The Dallas Donor Egg Program
Building Your Family With Donor Eggs at Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates
Here at Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates, we are committed to assisting our patients in achieving their dreams of parenthood. Our egg donation program has helped hundreds of couples in the Dallas - Fort Worth area find their path to parenthood and is recognized as one of the best and largest in Dallas, Texas.
Donor Oocyte Programs exist to help women who are unable to use their own eggs to achieve pregnancy. Oocyte donation (more commonly known as egg donation) is a form of in vitro fertilization (IVF) using eggs donated from another woman. These eggs are fertilized with sperm from the intended parent or donation in our laboratory. The embryo(s) produced are then transferred into the recipient’s uterus.
Donor eggs may be used for patients diagnosed with premature ovarian failure, diminished ovarian reserve , advanced reproductive age , poor oocyte quality, or genetic abnormalities. Patients who have been through chemotherapy or received radiation therapy, or have had surgical removal of the ovaries may also access donor eggs.
The Texas Donor Egg Program at Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates is a de-identified egg donor program, meaning we don’t distribute donor’s personal information to intended parents or provide patient information to donors during the donation process. We take extensive measures to protect the confidentiality of both oocyte donors and the recipient couples while in our facility.
An Introduction to Egg Donation
At Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates, we are committed to assisting our patients in achieving their dreams of parenthood. If egg donation is the path that you choose to build your family, you will have access to our in-house database of donors, as well as access to frozen donor eggs from one of our partner egg banks.
If you decide to use donor eggs, you and your partner will have the opportunity to review our egg donor database to find the right donor. Patients usually evaluate donors on criteria such as appearance, age, health, and educational background. After a candidate is selected, we begin the process of syncing your cycle with the donor’s cycle to prepare for transfer.
Emily and Kenny's Story
Patients Emily and Kenny used the DFWFA donor program to build the family of their dreams.
What Can I Expect During the Donation Process?
All couples who choose to receive a donor egg are encouraged to undergo a psychological evaluation prior to initiating the donation process. Legal matters and the issue of disclosure to the child of the donor egg process are among the topics we discuss.
During the initial conversation with your physician at Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates, your doctor will cover the specific procedures that are completed before, during, and after the cycle.
One of these visits includes a physical exam of the intended mother and blood tests for both intended parents. The intended father will also give a semen sample for analysis. Based on the results of the initial exam, additional evaluation might be required.
It might be necessary to document that the intended mother’s uterus is normally developed and free of polyps and fibroids. We do this using an x-ray of the uterus and fallopian tubes (called a hysterosalpingogram), a saline sonohysterogram (a unique kind of ultrasound), or an office hysteroscopy. Some patients may undergo a test cycle with hormones to determine if the uterine lining responds normally by thickening and becoming more vascular.
When we determine that the recipient is a viable candidate to receive a donor egg, intended parents begin the search for their ideal donor. Using our in-house donor egg database, you will be able to select your donor based on a variety of characteristics such as hair/eye color, height and weight, personality traits, educational background, and more. Frozen donor eggs from our partner egg bank, MyEggBank, may also be an option to find the right egg donor to start or complete your family.
In general, we try to arrange for recipients to have a fresh embryo transfer. In order to do this, the recipient’s cycle is manipulated to be in sync with the donor. To accomplish this, the recipient patient begins estrogen and progesterone supplementation to mimic a natural cycle. At the same time, the donor receives FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) injections, which stimulate the ovaries to develop multiple eggs. Those eggs are eventually retrieved and used in the IVF procedure. The donor’s cycle will then be monitored with vaginal ultrasounds and blood work to determine when the eggs are mature. Once the follicles are mature, the office schedules the egg retrieval. Egg retrievals from egg donors can yield an average of 18 to 19 eggs.
After selecting a donor, we will identify a target date for the transfer. The donor receives information about medications, how to administer them, and when to start. Concurrently, uterine stimulation begins in the recipient. Timing of this is incredibly important as the recipient’s uterus must be ready to receive the embryo at the same time the donor’s oocytes are mature.
Once we retrieve the eggs from the donor, an embryologist examines them and combines them with the recipient’s partner’s sperm or donated sperm to form embryos.
Ideally, sperm is collected from the male patient on the morning of the retrieval if it is coming from an intended parent. Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates provides a private collection room in the andrology department , separate from the center’s IVF lab and procedure rooms. We then prepare and inseminate the sperm with the eggs about 4-6 hours after the egg retrieval, or egg thawing frozen eggs are used. Insemination occurs using either conventional insemination or sperm injection into the egg(s) using ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) . Our lab then evaluates the embryos at 16, 40, and 64 hours following insemination to determine the fertilization of oocytes and to monitor their development. We select the embryos that have developed appropriately and incubate them until ready to transfer.
When normal development of the embryo(s) has occurred, we schedule the transfer. The transfer procedure is painless and no anesthetic is required. A very soft, flexible catheter is placed through the cervix into the uterus to transfer the embryo(s) into the uterine cavity. Patients will remain in a reclining position in the recovery room for 10 minutes post-transfer. You are welcome to bring food, books, headphones, etc. to remain occupied during this time. Following the transfer, activities should be minimal. Avoid spending time on your feet for the rest of the day.
Estrogen and progesterone supplementation continues after transfer until the first pregnancy test, which occurs 14 days after retrieval. Patients with positive results will continue hormone supplementation, and will then meet with their physician to discuss continuing prenatal care. If a negative result appears, the patient will meet with their physician for further testing and to discuss next steps in your fertility journey.
Should I Use a Donor Egg?
Recipients of donor eggs must be under 49 years of age at the time she enters the program, has a normal uterine cavity, and be in good health. Women over the age of 45 may be required to meet with a perinatologist and undergo further testing to include an echocardiogram, chest x-ray, mammogram, and blood work.
Pregnancy success rates using donated eggs are typically higher than routine IVF because the eggs are from young, healthy women who our team screens extensively. The age of the recipient is not a major determining factor for success; however, certain obstetrical complications occur at a higher rate compared with younger patients.
To see if you choose to receive a donor egg, schedule an initial consultation with one of our physicians, or consult with your current Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates doctor. Your physician will determine what tests and/or studies you need before beginning the process.
How do I find an Egg Donor in Texas?
There are two types of donors: unknown and known. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, but an unknown donor is more often used. Couples select these donors from profiles provided by our office or a third-party agency. A known donor is typically a friend or family member.
Our in-house egg donation program consists of donors within a two hour radius of the Dallas - Fort Worth area. These donors have gone through extensive screening of their medical and genetic history, as well as a comprehensive physical exam and psychological evaluations. Patients can review approved donors to select the candidate they wish to use based on their histories, physical attributes, and personality characteristic, but all personal information will be kept private.
All donors must complete a medical and genetic history form, a physical exam, and extensive testing. This testing screens for significant medical and genetic problems, as well as checks blood type, Rh factor, HIV (AIDS), hepatitis, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and illegal drugs.
Fresh vs. Frozen Egg Donations
Typically, a single-blastocyst transfer is what we recommend to most patients, regardless whether the eggs were fresh, or frozen-thawed.
With a frozen donation, patients receive a lot of six eggs to fertilize. Frozen donated eggs can be found either in-house or using one of our partner egg banks, such as MyEggBank.
Fresh donations typically yield a higher number of eggs–on average, 18-19. Embryos that are not used are frozen for future family-building if the patient chooses. Our in-house database of fresh donors includes well-screened donors that live within a two hour radius of the Dallas - Fort Worth area.
Financially speaking, there is a cost difference between the two routes. To learn more and discuss your options, please speak to one of our Business Office Counselors.
To determine which route is best for you, please consult your DFWFA physician or contact us to schedule your first appointment.
Our High-Quality Embryo Guarantee
After completing a uterine evaluation and semen analysis, you may qualify for a guarantee from Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates when using a frozen donor egg. If you choose to use a frozen egg from our in-house selection, you are guaranteed to have one high-quality embryo from the lot.
To see if you qualify for this guarantee, please consult your physician.
Intended Parent Questions and Concerns
After talking to your doctor about your options for family building, there may still be questions you have regarding the use of a donated egg. You can find answers to many commonly-asked questions below. If your question isn’t answered, please contact your doctor or contact us here.
To determine your insurance coverage, please speak to one of our Business Office Counselors. If your insurance covers IVF, our office will file appropriate claims for services provided. However, the recipient couple must pay for services provided to the egg donor. Our office will not file a claim for any test or procedure conducted on the egg donor, but we can provide documentation for the services provided. All expenses incurred on behalf of the donor, such as the anesthesiologist, will be billed to our office, but will be the responsibility of the intended parents. This policy ensures the egg donor has proper confidentiality measures in place.
While it is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged that recipient couples meet with one of our counselors.
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