Women opt to use donor eggs for a variety of reasons, and quite a few people attempting IVF are using them. In 2007 the CDC numbers indicated that more than 10,000 IVF cycles each year utilize donor eggs and that 5,000 or more live births result from these cycles annually. A large majority of women using donor eggs do so because of age. Of women age 40 and older, approximately 75 percent use donor eggs. Younger women also utilize donor eggs for reasons that include premature ovarian failure, absent ovaries, the presence of genetic diseases that could be passed along, unsuccessful previous treatments, or not producing the quality or quantity of eggs necessary for the procedures.
Women who decide to use donor eggs often make a choice between using eggs from someone they know or using an anonymous donor to whom they are matched through their clinic or agency. I definitely see pros and cons to both avenues. Using a friend or family member means that you will likely know much more about them in general – their medical history, the kind of person they are, their values, family history, etc. Knowing the donor, however, opens the door to a lot of other issues. When using an anonymous donor the donor’s relationship with the child is not a concern as it is if the donor is your sister or best friend.
It all boils down to personal choice and what you want that donor relationship to look like and what works best for you, your family, and your needs. Whether the donor is known to you or anonymous there are certain generally accepted criteria that will give you the best chance at success. Any donor that is used should be screened medically and psychologically. As it seems with all fertility treatments – the younger the better and in anonymous donor relationships in particular the donor is expected to be under 35 years old, preferably under 32, a non-smoker, and be absent of any communicable or infectious diseases. Many fertility clinics offer egg donor programs and most of these follow guidelines set forth by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine that recommend the appropriate testing for health and fertility.
There are also outside agencies that offer matching services with egg donors. Using an outside agency can offer a sort of middle ground between using someone you know and the almost complete anonymity of using a clinic. At an agency you can often see pictures of the donor, find out more information than you otherwise would, and can sometimes meet the donor if you want. Under any of the scenarios for acquiring the eggs it is important that donors sign a legal document to ensure that they have no rights to the eggs or especially to any child or embryo that results from the use of the donated eggs.
To me, the approach to using donor eggs would be similar to adoption. When my husband and I began to look into the adoption process a number of agencies and methods (foster to adopt, international, etc.) were recommended. Ultimately, we had to discuss what was most important to us and similarly someone using donor eggs has to decide the same things. If physical appearance, personality traits, religious background, family history, or anonymity top the list then that can help make the decision of what kind of donor program is the best fit for you. If it is really important that your child look similar to you then using a family member or a program that allows you to see pictures and matches according to looks is probably the best bet. If the only thing that really matters to you is that the relationship between you, the donor, and your child is the least complicated it can be than using a completely anonymous program is probably preferable. There are options and certainly one that will be what you need. The great news is that women who do use donor eggs have a high success rate within two cycles and if you research and find the best fit on the front end, using donor eggs could really be the best decision of your life!
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