach the blastocyst stage (i.e. day 5), we call this a blastocyst transfer.
Normally, twelve days after the transfer, patients have a beta hCG test to check whether pregnancy has occurred.
How long do I need to stay in Georgia for my treatment?
Your time in Georgia:
Option 1
If you want to be in Georgia from beginning to end of your uterine preparation process, you will need to come to Georgia on day 2 of your menstrual period and stay for about 17-19 days depending on your donor’s egg development.
Option 2
You can start the treatment in your hometown and come to Georgia for a shorter time – approx 7-9 days.
Please Note: Male partners can stay for only 1 or 2 days to deposit their sperm.
We send you a detailed treatment protocol with guidelines that shows you which medication to use or when to see your fertility specialist.
Although I do not use my eggs, should I still do any tests?
Yes, you should perform tests. We need some hormonal tests, infectious blood tests, full blood count, as well as blood type from the female partner.
The male partner will need to complete infectious blood tests, sperm analysis test and blood group test.
Please contact our IVF Coordinator to get more detailed information.
Do you do egg sharing? Can I freeze the extra eggs?
We do not do egg sharing. All the eggs retrieved from your egg donor belong to you. We can freeze the extra eggs or embryos at our clinic for future IVF cycles.
Am I an appropriate candidate for Egg Donation IVF?
Egg Donation is for women:
* without ovaries
* with poor egg quality
* with diminished ovarian reserve
* with premature menopause
* with premature ovarian failure
* who have previously failed multiple IVF attempts
* who received chemo or radiation therapy for cancer treatment.
What is the success rate of Egg Donation IVF?
Our success rate for IVF with Egg Donation is 85% per cycle.
Take your first step to parenthood today with AtlasCARE IVF!
If becoming a parent requires the use of donor eggs, we can help.
From medical screening services to personalized treatment plans to egg donor matching and coordinating the entire treatment process, the team at AtlasCARE will provide the education, guidance and support you need to successfully complete all steps of your treatment process.
Start your journey to parenthood today by scheduling a free video consultation with our expert team!