What is egg donation?
Donor egg IVF (egg donation) is an assisted reproduction treatment that enables women who cannot conceive with their own eggs to become mothers. In this case, eggs from a carefully selected donor are used to create the embryos that will be transferred to the recipient’s uterus.
This treatment is recommended in most cases when the patient has no oocytes or when egg quality is not sufficient to achieve pregnancy.
The treatment with the highest success rates in assisted reproduction.
- 65 % per embryo transferred.
- Over 80 % of patients achieve pregnancy after two blastocyst transfers.
Psychological support is essential. At Love Fertility you have access to this service throughout the entire process, as well as group workshops for egg-donation parents led by specialised psychologists — safe spaces where you can share your experiences and concerns with the help of professionals and the collective support of other families, finding the tools to move forward in the best possible way.
How is the donor selected?
Love Fertility Clinic selects, stimulates and carries out the egg-retrieval process with its own donors, ensuring the most rigorous oversight and guaranteeing the highest quality of the oocytes obtained. Our donors have passed very strict psycho-physical screening protocols.
Among other tests (serology, comprehensive gynaecological assessment, psychological evaluation and immunological compatibility), our donors undergo a genetic profile. If desired, this allows patients to request a genetic compatibility test (genetic matching)*between the donor and the male partner of the recipient, analysing genetic information for over 500 genetic diseases and more than 30 000 mutations. Thanks to this test, the transmission rate of recessive genetic conditions to the embryos is reduced and the chance of having a healthy baby increases.
To select the ideal donor for each patient, in addition to phenotype and general physical features (ethnicity, build, hair colour and texture, eye colour, etc.) as well as blood group, Love Fertility Clinic carries out an image-based study of recipient and donor to achieve the greatest possible resemblance between both. After that, epigenetics also plays its part.
If a patient’s circumstances require it, there is also the option of selecting a donor who is immunologically compatible or tested for specific conditions.
At Love Fertility, donors and recipients alike are patients we look after with the same care and dedication.
What does egg donation involve?
The egg donation process, like other assisted reproduction treatments, consists of several stages:
First consultation
During the first consultation with your fertility specialist, a complete gynaecological assessment will be carried out on the patient. The remaining baseline tests will also be requested to complete the evaluation of the patient or couple. For male partners, this includes blood tests, karyotype, a semen analysis (seminogram) and — where clinically indicated — additional sperm DNA fragmentation studies or a FISH in sperm to help avoid embryos with genetic abnormalities that could lead to implantation failure.
Donor assignment
Once you decide to go ahead with treatment, you will choose between the 1, 2 or 3 blastocyst Guarantee programmes depending on your family project. The search and assignment of your donor then begins. Love Fertility Clinic uses the most advanced technology to select the ideal donor for each patient, considering not only phenotypic similarity (skin tone, hair, eyes, body build), blood group, and immunological and genetic compatibility if the patient wishes.
At Love Fertility we have our own Egg Bank and we collaborate with a European gamete bank (we oversee the selection, screening and treatment of donors right through to oocyte retrieval and vitrification). There are no waiting times and a high flow of donors that allows us to match you quickly and efficiently.
Endometrial preparation
The recipient receives a gentle oral hormonal treatment for 12–15 days to prepare the uterine cavity. Your doctor will carry out ultrasound scan check-ups to monitor endometrial thickness and structure — it must be in optimal condition to support embryo implantation.
There is also the option of preparing the endometrium in a natural cycle.
In vitro fertilisation and embryo culture to blastocyst stage
In parallel with the recipient’s endometrial preparation, the laboratory fertilises the donor’s eggs with the sperm — either from your partner or from a sperm donor. The embryos are cultured in an incubator that replicates the temperature, humidity and gas-concentration conditions found in the uterus. At Love Fertility we use Embryoscope, a state-of-the-art Time-Lapse incubator.
After 5–6 days of extended culture, the embryo reaches the blastocyst stage and is at the optimal point for transfer to the uterus.
Embryo transfer
Once we have confirmed that the endometrium is ready to support implantation, the transfer is carried out.
The embryo transfer consists of placing the embryo inside the uterus using a thin catheter specifically designed for this procedure. It is a quick and painless process performed in the procedure room, with no anaesthesia required.
Typically, vaginal or subcutaneous progesterone is administered in the days before and after the transfer.
Any good-quality embryos that are not transferred are cryopreserved (vitrified) for future use.
Two-week wait / Pregnancy test / Follow-up
The two-week wait (TWW) is the period from the embryo transfer to the blood test. Your doctor will give you post-transfer recommendations, and you will have access to **psychological support** during these emotionally challenging days — just as throughout the rest of the treatment.
10–12 days after the transfer, the blood pregnancy test (β-hCG) is performed.
Your doctor will call you personally to share the result and outline the next steps. If the result is positive, we will schedule an appointment 2–3 weeks later for a first check-up ultrasound scan. A further scan will assess the embryo’s heartbeat. Once the pregnancy is confirmed as ongoing, you will be discharged with a full report for your obstetrician.
When is egg donation recommended?
Egg donation may be recommended in the following situations:
- Poor egg quality: From the age of 35, both the quantity and quality of eggs gradually decline, and after 40 this deterioration — along with a lower number of oocytes retrieved — becomes more pronounced. In fact, from 43 onwards it is very common to need egg donation.
- Low ovarian reserve: Whether due to age or other causes (ovarian surgery, chemotherapy, etc.), a low ovarian reserve significantly reduces the chances of success with IVF using your own eggs.
- Premature menopause (premature ovarian insufficiency): This occurs before the age of 40. It means the eggs have been depleted and no further ovulation will take place.
- Recurrent miscarriage or implantation failure: When the cause is suspected to be egg-related and/or male factor, uterine abnormalities, coagulation issues and immunological factors have been ruled out.
- Women with genetic conditions that cannot be excluded through preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A).
Free first consultation
The team at Love Fertility Clinic is delighted to help you. You can book your free first consultation with our specialists Blanca, Isabel, Sara, and Rocío, who will explain all available treatment options and complementary techniques, success rates for your specific case, your family plan, or your wish to preserve your fertility for the future. Marian and Sonia, our nurses, will support you and answer all your questions about medication.
Our patient care team, led by María and Sole, will help you with the day-to-day at the clinic, providing financial information and financing options. We will make it easy to schedule appointments at the times that work best for you with your designated specialist.
Get in touch with us — we will answer all your questions. You will have emotional support from the very beginning, so you can feel calm and cared for throughout the process. We will be by your side on the path to motherhood — together, we will make it happen.
Shall we talk?
