In recent years, more and more couples resort to the solution of egg donation in order to succeed in becoming parents. Although this is a choice that is accompanied by a lot of skepticism and ethical dilemmas, nevertheless, for some cases, it could be the “gold standard”.

Egg donation is the donation of genetic material to a couple from another woman for the purpose of procreation. It is therefore the solution to the problem of infertility for women in advanced age or with low egg quality. The child will have the genetic material of one parent, but will be conceived and born by its natural mother, which increases the value of motherhood.

Which one is it about?

Egg recipients are women who:

• are of advanced reproductive age (usually over 44)
• suffer from premature menopause or premature ovarian failure
• have poor egg quality or are unable to produce eggs
• carry a genetic disorder that must not be passed on to their child

In this way, they overcome age barriers and often have high success rates because the eggs they receive are from young, healthy donors.

The donors

Donors give eggs altruistically, that is, there is no concept of remuneration, but of compensation for their biological strain.

They have nothing to do with the couple and the child. They are not allowed to meet and meet the recipient and cannot know if a pregnancy eventually resulted from their eggs.

Nevertheless, with the recent legislative regulation, a recipient, i.e. a woman who needs eggs, can come with a donor known to her and the egg donation can take place with the consent of both.

They undergo extensive tests (chromosomal, viral, hormonal, cystic fibrosis and other genetic diseases) to determine their health status and whether they will respond properly to treatment.

The process

First, the recipient and her husband must undergo blood tests to check for the possible existence of diseases and conditions that can affect pregnancy such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B & C, rhesus blood group etc. .a.. The husband must, in addition, provide a sperm sample before the IVF cycle.

The donor then undergoes controlled stimulation of her ovaries as in a normal IVF cycle.

On the day of egg retrieval from the donor, the recipient’s husband is asked to provide a sperm sample that will be properly prepared in the laboratory. The sperm will be placed with the donor’s eggs and incubated in a special “tube”.

The next day the couple will receive information about the success of fertilization.

The embryo transfer will be scheduled for the next cycle and the fertilized eggs, the embryos, will be transferred to the mother’s uterus, with very high success rates.

About ten days later a pregnancy test will be done. If it is positive, drugs will be given to help the pregnancy go smoothly especially in the early stages of pregnancy.

Experience shows that children born through this process are loved by their parents, just like children born from the ovum of their natural mother.

According to the law, medical information concerning the person of the donor is registered without revealing her identity, and access to these records is allowed in the future only for reasons related to the health of the child.

Ethical dilemmas

In ethics there is no right or wrong, black or white, only different points of view. These views can vary from country to country and culture to culture.

Motherhood at an advanced age and pregnancy is a controversial topic. However, women over 40 can devote more time to their child, have a permanent work environment and are financially more stable than younger women. The Law on the Application of Medically Assisted Reproduction methods definitively resolves the issue: The age of artificial reproductive capacity is 54 years, while the donor must not have reached the age of 35.

Egg donation solves major infertility problems and the result is a child who will be loved by his parents like no other. For us Reproductive Gynecologists, success is especially important because it gives parents the child they have worked so hard to have.