Donor egg pregnancy, an option with higher success rates

In-vitro fertilisation treatments with the use of donor eggs offer the possibility of achieving pregnancy to those women and/or couples who cannot achieve it with other assisted reproduction treatments using their own eggs.

What factors influence the success rate of egg donation?

The main factor that affects the success rate of a fertility treatment (pregnancy and healthy baby at home rates) is age. From the age of 35, the number of eggs begins to decrease. After the age of 38-39 the oocyte quality also decreases. The decrease in ovarian reserve limits the chances of achieving pregnancy with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) with your own eggs. This is when experts recommend fertility programmes with donor eggs.

In addition to age, there are other factors, such as Occult Ovarian Failure, which occurs in women with regular menstrual cycles whose hormone levels are already indicating that the number of eggs is beginning to decrease. In these cases, egg donation may well be the recommended treatment. Finally, in addition to the aforementioned factors, some patients with genetic disorders may also opt for donor eggs in order to avoid passing the disorder on to their children.

Why is the pregnancy rate higher with donor eggs?

In accordance with the Law on Assisted Human Reproduction, egg donation in Spain is a regulated and legislated procedure whereby female donors must be between the age of 18 and 35. In addition, egg donors cannot have physical or psychological alterations. They also undergo strict medical checks and tests to confirm that they are suitable donors.

At Ginemed, we select donors who are under 30 in order to optimise reproductive results. We also have our own Egg Bank, which allows us to start treatments without waiting lists and with excellent results.

What is the likelihood of pregnancy with fresh and frozen donor eggs?

There is no difference between pregnancy rates with fresh and frozen eggs. Our own Egg Bank facilitates the start of the cycle, maintaining pregnancy rates with donor egg between 68% - 70% per attempt.

The great advantage of using donor eggs in IVF is that the female gamete comes from a young donor, so the gestation rate is much higher. In addition, pregnancy-related risks such as miscarriage and genetic alterations are much lower with donor eggs.