If I need to use a donor, how do I find one that will be a good match for me?

If donor eggs are what you are looking for, RSC has its own donor list and team to help match you with the perfect donor. There are also outside agencies that solely specialize in donor recruiting, and the chosen donor could then be screened at RSC and undergo treatment with us.

Usually, you and your partner (if applicable) should think of the genetic qualities that are most important to pass on to the next generation. This may include a healthy family line (free of medical diseases) and also may include ethnicity, eye and hair color, and physical size. You may care about academic achievement or musical/artistic abilities. Once you have generated this list, then searching the web site will help you decide which donor is best for you. A physician can help guide you if the donor has done a prior cycle and you wish to understand whether the response was appropriate.

What’s the difference between an IVF cycle and a frozen embryo transfer?

When you do an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, the eggs are fertilized in a laboratory and the resulting embryos are grown in culture. After three to five days of culturing, an embryo transfer is performed to release the embryo(s) into the uterus for implantation to occur. Your doctor will recommend transferring the fewest number of embryos that still gives you a good chance of pregnancy. For example, in women under 35 years old, it is most commonly recommended to transfer one to two embryos.

Many couples will have more embryos available than they have transferred. Embryos that are high enough quality to potentially result in a pregnancy will be recommended for freezing. If pregnancy does not result from the fresh embryo transfer or if a second pregnancy is desired a few years after the first, the frozen embryos can be thawed for another embryo transfer. A frozen embryo transfer is much less expensive than an IVF cycle because only the uterine lining has to be prepared to receive the embryos.

If I use a donor egg how long will it take for me to start my IVF cycle?

There are certain situations where a woman needs to select a younger egg donor to help her achieve a pregnancy. This happens when the quantity and quality of eggs decreases to a level that can no longer result in a healthy pregnancy. While this can be a difficult decision to make, pregnancy rates are very high using donor eggs because the quality of eggs that can be retrieved is so high. The first step in coordinating an IVF cycle using donor eggs is selecting a donor from a bank or agency. Talk with your doctor about your options for finding a donor. Once a donor is selected, the necessary testing is performed on both parties prior to initiating the cycle.

Usually all of the necessary testing can be performed over the course of one menstrual cycle. After the testing is completed, your cycle and the donor’s cycle are synchronized so that your uterus will be ready for the embryos once the eggs are retrieved from the donor. The donor’s eggs are fertilized with your partner’s sperm and the embryo(s) are transferred into your uterus. You will work very closely with the donor team throughout the cycle to make sure that all of the coordinating goes smoothly.