Donor Eggs

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) using donor eggs at Strong Fertility Center offers a highly successful option for many couples who would otherwise have no way to become pregnant. 

Indications for Egg Donation

• Premature ovarian failure
• Perimenopausal women with diminished ovarian reserve
• Older women who have experienced natural menopause
• Women who have had their ovaries removed but have a uterus
• Repeat IVF attempts without success
• IVF with poor egg or embryo quality
• To avoid passing a genetic illness

Steps for Donor Egg Recipient Process

Step 1: Recipient Consultations and Screening

Our physicians will thoroughly review your medical history to ensure that this treatment is your best option. You must also be in good health, and must not be older than 50 years old. Depending on your medical history, you may be asked to receive additional medical clearance before proceeding. We offer treatment with fresh donor eggs via a known (directed) donor or frozen donor eggs via an egg bank.  

Step 2: Psychological Preparation

The decision to conceive a child through the use of a donated egg can be very difficult for a couple. Therefore, you and your husband or partner will meet with the psychologist for counseling and emotional support. It is important to discuss issues related to non-biologic parenting, past fertility problems, parenting at an older age, and positive and negative aspects of disclosure to potential offspring.

Step 3: Recipient “Mock Cycle”

A Mock Cycle is used to determine how your body will respond to the medications you will be taking during your matched recipient embryo transfer cycle. This will prepare your lining to accept the fertilized egg. You will also complete screening blood work that is required by federal and state regulations.

Step 4: Choosing an Egg Donor

Typically, a woman between the ages of 21 and 34 can be an egg donor. The egg donor can be a friend, family member, or non-identity release donor via a frozen egg bank. If you are interested in frozen donor eggs, our donor egg coordinator will explain the process for selecting frozen donor eggs from Fairfax Egg Bank 

Step 5: Embryo Creation and Transfer

With fresh donor eggs from a known (directed) donor, your cycle may be either synchronized with the donor for a fresh embryo transfer, or the embryos may be created and frozen for transfer at a later time.

If pursuing a fresh transfer, you will be treated with estrogen and progesterone to prepare your uterus in parallel with the donor's ovarian stimulation cycle. You will be closely monitored, and once the donor's follicles are ready, you will be notified of the planned egg retrieval. Sperm is collected on the day of the retrieval to fertilize the donor eggs, and embryo transfer typically occurs several days later.

Alternatively, you may choose (or be advised) to freeze all embryos created from the donor eggs and proceed with a frozen embryo transfer in a subsequent cycle. This approach offers flexibility in timing and may allow for better uterine lining preparation and embryo selection.

With frozen donor eggs, once the eggs are received from the egg bank, our embryology team will thaw the eggs, fertilize them with sperm, and culture the resulting embryos to the blastocyst stage. These blastocysts are then cryopreserved (frozen).

You will begin preparing your uterus for a frozen embryo transfer (FET) using estrogen and progesterone to mimic the natural cycle. The embryo transfer will be scheduled once blastocysts have been successfully created and frozen, allowing us to carefully time the transfer for the optimal window of implantation.