DONOR EGG TREATMENT
Who needs donor eggs?
When a woman does not have eggs that can generate a viable pregnancy, we recommend our program for egg donation in Cyprus. Normally, low egg reserve is associated with older mothers. As maternal age increases, the number of follicles in each ovary decreases, usually by the late 30s or early 40s. However, there are also younger women, some in their 20s, who have “premature menopause” and they also may require egg donation.
In addition, we have patients who have had treatment for cancer which has left them infertile or women with genetic disorders who do not want to pass these problems on to their children.
Where do the donor eggs come from?
At Dogus IVF Centre we have a very large donor database composed of healthy young egg donors and we are proud to use fresh eggs for every single donor egg cycle.
Dr. Firdevs selects all of our egg donors and screens them personally before allowing them onto our program for egg donation in North Cyprus. All our egg donors are between the ages of 20 and 26, with the majority being in their early 20s.
The egg donor is super ovulated exclusively for you, ensuring a high success rate. We aim to get between 10 and 20 eggs from your donor and all of these eggs will be used solely for your IVF cycle. We now formally guarantee a minimum of 10 good quality eggs for each cycle. Please see our “10 Egg Guarantee” for more information. http://cyprusivfcenters.com/
Could my child trace the donor?
No. One of the biggest advantages of egg donation at Dogus IVF Centre is that it is completely anonymous and confidential. Any child born following egg donation treatment will never be able to find out the egg donor’s identity. The egg donor can never find out about the couple receiving the eggs or even whether the treatment was successful. Also, the egg donor can never trace any children born using their eggs.
Many countries around the world, including UK, have introduced laws whereby children born from donated eggs or sperm can find out the donor’s identity when they reach the age of 18. The majority of our egg donation couples decide not to tell their children that they used a donor and so the fact that our process is 100% confidential and anonymous is a huge benefit.
Can a friend or relative donate?
There are an increasing number of women who prefer to use their sister, friend or relative as a donor instead of our program for egg donation in Cyprus.
In order to do this, we must first ensure that your sister/donor has a good quality egg reserve through blood tests and scans. We will then synchronise your menstrual cycles. Finally, your sister/donor will be stimulated in the same way that our normal donors would be stimulated and you will follow the procedure outlined below.
Tests for Egg Donors
Before being accepted onto the Dogus egg donor program, all prospective donors must undergo a series of tests to ensure that they are both fertile and free from genetic or infectious diseases.
– Infectious disease tests (Anti-HIV, Anti-HCV, Rubella IgG, CMV IgG, HbsAg, VDRL)
– Genetic diseases*
– Karyotyping
– Hormone tests (FSH, AMH, LH, Estradiol and Prolactin)
* The genetic diseases which are tested for include cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria, thalassemia major, familial Mediterranean fever and haemophilia. The donors must attend regular screening (every 2 months) at Dogus hospital to check that they have not contracted any infectious diseases. All of the donors on our program are proven donors, meaning that their donated eggs have resulted in a successful pregnancy.
How do I get started?
Stage 1 – Initial Contact and Registration
The first stage in your IVF journey involves contacting one of our International Patients Coordinators. At this stage, it’s important to get answers to all of your questions.
Once you are comfortable with the details of treatment and know that you want to proceed, you will be sent a Medical Information Form to complete. You should fill out your full medical history and donor requirements, and return this along with some recent photographs of yourself, which will be used by Dr. Firdevs to prepare your treatment plan and create a suitable short list of donors.
At this stage, you are required to pay a deposit of £200/200 Euros to secure your treatment. Deposits are non-refundable and are valid for 6 months.
Stage 2 – Choosing your Donor
Egg donation at Cyprus IVF Centre is anonymous and confidential, and we protect the identity of you and your egg donor. Legally, we cannot provide you with photographs of our egg donors, however, you will be given the following information:
– Age
– Height
– Weight
– Nationality
– Eye Colour
– Hair Colour
– Education or Occupation
We have a large variety of egg donors with looks ranging from blonde hair and blue eyes, to brown hair and brown eyes. We have donors of varying nationalities, heights and weights as well. Dr. Firdevs meets every donor in person when they come to the clinic for their regular testing. This is when she will match your photo to the most suitable donors.
The most common enquiry we receive is related to whether we have donors who match different ethnic origins. The answer is that we have donors of African origin, Asian origin, Scandanavian to name a few. There is no appearance that we cannot match.
We will supply you with a choice of appropriate donors that match your criteria and you can then select your preferred donor.
The chosen donor will give her consent to take part in the treatment and will be reserved until your cycle. The donor will agree not to take part in any other donations prior to your treatment.
Stage 3 – Getting Your Medication
By now, you should have decided upon your egg donation treatment month and have an approximate idea of dates.
We will send you a prescription for the medication required prior to your stay in Cyprus. You can use this prescription to get the medication from your local pharmacy. If you do not want to use a local pharmacy, you can order the medication online from our partner pharmacy in UK which delivers worldwide.
We will also send you a full treatment plan outlining specific instructions regarding what medication to take and when to take it.
Don’t forget, you can phone our coordinators at anytime if you have questions.
NOTE: We recommend that our patients take an oral contraceptive to regulate the menstrual cycle. This also helps us to synchronise your donor’s cycle, since we know exactly when your period is due to arrive.
What medication do I need to take prior to coming to Cyprus?
If you are menopausal (not having periods) you will take:
Oral Estradiol (Progynova) tablets for 10-12 days to thicken the lining of your uterus (endometrium).
If you still have periods you will take:
One Gonapeptyl Depot injection, which is a slow-release formulation of triptorelin to lower the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body.
In addition to the injection, you will also be required to take Oral Estradiol (Progynova) tablets for 10-12 days to thicken the lining of your uterus (endometrium).
What medication do I need to take while in Cyprus?
When you arrive in Cyprus, Dr. Firdevs will assess whether you need additional medication to increase your chance of pregnancy. Some of the possible medications you may be prescribed include Monodox (doxycyline) antibiotics, Prednol (prednisolone) tablets, Progestan (progesterone) pessaries, Clexane (enoxaparin) injections and Proluton (hydroxyprogesterone caproate USP).
Stage 4 – Arriving in Cyprus
Upon your arrival in Cyprus for our IVF in Cyprus program, you will visit Cyprus IVF Centre where you will meet Dr. Firdevs and one of our International Patients Coordinators.
(You can get more information regarding North Cyprus in our IVF in Cyprus page:
http://cyprusivfcenters.com/).
On your first day in North Cyprus, you will have a trans-vaginal ultrasound scan to check that your uterine lining is ready for embryo transfer. Dr. Firdevs will give you a prescription for any additional medication that you need. The donor will be ready to have her eggs collected in the next day or two.
On the day of egg collection, your partner (if applicable) will be required to provide a semen sample, which we will use to create your embryos. Three days of sexual abstinence is recommended prior to production of the semen sample.
Stage 5 – Preparing your Embryos
Fertilisation will be achieved with the ICSI procedure in all cases. Dr. Firdevs offers ICSI for free to all of her patients. In ICSI, a single sperm is injected directly into the egg. In this method, the sperm is not required to penetrate any of the barriers surrounding the egg. Although ICSI is usually used when sperm quality is low, Dr. Firdevs uses ICSI for all patients, regardless of sperm quality, to maximise fertilisation rates.
Once injected, the eggs are incubated for a period of twenty four hours, after which time the embryologist will establish if fertilisation has occurred. Your patient coordinator will contact you to let you know how many fertilised embryos you have.
Over the next few days, the embryos will be left to develop. Our embryologists prefer to have as little contact with the embryos as possible while they are developing because when the embryos are removed from the incubator, the humidity and temperature will change and this change can affect their development.
Stage 6 – Your Embryo Transfer
The embryo transfer will take place 3 or 5 days after the egg collection. It is a simple procedure similar to a smear test.
Using a vaginal speculum, Dr. Firdevs exposes the cervix which is then cleaned with sterile solution. The culture medium containing the embryos is loaded into a thin plastic tube (catheter) with a syringe on one end. Dr. Firdevs carefully guides the catheter through the vagina and cervix, and releases the embryos into the uterus.
The procedure is done with ultrasound guidance to ensure correct placement of the embryos.
Dr. Firdevs is the only doctor in Cyprus who guarantees 10 good quality eggs and allows the transfer of the best 3 embryos. This gives you the maximum possible chance of pregnancy.
High quality embryos remaining after the transfer can be frozen for use at a later date.
Stage 7 – Returning Home
After your embryo transfer you can return home and continue your normal routine, although prolonged strenuous exercise or activity is not recommended. You should not sunbathe or take hot baths for the first few weeks after embryo transfer because it can alter your core body temperature and the temperature within your uterus.
The embryos are quite safe within the uterus and you can walk, shower and undertake normal daily activities. Sexual intercourse should be avoided for the first two weeks after transfer and then can be resumed whenever you feel like it as long as you do not have any bleeding or uterine cramps.
Between embryo transfer and your pregnancy test you should continue to take all medication as prescribed by the doctor.
Stage 8 – Your Pregnancy Test
On the twelfth day after your embryo transfer, you can have an early pregnancy HCG blood test. This is the only way to know for certain whether you are pregnant or not as it is still too early to get an accurate result with a urine test. The blood test can be arranged with your family doctor or a local private fertility clinic.
In some countries it is difficult to arrange a HCG blood test and so it may be necessary for you to perform a urine pregnancy test. In this situation you should wait until 14 days after embryo transfer and then test with your first morning urine sample.
If the HCG blood test or urine test are positive:
Your medication regime is followed until the 12th week of pregnancy. It is important to continue the medication.
You should inform your normal doctor that you are pregnant. At 7 weeks gestation you can have an ultrasound scan to confirm the number of embryos which have implanted and to monitor the foetal heart beat.
If the HCG blood test is negative:
All drugs must be stopped. You will experience a bleed. If you have periods, your normal menstrual cycle should resume within 4 – 6 weeks.
If the urine test is negative:
You must continue on the medication for two further days and then repeat the pregnancy test. If the result is again negative all drugs must be stopped. You will experience a bleed. If you have periods, your normal menstrual cycle should resume within 4 – 6 weeks.
If you would like more information regarding egg donation in Northern Cyprus, please get in touch with us and we will be happy to answer your questions.
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