Egg Sharing

Introduction

Egg-sharing brings together- females who produce additional eggs with those unable to produce them, so that both parties have a chance of becoming pregnant. Egg-sharing’s unique system also allows many women to receive free IVF treatment. Egg recipients rely on other women to provide their donated eggs. The course ensures both women have an opportunity to achieve a pregnancy. In addition to receiving free standard IVF, egg sharers also receive greatly reduced prices for additional treatment options such as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Eligibility

The egg sharing can be suitable

• For women with blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries

• Women with fertility problems

• Fertile but sterilized women

• Women who are fertile but have an infertile male partner

• Lesbians and single women

Based on the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) guidelines, egg sharers should:

• be aged between 18 to 35

• have an FSH hormone level below 10 IU/l

• have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 30

• not have personal or family history of inheritable disorders.

• not have any genetic or transmissible diseases

• have a normal AMH hormone level

Things to consider

Women considering egg sharing should be aware that egg recipients will be provided with non- identifying information such as height and ethnicity. However, at no point will your name be revealed.

Treatment

Egg collection will take place approximately 2 weeks after an egg sharer starts medication.

1. A base line scan is done before an egg sharer begins her fertility injections to stimulate her ovaries. This will ensure there are no unexpected abnormalities in the reproductive system that could hinder the treatment.

2. Egg sharers take hormone injections for 10 to 16 days to stimulate the ovaries to grow extra follicles, instead of just one (which is what happens during a natural menstruation cycle).

3. Egg sharer may have to undergo additional scanning schedules during the stimulation period, just to check her response to the drugs. This helps in monitoring the number and size of the follicles and avoiding hyper stimulation. At an appropriate time, an egg sharer will be told to take another drug which will release the eggs from the follicles.

4. Egg collection can be carried out using a mild general anesthetic agent. The 20 minute procedure is painless and patients usually go home in 4 hours. The fertility consultant may use an ultrasound probe to examine the position of the ovaries and then put a very fine needle through the top of the vagina and ovaries and into the follicles. The fertility consultant inserts the needle into each follicle. The fluid containing the eggs is then aspirated into a tube attached to the needle. The number of eggs collected from patients varies depending on various factors.

5. The eggs are split between the egg sharer and egg recipient. If an odd number of eggs are collected, the extra egg goes to the egg sharer.

6. The eggs are then fertilized through conventional in-vitro fertilization (IVF), Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) or Intracytoplasmic Morphologically-selected Sperm Injection (IMSI) – depending on the quality of the sperm sample. They are then incubated and monitored for 2 to 5 days to fertilize and develop. If patients use donor or frozen sperm, they will have to arrange for the delivery prior to treatment with our laboratory.

7. Embryo transfer is carried out later. This 20 minute procedure is painless and feels similar to a cervical smear test. The fertility consultant will place the embryo(s) into a thin tube known as a catheter. This is then inserted through the vagina and cervix and the embryos are placed in the uterus. The egg sharer will continue taking medication to help maintain their uterus lining during early pregnancy.