Common Concerns - Egg Donation and Fertility Issues

Egg donation is a process that uses a donor egg to help allow a woman to become pregnant. In the event that a woman does not have healthy eggs of her own, a donor egg is taken and fertilized with sperm via in vitro fertilization (IVF), to help increase her chances of conception.

Good Candidate for Egg Donation

Any woman that is unable to conceive naturally, and has been unsuccessful in other infertility treatments is a good candidate for the egg donation. The couple must also be in generally good health, with no serious medical conditions.

Who is not a good candidate for the procedure?

If the recipient is under the age of 21 or over the age of 34, they will generally be advised to seek other methods of infertility treatment. Women that have infectious diseases, or suffer from certain mental conditions will often not be approved for the egg donation procedure.

How long will the egg donation process take?

The process to receive an egg from beginning to end generally takes about three months. The majority of this time is spent synchronizing the donor and the recipient's menstrual cycles, and providing both women with certain hormonal medications.

Screening Egg Donors

Women that are requesting to become egg donors are screened extensively to determine that they are in good health, and have no serious medical condition which could negatively affect the egg donation process.

Cost of Egg Donation Treatment

The cost for the procedure can vary for a number of different reasons. In some cases, you will be expected to pay for not only the procedure, but for the donor costs as well.

Do I have to use a certain infertility specialist, or can I stay with the one I currently have?

That will depend on whether or not your infertility specialist is capable of handling an egg donation treatment or not. Many infertility specialists will work with you so that you can continue being treated by them. Or, you may have to get a referral from your doctor to a clinic that specializes in egg donor treatments.

To learn more about various infertility treatment options, it is important to visit our Dallas area fertility center.