Embryo Donation

There are a selected group of patients that require Donor Sperm and Eggs:

• Women with a fully functioning uterus but whose ovaries do not produce eggs due to premature menopause (this affects 1-2% of women under the age of 40);
• Women who have had their ovaries removed because of treatment for cancer, pelvic infection or endometriosis;
• Women whose ovaries have been damaged because of chemotherapy or radiotherapy;
• Women who were born without functioning ovaries due to a chromosomal factor such as Turner Syndrome;
• Women who have had poor ovarian responses to hormonal stimulation after may IVF attempts or failure of egg collection or poor egg quality;;
• Women who have a high risk of passing on genetic disorders such as haemophilia, muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s chorea;
• Couples with recurrent miscarriages due to chromosomal abnormalities;
• Older women who have poorly functioning ovaries.
• Women who are single and do not have viable egg quality.
  
• Couples seeking to fall pregnant via Sperm donation due to an absence of sperm after ejaculation or after surgically removing tissues samples from the testicles (TESE) and where a viable sperm sample cannot be found. This is called Azoospermia.

There are selected groups of women who may consider donating their eggs either anonymously or specifically to known friends or relatives. All potential egg donors are made aware of the selection criteria adopted by Cyprus Hope IVF. These include:

• Egg donors are anonymous and will not be known to the recipient couples (unless they bring their own donor). Under Cyprus legislation, the donor has a right to anonymity;
• Egg donors are healthy women, between the age of 20 and 28;
• There should be no family history of genetic or inheritable diseases;
• No history or mental disorders;
• No history of sexually transmitted disease, pelvic inflammatory disease or history of Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism because of the increased risk of complications following egg collection.

Sperm banks such as The European sperm Bank and Cryos International carry out extensive tests to ensure the quality of the sperm donors give.

A doctor will review the medical and family history and perform a general and internal examination. A full explanation of the treatment and procedures will be provided to the couple. There may be a need for the male partner to provide a sperm specimen for semen analysis.

Women over the age of 45 should be counselled about the welfare of the potential offspring as well as the risks of pregnancy and labour in older women. They also require an ECG and Health report to state they can carry a viable pregnancy with no harm to them or a potential baby.

Pregnancy and live birth rates following egg donation are significantly higher compared to that achieved with IVF using the woman’s own eggs. Success of pregnancy is over 85% in each treatment cycle. There are of course many factors that may affect success rates.