Egg donation Spain

Egg donation is recommended in cases where the woman cannot achieve a pregnancy with her own eggs. The most common causes are:

• Advanced age
• Low egg quality
• Low ovarian reserve after repeated In Vitro fertilisation failures
• Genetic disorders

Performing egg donation requires a series of additional tests:

• Gynaecological ultrasound to rule out uterine and ovarian diseases.
• Semen analysis to evaluate the quality of the sample. If sperm quality is very low, it will be necessary to extend the andrological examination with other additional tests.
• Male karyotype to rule out genetic abnormalities which may affect the embryo.
• Serologic test to rule out the presence of transmissible infectious diseases.

You can resume normal life throughout the process until the embryo transfer. On this particular day, it is recommended to comparatively rest and, from then on, you should lead a quiet life avoiding significant strain, the same as if you were trying to become pregnant naturally.

There is no problem with travelling after embryo transfer.

There is no limit to the number of egg donations that can be performed but it must be acknowledged that 90% of the patients achieve a pregnancy within 3 egg donation cycles.

Unlike In Vitro fertilisation, there is no need to wait to perform another cycle with egg donation, since the uterus is ready to receive embryos again after the period. It is convenient to re-evaluate the case after each cycle which did not achieve a pregnancy, in order to determine whether more tests are necessary.

The main risk of egg donation is a multiple pregnancy if more than one embryo is transferred. Along with the very good results from the long blastocyst culture, many couples currently decide to transfer a single embryo to avoid a twin pregnancy.

You will have to go to the clinic twice to perform the treatment. The first time to organize the cycle and to freeze a sperm sample if necessary. The second time to perform the embryo transfer.

During the process, an endometrial ultrasound scan will be performed that can take places at the Clinic or with your usual gynaecologist.

Egg donors are young women aged between 18 and 35, and in good physical and mental health. They will have to pass a series of tests to become a donor, which include examining their personal and family medical history, a psychological evaluation, general and gynaecological examinations, a blood test to rule out possible infectious diseases and necessary genetic testing.

All our female egg donors must have undergone the strictest selection tests to determine their eligibility as donor.

With the aim of offering the highest quality treatments, Barcelona IVF subjects its donors a carrier genetic test to reduce the risk of some severe hereditary diseases.

Once the donor has been selected, we can evaluate the risk of whether the child will have any of these diseases. To that end, the father needs to undergo the carrier genetic test as well. In the event an increased risk is detected, a different, compatible donor will be sought out in whom the risk is low.

Egg donor assignment is performed by our specialized medical team, based on the patients’ physical characteristics and their blood groups. This is a task of tremendous responsibility, therefore our team performs each donor assignment considering the individuality of each case.

In Spain, egg donation is anonymous which protects the identities of both the donor and the patients and their offspring. Nevertheless, it is possible to learn general information about the donor, such as her physical characteristics, blood group and age.

At Barcelona IVF, we also share details on the donor related to her hobbies, personality and the reason why she decided to donate, so that you have all the information available on the donor, always in compliance with the Law and respecting the privacy of all parties involved.

In order for egg donation to be performed, the donor and the patient need to start their cycle at the same time, to ensure that the patient’s uterus is prepared when the embryos are transferred.

This stage lasts for approximately 2 to 3 weeks and is very important in order to have the highest chances of success in the treatment.

The endometrium is the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus, the organ within which pregnancy takes place. To achieve a pregnancy, the endometrium must be prepared to receive the embryos for them to implant correctly.

The endometrium is prepared to receive embryos through alternate hormone therapy that imitates the woman’s natural cycle.

• We start with oestrogen, checking the endometrial development with a vaginal ultrasound.
• Once the eggs are collected from the donor, progesterone will be added to the therapy so that the endometrium is receptive on the day of the embryo transfer and to maximise the chances for pregnancy.

The embryos are collected by performing In Vitro fertilisation on the donor’s eggs with the partner’s sperm or sperm donor. These embryos are maintained in culture in the laboratory for 5 days until they reach the blastocyst stage.

Embryo transfer is a simple procedure which does not require a hospital admission or anaesthesia. A catheter is inserted into the cervical canal to place the embryos inside the uterus. Usually 1-2 embryos are transferred, although the current trend is to transfer a single embryo in order to reduce the risk of a twin pregnancy.

If there are still some good quality embryos after embryo transfer, they will be frozen.

It is very common to wonder what you can do after the transfer to encourage a pregnancy. There is nothing else you can do to increase the chances for a pregnancy, apart from waiting for the embryos to implant correctly and resume a normal and relaxed lifestyle.

At Barcelona IVF, we guarantee you:

• The highest quality in selecting our donors: we apply the strictest selection tests to ensure the greatest safety in this process.
• Best results: at Barcelona IVF, we guarantee that the recipient will receive at least 8 mature eggs from the donor. Along with the embryo blastocyst culture, this allows us to achieve the best results.
• Genetics Matching with the egg donor: it allows us to reduce the risk that the unborn child will suffer from more than 250 known genetic diseases.