16 Nov Who needs an egg donor?

There are many reasons why a woman might need an egg donor to have children. It is estimated that approximately 1 out of 6 women in Spain have problems conceiving.

When infertility is due poor egg quality or insufficient ovarian response to stimulation or several previous IVF failures, the treatment option that offers better chances of success is IVF with donor eggs.

In which cases do you need an egg donor?

On many occasions, donated eggs are the only alternative that can be used to achieve a pregnancy.

Primary ovarian failure

In primary ovarian failure, the ovaries stop functioning normally in women who are <40 years old. This disorder was called premature ovarian failure or premature menopause. However, these terms are misleading because women with primary ovarian failure do not always stop menstruating and their ovaries do not always stop functioning completely. Therefore, the diagnosis of primary ovarian failure does not always mean that pregnancy is impossible. In addition, this disorder does not imply that a woman ages prematurely. It just means that your ovaries are no longer functioning normally.

In primary ovarian failure, the ovaries:

• Stop releasing eggs or they do it intermittently
• Stop producing the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone or produce them intermittently

Causes for premature ovarian failure are congenital diseases, genetic diseases, medical procedures such as ovarian surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, autoimmune diseases, environmental factors, etc.

Advanced age

The delay in the age to be a mother greatly affects fertility. From the age of 35, women’s fertility starts to decrease. At 40 the chances of achieving a pregnancy are very low and there is an increased risk of miscarriage and chromosome abnormalities.

Repeated IVF failures

Women who have suffered repeated IVF failures are likely to require an egg donor to achieve a successful pregnancy. These failures may be due to a low response to ovarian stimulation or poor egg or embryo quality.

Risk of transmitting genetic diseases

In some cases, it isn’t advisable for women to use their own eggs because there is a risk of transmitting hereditary genetic diseases to the offspring. Also in cases of family history of genetic diseases. In these cases, the use of donated eggs is recommended.

Poor ovarian response to fertility medication

Not only does the quality of the oocytes decrease with age. The ovarian reserve (estimate number of oocytes that a woman has in the ovaries) also decreases. For this reason, together with the decline in egg quality, the prognosis of IVF with own eggs decreases with age. There are fewer eggs and of lower quality and the ovaries, therefore, respond less to medication.

Ovarian cancer and other ovarian diseases

How does the egg donation process work?

Egg donation is the technique that offers the best results since the eggs come from healthy young women. The specialist will advise you on the best assisted reproduction treatment for your case. The most common technique is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The donated eggs are fertilized with the sperm of the partner in the laboratory and then the embryos are transferred to the uterus of the recipient woman.

Sometimes complementary techniques are used to increase the rate of fertilization like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

What does Spanish legislation say about egg donation?

The Law 14/2006 on Techniques of Assisted Reproduction in Spain establishes that egg donation is voluntary, anonymous and altruistic. Anonymity guarantees the privacy of the donor and the recipient couple.

Read also how egg donors are selected

If you want more information about egg donation in Spain, contact Reproclinic and we will answer all your questions.

Medical Director at Reproclinic
Specialist in Obstetrics/Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine