Frequently asked questions about egg donation

Today, many women who cannot become mothers with their own eggs can do so using a donor’s eggs. Thanks to Ovobank’s extensive donor pool, women with fertility problems can fulfill their dream of starting a family.

Egg donation is an assisted reproduction treatment similar to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), with the difference that, in this case, fertilization in the laboratory is carried out with a donor’s eggs and the sperm of the partner or of a donor. As well as allowing many women to fulfill their dream, egg donation offers higher success rates than other techniques.

However, treatment with donated eggs still raises many questions among women. Ovobank’s team of specialists has compiled the most frequently asked questions to resolve all the patients’ doubts.

When should I consider egg donation?

Not all women with fertility problems need to use a donor’s eggs. The specialist at your fertility clinic who analyzes your case will tell you which treatment best suits your reproductive situation. In general, egg donation is recommended in the following situations: low ovarian reserve, early menopause, recurrent miscarriage, failed treatments with the patient’s own eggs or anovulation.

Up to what age can I have egg donation treatment?

In general, most fertility clinics set 50 as the age limit. This is due to the many risks that a pregnancy above this age entails, both for the patient and for the fetus.

If I get pregnant through egg donation treatment, will the baby look like me?

This is one of the concerns shared by all patients who undergo these treatments with donated eggs. The idea of giving up their genetic contribution causes fear and doubt in the mother; it is a process known as “genetic grief”. One of the best ways to overcome genetic grief is to understand the bond between mother and embryo in this type of process. In recent years there have been several studies on epigenetics, a concept which, among other things, refers to the communication between the embryo and the mother before implantation.

At Ovobank, we have gone one step further with the development of the OvoMatch app for donor selection. Starting from a ‘selfie’, the app uses a mathematical facial recognition algorithm to analyze the recipient’s features and search our database for a donor with a high physical resemblance. In addition, a team specialized in matching between donor and recipient will be responsible for carrying out this pairing from a phenotypic point of view and from a genetic point of view.

OvoMatch is only available in countries whose legislation allows open-identity donation.

What is the success rate of this type of treatment?

Egg donation treatments offer success rates that are much higher than those of other assisted reproduction techniques. The reason is simple: donated eggs are generally younger, and therefore of better quality. At Ovobank a careful selection of donors is carried out; only 34% of donation candidates are suitable after undergoing a series of psychological, gynecological and genetic tests, among others.

Likewise, at Ovobank we make available to clinics and patients the Genetic Compatibility Test, or Genetic Matching, which makes it possible to compare the donor’s genetic information with that of the recipient woman’s partner, in order to reduce the transmission of autosomal recessive genetic diseases. This information will be compared in order to select the ideal donor, so that patient and donor do not share mutations in the same genes.

Whether you are a patient or a fertility center, you can view and select your donor at the following link, make your request online and arrange the shipment of your batch of vitrified eggs to your fertility clinic.