7 Steps of Egg Donation

The egg donation process is made up of 7 basic steps. The specifics may vary slightly if the patient uses frozen eggs or requests preimplantation genetic diagnosis for an embryo.

#1 Initial Consultation
This involves the various types of fertility screening and counseling for the intended parents to explore whether treatment using a donor egg is a good choice.

#2 Mock Cycle 
The intended mother (or gestational carrier) undergoes a test cycle to ensure she is healthy and ready to receive a donor egg. This includes taking hormones to prepare the womb and performing a mock embryo transfer procedure to ensure that placement of the fertilized embryo will go smoothly. 

#3 Retain Donor 
The intended parents collaborate with an egg donation agency to select and retain a suitable donor. The donor is then screened and tested by the fertility doctor.

#4 Synchronize Periods with Donor
Both donor and intended mother receive hormones over a period of time to synchronize their menstrual cycles. Then, the donor goes through an egg stimulation cycle to prepare for egg retrieval. 

#5 Retrieve and Fertilize Eggs
The eggs are retrieved from the donor’s ovaries and fertilized with the male partner’s sperm. Within 24 hours, any fertilized eggs in the batch can be identified. Any embryos not required for use in the current fertility treatment may be frozen at this time.

#6 Embryo Transfer
The embryo is allowed to develop for three to five days in the IVF dish. The fertilized embryo is transferred into the intended mother’s uterus on day three. After approximately 1 week, a pregnancy test is done to confirm that the transfer was successful.

#7 Hormonal Supplementation
The intended mother will need to receive supplemental hormones for the first 12 weeks. After this time, the placenta will be able to provide the necessary hormones for normal fetal development.