Egg donation

Currently, egg donation is prohibited in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, however, is allowed in the Czech Republic.



www.eizellspende.eu

IVF Zentren Prof. Zech - Pilsen (CZ)

1. When is egg donation recommended?
2. Different options for egg donation

In our “IVF Center Prof. Zech” in Pilsen in the Czech Republic we apply procedures defined by national law that have proved successful over the past 25 years. The team consists of experienced doctors, biologists, nurses, midwives, medical technical assistants and other specifically trained staff.

We aim at achieving pregnancy with all means we have at our disposal but will always meet the most stringent requirements regarding the health of all persons involved. We achieve this by applying tried and tested state-of-the-art procedures and medication.

In the context of an egg donation particular attention is paid to whether the donor is mentally and physically prepared to undergo the donation cycle. We strictly observe the corresponding legal provisions defined by EU guidelines and national legislation.

At our IVF centers we do not perform “egg-sharing”, i.e. the eggs obtained from the donor are exclusively meant for the recipient.Of course, all our IVF centers are certified according to DIN ISO 9001:2008.

• after surgical removal of both ovaries

• after chemotherapy or radiation of the true pelvis (lesser pelvis)

• after treatment of malignant diseases

• in women suffering from a condition referred to as premature menopause, i.e. the lessening of ovarian function (premature ovarian failure)

• in cases of genetic disorders

• in cases of repeated pathological embryos resulting from an IVF / ICSI / IMSI

• previous, repeated failed fertilization after IVF /ICSI / IMSI

• in the case of repeated negative pregnancy tests after embryo transfer
  
  

The recipient's uterus will be prepared for implantation by administering estrogen/gestagens by oral, intramuscular or transdermal routes in order to mimic the normal structure of the womb’s mucous membrane (endometrium).  It is relatively easy to achieve pregnancy via egg donation. The donor should have a normal uterus, ideally be under 32 years of age and capable of producing healthy egg cells.

 

Option 1

The egg donor undergoes IVF stimulation followed by egg-retrieval and fertilization of the collected ova by the sperm of the recipient’s male partner. All these processes are synchronized with the ideal moment for the embryo to be transferred to the recipient’s womb.Upon the recipient’s request, the donor may be additionally tested for HIV 6 months after embryo transfer.

 

Option 2

To avoid problems with regard to the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease (HIV), there is the opportunity of fertilization and subsequent cryopreservation and storage of the embryos.

Just as with donor sperm, in this case HIV testing will be repeated 6 months after the deep-freezing. Only if the test result is again negative, the embryos will be released for transfer.

We prefer this method, since the new freezing procedures that we have developed and currently apply do not have a negative impact, neither on the embryo nor on the pregnancy rate!

References:
Aseptic vitrification of blastocysts ...
Cryopreservation of human embryos by vitrificationVitrification of hatching and hatched human ...
Recent developments in human oocyte ...
Vitrification of human blastocysts with the Hemi-Straw ...
Births after vitrification at morula ...

In addition, this second option can avoid possible unfavorable situations that may arise from stimulating the donor’s ovaries and preparing the recipient’s womb simultaneously:

• In some cases the donor’s organism hormonally interferes with the maturation process of the egg cells, so that the therapy cycle has to be interrupted.

• In very rare cases, it might occur that no egg cells can be obtained during follicular puncture.

• Neither can we influence fertilization. Thus it may happen, that fusion of egg and sperm does not occur.

• In extremely rare cases, if, due to carelessness a donor might have unprotected sexual intercourse around the time of ovarian stimulation, there is the risk of passing on sexually transmitted diseases to the recipient.