IVF with Donor Eggs: Indications, Timeline, and Success Rates

What is an IVF with Donor Eggs?

IVF with Donor Eggs also called Egg Donor IVF is an IVF cycle that uses another woman’s oocytes (usually a young, fertile and healthy donor) which are fertilized in the IVF lab and transferred into the recipient’s (the mother’s or Gestational Carrier’s) uterus for further gestation. Egg Donor IVF is one of the most effective strategies offered to infertile women who cannot use their own oocytes in embryo generation. 

Who is it for? 

• Single women and heterosexual couples with female factor infertility. 
• Single women with a history of Recurrent Implantation Failures (RIF) or recurrent miscarriages.
• Heterosexual couples with a history of Recurrent Implantation Failures (RIF) or recurrent pregnancy loss. 
• Single men and gay couples wishing to welcome the child born via Surrogacy. 

When to try it? 

Egg Donation IVF is recommended in the following cases: 

• Women with no ovarian function (primary ovarian failure, premature ovarian failure, absence of ovaries, or menopause).
• Women with a diminished ovarian reserve and/or producing oocytes of low quality resulting in multiple failed IVF cycles.
• Women with a history of failure of Oocyte Retrieval during previous IVF cycle(s). 
• Women who have had medical Treatment in the past which has led to infertility. 
• Women who have a high risk of passing on a genetic or hereditary condition to the child. 

What types of Egg Donor IVF are there?

At present, it is possible to use Fresh or Frozen Donor Eggs for IVF received from the local or international egg donor. Most IVF clinics offer: 

• Egg Donor IVF using fresh eggs (local or traveling egg donor)
• Egg Donor IVF using frozen eggs 
• Tandem cycle using own eggs and donor’s eggs simultaneously (in one cycle)

How long does the Egg Donor IVF cycle take?

IVF with an egg donor timeline is between 6 and 8 weeks. In some cases, like cycles with traveling egg donor or shipping the donor’s eggs from abroad, the timeline can be longer and take up to several months. There are also cases when the recipient’s endometrium is a non–receptive and the cycle can be canceled or postponed. Moreover, for cycles with Preimplantation Genetic Testing, the timeline will be different depending on the type of testing performed. 

Egg Donor IVF Success Rates

Statistically, the chances of getting pregnant are around 65 to 80% per cycle (in some cases the chances can be up to 98%) with 1 fresh transfer and up to 92% for the cycle with 1 fresh transfer plus 2 frozen (cryotransfers), and up to 100% for the cycle with blastocyst transfer.