IVF with Donor Eggs

This course on egg (or ovum) donation was amongst the most challenging we’ve built. Few subjects in fertility are as financially or emotionally pressing, and the quality of data available is minimal, even by fertility treatment standards.

Our objective in this course is to introduce the core concepts, the questions patients (as well as doctors and donors) tend to face, and to highlight credible data and perspectives that may inform the choices to be made. We have many lessons here, but we’d like to highlight the one entitled “Deciding Between Own Eggs & Donor Eggs”. You can find it here.

There will be countless exceptions to the concepts and data points that we’ll surface, and you will need to calibrate what you see here based upon factors like the region in which you live, the resources of the clinic overseeing your treatment, your desired family size, budget, reasons for working with a donor, priorities in selecting that donor, and more.

With regard to regionality specifically, the rules around egg donation vary dramatically. In some countries, egg donation is illegal, while in others, egg donors and intermediaries cannot be compensated. Rules around donor anonymity and disclosure are also varied.

We may omit a factor or criteria that will be highly-relevant to you or dwell on a concept that won’t apply to you for any number of reasons. As in all courses, but especially with this subject, we urge you to advocate for yourself and to doggedly seek the best answers available from your doctor, clinic, agency, mental health specialist, genetic counselor, and anyone else responsible for helping you build your family however you deem best.