(+34) 951 087 975
Our modern lifestyle in developed countries means more and more women choose to delay motherhood until later in life, ultimately leading to an increase in demand for egg donation treatments. It can be difficult for a fertility clinic to meet this increased demand for donor eggs whether it be due to a shortage of donors or a lack of donor diversity for phenotype matching.
Ovobank, Europe’s first egg bank, was created to help clinics meet this demand. Egg banks work directly with assisted reproduction clinics, providing vitrified eggs for use in treatments, speeding up and facilitating the processes of donor selection and stimulation considerably.
In this article, we highlight the benefits of using an egg bank, such as Ovobank, for centers offering assisted reproduction treatments.
Five advantages for using eggs from an egg bank
1. Strict donor selection protocols
Potential donors are thoroughly screened with general health checks, blood tests, hormonal analysis, a full medical history, and a gynecological examination. At Ovobank we also perform an extensive genetic analysis for more than 30 X chromosome-linked diseases to rule out the presence of genetic diseases or alterations that are incompatible with egg donation or affect the quality of the eggs.
2. Extensive pool of donors and reduced delays
Egg banks count on a wide pool of available donors, enabling a phenotypically compatible donor to be found in less time, even when the patient has a less common phenotype or is from an ethnic minority group. Ovobank has worked hard to ensure we have a very large and varied portfolio of donors of all ethnicities and physical characteristics, to meet the needs of patients of collaborating clinics.
Delays are further reduced when using vitrified eggs from an egg bank as there is no need to synchronize the ovarian stimulation of the donor with the endometrial preparation of the recipient. Eggs can be thawed and used for immediate fertilization at any moment. The embryo transfer can then be programmed at the convenience of the patient and cycle cancellation rates are very low.
3. High rates of oocyte survival and successful pregnancy
In a cohort of eggs from Ovobank, a minimum of 6-7 mature eggs are guaranteed, removing the uncertainty of the results of a fresh donor stimulation. When thawed following the appropriate protocols, there is a survival rate approaching 100%. As a result, using frozen eggs from an egg bank does not mean a lower probability of achieving pregnancy. Indeed, numerous scientific studies have shown that devitrified (thawed) eggs and fresh eggs give rise to similar fertilization, implantation and pregnancy rates.
4. Lower costs
An egg donation treatment with frozen eggs is less expensive. As the cost of the donor’s ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval are already covered in the price of the batch of frozen eggs, the price is both controlled and lower than for fresh egg donation protocols.
5. Full support for your clinic
We know that the key to success isn´t just at our end, and many variables come into play. With this in mind, our R&D team has developed several tools to increase safety and ease of use, and increase success rates.
Ovoscan and Ovolabel automate the processing of batches of oocytes to minimize human errors and our Ovotracker platform means full traceability of egg shipments. The cryo-containers containing the oocytes are shipped in specially-designed and reinforced aluminium boxes, and are telematically monitored throughout the entire shipping process with Ovotracker, giving details such as temperature, humidity and GPS location.
We also support our collaborating clinics with professional training in our Ovolearning courses, where specialists from all over the world can receive training in the latest laboratory techniques and protocols, helping them to get the best possible results.
In summary, working with an egg bank for egg donation treatments means greater flexibility, speed, safety and lower costs. If you are interested in using Ovobank or have any questions then please don´t hesitate to contact us, we are always happy to help!
