Oocyte donation

Egg donation is the technique with the highest guarantees of pregnancy. It is performed by in vitro fertilization and uses eggs from young, healthy donors with adequate ovarian characteristics.

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Sometimes, women's ovarian function may be altered, greatly reducing their chances of generating an egg of sufficient quality to achieve pregnancy.

Egg donation is the technique with the highest guarantees of pregnancy. It is performed by In Vitro Fertilization and uses eggs from young, healthy donors with adequate ovarian characteristics.

The procedure consists of the union of eggs and sperm, from which embryos are generated that will be selected to be transferred to the mother's uterus.

This treatment makes it possible for women to become mothers who would otherwise not be able to do so.

It is indicated in two cases:

  • Women without ovarian function, identifies those women who do not menstruate.

  • Women who, despite having ovarian function, when using their eggs there may be greater risks or difficulties for the newborn to be healthy.
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When is it indicated?

Women without ovarian function

Premature ovarian failure:

These are considered to be situations in which menopause occurs at an age below 40 years.

The causes are very different, including genetic factors, surgical and oncological treatments (chemotherapy and radiotherapy).

Primary ovarian failure:

This includes situations due to genetic and developmental defects that do not allow menstruation to occur from puberty (Pure gonadal dysgenesis: 46XX, Turner syndrome: 45XO, Swyer syndrome: 45XY, Savage syndrome).

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Women at higher risk

  • Women who are carriers of some type of hereditary disease that cannot be performed by Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis.

  • Women with ovaries that are inaccessible for the collection of oocytes.

  • When repeated attempts at In Vitro Fertilization have not been previously successful (poor oocyte quality, low response and implantation failure).

  • Women with a history of repeated miscarriages.

  • Women over 40 years of age who, despite having ovarian function, are of an advanced age that does not allow them to obtain a good number of good quality oocytes or even an increased risk of Down Syndrome.

Women without ovarian function identifies those women who lack menstruation:

  • Premature ovarian failure:

    These are considered to be situations in which menopause occurs at an age below 40 years.

    The causes are very different, including genetic factors, surgical and oncological treatments (chemotherapy and radiotherapy).

  • Primary ovarian failure:

    This includes situations due to genetic and developmental defects that do not allow menstruation to occur from puberty (Pure gonadal dysgenesis: 46XX, Turner syndrome: 45XO, Swyer syndrome: 45XY, Savage syndrome).

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Women who, despite having ovarian function, may experience greater risks or difficulties in achieving a healthy newborn when using their eggs:

  • Women who are carriers of some type of hereditary disease that cannot be performed by Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis.

  • Women with ovaries that are inaccessible for the collection of oocytes.

  • When repeated attempts at In Vitro Fertilization have not been previously successful (poor oocyte quality, low response and implantation failure).

  • Women with a history of repeated miscarriages.

  • Women over 40 years of age who, despite having ovarian function, are of an advanced age that does not allow them to obtain a good number of good quality oocytes or even an increased risk of Down Syndrome.

En ocasiones la mujer puede ver alterada su función ovárica, viéndose muy reducidas sus posibilidades de generar un óvulo con la suficiente calidad para conseguir el embarazo.

La donación de óvulos es la técnica con mayores garantías de embarazo, se realiza por Fecundación In Vitro y se emplean óvulos de donantes jóvenes, sanas y con unas características ováricas adecuadas.

El procedimiento consiste en la unión de los óvulos y espermatozoides, de donde se generarán los embriones que serán seleccionados para transferirlos al útero materno.

Este tratamiento posibilita ser madre a aquellas mujeres que de otra forma no lo podrían conseguir.

Está indicado en dos casos:

  • Mujeres sin función ovárica, identifica a aquellas mujeres que carecen de menstruación.

  • Mujeres que a pesar de presentar función ovárica, al utilizar sus óvulos pueden existir mayores riesgos o dificultades de que el recién nacido sea sano.
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Women without ovarian function: identifies those women who lack menstruation:

  • Premature ovarian failure:

    These are considered to be situations in which menopause occurs at an age below 40 years.

    The causes are very different, including genetic factors, surgical and oncological treatments (chemotherapy and radiotherapy).

  • Primary ovarian failure:

    This includes situations due to genetic and developmental defects that do not allow menstruation to occur from puberty (Pure gonadal dysgenesis: 46XX, Turner syndrome: 45XO, Swyer syndrome: 45XY, Savage syndrome).

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Women who, despite having ovarian function, may experience greater risks or difficulties in achieving a healthy newborn when using their eggs:

  • Women who are carriers of some type of hereditary disease that cannot be performed by Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis.

  • Women with ovaries that are inaccessible for the collection of oocytes.

  • When repeated attempts at In Vitro Fertilization have not been previously successful (poor oocyte quality, low response and implantation failure).

  • Women with a history of repeated miscarriages.

  • Women over 40 years of age who, despite having ovarian function, are of an advanced age that does not allow them to obtain a good number of good quality oocytes or even an increased risk of Down Syndrome.

What are the steps of an egg donation treatment?

1. Complete evaluation

1. Complete evaluation

The couple will have to be examined in detail. The doctor will assess the set of tests necessary to carry out the treatment.

In the case of the man, a basic semen study will be necessary and when appropriate, a sperm sample will be cryopreserved.

If it is necessary to optimize the procedure or if any doubt arises, more tests may be requested.

2. Endometrial preparation

2. Endometrial preparation

The recipient will undergo endometrial preparation treatment.

The endometrium is the tissue that will be in direct contact with the embryo at the time of implantation and its growth must be synchronized with embryonic development.

The treatment is very simple, it consists of imitating the hormonal changes that occur physiologically during a menstrual cycle.

3. Donor selection

3. Donor selection

The donor is selected based on the physical characteristics and blood type of the couple.

A clinical evaluation will have been previously carried out in accordance with the provisions of Law 14/2006 on Assisted Reproduction and the 1998 report of the National Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction.

4. Treatment of the donor

4. Treatment of the donor

After this process, the donor will be treated to develop the necessary controlled ovarian hyperstimulation process and will subsequently undergo surgery in the operating room that will allow the oocytes to be obtained.

5. Oocyte insemination

5. Oocyte insemination

The oocytes are prepared for insemination; this can be done through conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) by incubating the eggs and sperm at a certain concentration or, more frequently, through the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technique, which consists of selecting a good quality sperm and microinjecting it into the egg to induce fertilization.

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6. Embryonic incubation

6. Embryonic incubation

Those eggs that have been properly fertilized will be kept in incubation, in a medium specially adapted to their metabolic and nutritional requirements.

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Each day, embryologists evaluate embryonic development, taking into account characteristics such as the rate of division, the symmetry between cells, and fragmentation. The embryos can be transferred on the 3rd or 5th day of development depending on each case.

Embriones D+2

Embryos D+2

Embriones D+3

Embryos D+3

Blastocisto D+3

Blastocyst D+3

Blastocistos D+5

Blastocysts D+5

All remaining viable and high-quality embryos will be cryopreserved if not transferred to the uterus.

7. Embryo transfer

7. Embryo transfer

This is the procedure in which the selected embryos are placed in the mother's uterus. It is carried out through a cannula that is carefully introduced through the woman's cervical canal. The transfer is carried out in the operating room with the aim of maintaining adequate conditions in the IVF laboratory room. The number of embryos to be transferred will never be greater than 3 and will have to be decided in each case on an individual basis depending on the reproductive history of each couple and avoiding as far as possible increasing the chances of multiple gestation.

8. Vitrification of embryos

8. Vitrification of embryos

The remaining good quality embryos will be vitrified, which will allow the couple to have access to them whenever they wish for a new embryo transfer.