Donor eggs make parenthood possible for women with fertility challenges, as well as same-sex male couples and single men

Our fertility center in Chicago makes the path to parenthood with IVF and donor eggs as simple and straightforward as possible. Conceiving with donor eggs allows women to build families despite certain inheritable genetic conditions or issues relating to their ovarian reserve or reproductive organs. An egg donor is also an essential part of the IVF process for same-sex male couples and single men using a gestational surrogate.

There are a variety of reasons a woman might need donor eggs to conceive

Numerous fertility issues can make it very difficult for a woman to become pregnant with her own eggs. Dr. Deutch and Kelly use evaluations such as bloodwork, ultrasounds and genetic testing to help women determine if they have a condition that indicates a need for donor eggs.

Low egg quality and quantity. Donor eggs offer an effective option for women who have diminished ovarian reserve because of advanced maternal age, genetic abnormalities, certain medical treatments or injury.

Premature ovarian failure. Using donor eggs could be an ideal choice for women under the age of 40 whose bodies are not producing normal amounts of estrogen or who are not regularly ovulating.

Ovulation medications not working. If ovulation stimulation medications do not cause a woman’s egg follicles to mature, she may be a candidate to use an egg donor.
Certain inheritable genetic conditions. If preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic/single gene defects (PGT-M) does not reveal healthy embryos after a woman with certain genetic conditions undergoes IVF with her own eggs, an egg donor might be the next step.

Multiple miscarriages or failed IVF cycles. Two or more miscarriages, or repeat failed IVF cycles, could indicate a need to consider egg donation.

When a patient at our fertility center in Chicago decides to move forward with using donor eggs, we guide them through each phase of this process.

Our clinic makes conceiving with donor eggs as simple as possible

After we support patients in selecting their ideal egg donor, IVF with an egg donor can begin. This treatment plan begins with retrieving the donors eggs or thawing frozen donor eggs for use in the IVF cycle.

Uterine lining preparation. Before the donor egg is fertilized, the female patient begins taking medications to prevent ovarian follicular development and thicken the uterine lining in preparation for the embryo transfer. These medications typically include a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH), estrogen and progesterone.
Fertilization. After receiving the eggs, an embryologist fertilizes them with sperm from the male partner.

Preimplantation genetic testing. To determine the chromosomal health of the resulting embryos, the embryologist can perform preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A). To allow time for genetic testing of the embryos, patients must have a frozen embryo transfer if they opt for PGT.

Medication to support pregnancy development. The female patient continues taking estrogen and progesterone for about eight to 10 weeks after the embryo transfer to support the earliest stages of pregnancy.

Many patients at our fertility center in Chicago fulfill the dream of parenthood through egg donation.

Contact us to learn more about conceiving with donor eggs.