Many assisted reproductions clinics have a waiting list for their patients who need donor eggs for their IVF treatments. Generally, there is a shortage of donors, especially for certain phenotypes and ethnic groups. In some cases, intended parents have reported waiting up to two years to begin egg donation treatments, which is frustrating for clinics and patients alike. If we consider that many women needing to use donor eggs are already in their 40s, and that 50 is a general limit for IVF procedures in many countries, these waiting lists can actually mean that many women risk not having the chance of becoming mothers at all.
The good news is that egg banks, such as Ovobank ID, mean that these waiting lists can be avoided, allowing easier access to donor egg IVF, and at more affordable prices. In this article, we highlight how egg banks can put an end to waiting lists and open up availability and access to donor eggs in the following ways:
- A large number of available donors of varied ethnicities and phenotypes.
- Donor testing and screening performed before the donor profile is listed.
- Donor stimulation cycles, egg retrieval and egg freezing already performed.
- No need for synchronization of donor and recipient cycles.
- Online ordering and shipment of donor eggs to the fertility clinic.
USING A FROZEN EGG BANK MEANS MORE DONORS
A large egg bank, such as Ovobank ID, has hundreds of batches of frozen donor eggs from hundreds of different donors. Donors are recruited from various strategic locations worldwide, to be able to provide clinics with the diversity needed for their patients. A data base of donor profiles can be searched by the clinic and intended parents, with a wide variety of different ethnicities, races and phenotypes. Information on the donors, their lifestyle and likes, and photos of the donor as an adult and a child (where provided) can be viewed online to help in selecting the right donor.
PRE-SCREENED AND PRE-TESTED DONORS
Egg donors have many different reasons for wanting to donate some of their eggs. Many of these generous young women are mothers themselves, and wish to give other women the same opportunity of having a baby. When they make the decision to donate, they are subjected to extensive physical, psychological and gynaecological testing, as well as genetic screening, to minimize the risks of passing on any diseases to babies born using their eggs.
Only about a third of potential donors meet the strict criteria and become egg donors. When you see a donor profile on the Ovobank ID donor database, these tests have already been performed and you do not need to wait for the screening process.
NO WAITING FOR THE DONOR STIMULATION CYCLE
When you select from the frozen oocytes in stock, (in storage in liquid nitrogen), they are already ready to be transferred to the shipping containers to be sent to your clinic. The donor stimulation cycle (carefully tailored to each donor to respect their health) and the egg retrieval have already been carried out by our gynaecologists and specialist doctors. Our embryologists then take over to select the mature oocytes from the follicular fluid, perform the vitrification process and store them safely and securely in tanks of liquid nitrogen at -196°C, preserving their reproductive function.
In contrast, if using fresh donor eggs, this process can be lengthy, as it needs to coordinate with the donor’s lifestyle and availability. With fresh donation there is always the risk that very few or low quality eggs are obtained, or even a cancelled cycle resulting in no eggs. This not only represents time spent with no progress, but also expense. Using frozen donor eggs is way to avoid these risks.
EGG DONATION TREATMENTS AT THE CONVENIENCE OF THE INTENDED PARENT
When using frozen donor oocytes, there is no need to synchronize the recipient cycle with that of the donor. The intended parents can choose to undergo treatment at their convenience. The recipient only needs to have endometrial preparation, and the eggs thawed and fertilized in a coordinated fashion, so that the embryo(s) will be ready for transfer at the optimum moment of endometrial receptivity. At Ovobank ID we support our collaborating clinics with advice and protocols for the egg thawing and endometrial preparation, so that the best results can be achieved with our frozen eggs.
With a fresh donor cycle, all this needs to happen in a synchronized fashion with the donor. To find the right moment for both the donor to undergo stimulation and the recipient to undergo treatment may mean a considerable wait, and also adds to the risk of cycles being cancelled.
EASY ORDERING AND FAST SHIPPING TO YOUR FERTILITY CENTRE
Patients and clinics can have access to hundreds of donor profiles to find their ideal match, and we also have a team of dedicated specialists to help, as well as Ovomatch, a biometric facial recognition app, to aid finding the donor that most physically resembles the mother-to-be. Once the donor is selected, and the batch size chosen, the eggs can be prepared for safe shipment to the centre where the treatment will take place. Shipping is quick, safe and secure, using Ovobank ID custom designed boxes to protect the precious cargo, and Ovotracker software to monitor the location and condition of the shipment.
Depending on the donor you choose and the location of your clinic, your order of frozen donor eggs could be with you within two weeks*: speeding up donor egg IVF treatments and ending the waiting lists for intended parents to start their family using donor conception.
*some restrictions apply depending on country of origin, please enquire for details.
For more information, contact [email protected]
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