Donor Egg Medical Process
Learn what to expect from the donor egg medical process
The donor egg medical process involves simple steps that help hopeful parents take the next step towards parenthood. This process includes the egg donor and hopeful mother, or gestational surrogate, taking certain medications and receiving regular monitoring at the hopeful parent's fertility clinic.
The team at our Southern California egg donor agency provides comprehensive support during this time so the experience is as straightforward and comfortable as possible.
Donor egg medical process for the hopeful mother or gestational surrogate
There are various steps hopeful mothers, or gestational surrogates, move through when becoming pregnant with donor eggs. These steps help the body become an optimal environment for the growth of a healthy baby.
Birth control pills. Women that have menstrual cycles will likely begin birth control pills on day three of their cycle. They'll then be on these pills for about two to three weeks to prevent ovarian cysts from forming.
Lupron. Next, the woman takes Lupron for 10-14 days. This medication temporarily suppresses pituitary and ovarian hormone production and helps the woman's cycle sync with the egg donor’s. If a woman does not have menstrual cycles, or is doing a frozen embryo transfer, she will not need to take Lupron.
Preparing the uterine lining. To make the lining of the uterus as receptive as possible to the implantation and growth of an embryo, doctors typically prescribe women estrogen and progesterone leading up to the embryo transfer.
A fresh embryo transfer takes place soon after the egg retrieval, and a frozen embryo transfer can take place weeks, months, or even years later.
The medical process for the egg donor
During an egg donor cycle the team at our Southern California egg donor agency stays in close contact with the egg donor helping to ensure she has all the necessary medications, understands the instructions from the fertility clinic, and is going to her monitoring appointments.
There are various steps the clinic has the donor move through before and during the cycle.
Birth control. In many cases the egg donor takes birth control pills for a few weeks leading up to the egg donation cycle.
Infectious disease screening. Before the egg donor starts the egg donation cycle she will complete a screening for infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
Ovarian stimulation. When the cycle begins the donor will self-administer ovarian stimulation medications that cause multiple eggs to mature. After the eggs reach a certain size the fertility doctor will instruct the donor to begin taking a medication that helps prevent ovulation.
Regular monitoring. The donor receives regular monitoring at the hopeful parent's fertility clinic when she's taking the fertility medications. This monitoring includes bloodwork and ultrasounds and helps the fertility specialist assess how her body is responding to the medications, and determine when to retrieve the eggs.
Trigger shot. When the donor’s eggs reach a certain size the fertility doctor will instruct her to take a medication that triggers the release of the eggs. She will then undergo the egg retrieval procedure about 35 to 36 hours after taking the medication.
Our clinic helps to ensure each step of the egg donation cycle goes smoothly.
What to expect after the donor egg retrieval
After the donor eggs have been retrieved, the doctor sends them to a lab where an embryologist freezes them, or fertilizes them with sperm from the hopeful father, or sperm donor. The embryologist can then freeze the resulting embryos for a transfer at a later time, or the doctor will transfer a fresh embryo into the hopeful mother's uterus.
The embryo transfer is a quick, simple procedure that feels similar to a pap smear. This process involves the doctor inserting a small catheter into the uterus through the cervix. They then pass the embryo through the catheter into the uterus.
After the transfer the doctor will likely recommend the woman continue taking estrogen and progesterone to support the growth of the embryo. She'll receive a pregnancy test at the clinic around 12 days after the transfer.
Our team keeps in touch with the hopeful parents after the egg retrieval and embryo transfer, offering any support we can.
Contact our Southern California egg donor agency for more information about egg donation.
