Egg Donation is a type of third party reproduction by which a woman provides one or several eggs for the purpose of assisted reproduction or biomedical research. Egg donation uses the process of in vitro fertilization since the eggs are fertilized in the laboratory, usually with the recipient's sperm or donor sperm. (10) Egg donation is part of the process of third party reproduction as part of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology). The ASRM (American Society of Reproductive Medicine) has issued guidelines for these procedures, and the FDA has a number of guidelines as well. (1)
The first transfer of a fertilized egg form one human to another was reported in July 1983. This birth occurred in February 3, 1984. This procedure was performed by Dr. John Buster at the UCLA Medical Center. During the procedure, a fertilized egg that was just beginning to develop was transferred from one woman in whom it had been conceived by artificial insemination to another woman who gave birth to the infant 38 weeks later (10) (1).
Egg donation was initially intended for women with ovarian failure. Most women were prematurely menopausal as a result of chemotherapy, radiation, therapy, surgery or other disease. However, due to the success of IVF technology, these ranges have been expanded. Egg donation is offered to women who are a carrier of affected by a genetic disease who do not want to pass this disease onto their offspring. Also it includes women with multiple failures to conceive after IVF and women with advanced reproductive age. (2) All donors are screened according to guidelines recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Donors should be between the ages of 21 and 34, usually because younger women typically respond favorably to ovulation induction and produce more eggs and high-quality embryos with high implantation and high pregnancy rates. Both anonymous and known donors complete an extensive medical, family, and personal history. All donors are also screened for communicable infections and diseases. Also each donor completes a written psy-chometric test to further evaluate the donor, discuss the many issues she may encounter to make sure that the donor is truly able to provide the informed consent for egg donation. The recipient couple undergoes similar routine testing. The female undergoes an ovarian reserve assessment which includes blood typing and testing for infectious diseases. Also there is an evaluation of the uterine cavity. The male assessment includes a semen analysis. (1)
Once the egg donor is recruited, testing is completed, and consent is given, the donor un-dergoes IVF stimulation therapy, followed by the egg retrieval procedure. After retrieval, the ova are fertilized by the sperm of the male partner in the laboratory, and, after several days, the best resulting embryo(s) is/are placed in the uterus of the recipient, whose body has been prepared for an embryo transplant. The recipient is usually, the person who requested the service and then will carry and deliver the pregnancy and keep the baby.
Jocelyn Gipson/26 Jan 2010 Home Page