Egg Donation

Egg donation is used in cases where the female's eggs are either absent or of low quality.  Here are two examples where egg donation could be used:

1.  A 30 year old woman with an FSH of 28 with premature ovarian failure. A FSH level of 35 is indicative of menopause.  The average age of menopause is 55 but some women undergo it prematurely and as a result do not have the ability to produce anymore eggs. 

 2.  A 46 year old woman who wishes to conceive. An FSH over 12 indicates a low ovarian reserve.  Sometimes this type of patient may have a normal FSH (under 10), however, even if there are eggs remaining, the incidence of genetic problems (Down's syndrome, etc) and subsequent miscarriage is going to be very high. 

 How does this process work?

Many women from various social, ethnic and educational backgrounds donate eggs. It is possible to solicit the help of a donor egg agency such as "A Perfect Match," or "Conceptual Options," or you may choose one of our in house egg donors.   Our egg donors are thoroughly screened for transmittable diseases and examined for possible signs of infertility. 

Once the egg donor has been chosen, she begins taking stimulation medications, and after approximately 10 days of stimulation, her eggs are retrieved.  Because most of our egg donors are around 22 to 25 years of age, we typically obtain 12 to 18 eggs.  Their eggs are usually of very high quality and have a high fertilization rate.  We use the sperm of the couple's choice to fertilize the eggs.  They are then placed in our incubators for three to five days. 

Dr. Littman and her embryologist help you to decide how many embryos to transfer (usually one or two.)  These embryos are then transferred into the patient (not the egg donor), unless the patient is using a gestational carrier.  For legal reasons, it is best to use a separate egg donor and gestational carrier.  The patient is given progesterone to help her body carry the pregnancy. 

Success rates with this technique are very high (50% to 80% depending on egg quality.)  The patient has the wonderful experience of carrying a pregnancy, which usually contains her husband's DNA.  This allows the woman to bond with the baby in utero and experience the miracle of childbirth.  Please click on the link to learn more about egg donors or becoming an egg donor in las vegas.