Oocyte donation

Abstract

Oocyte donation affords women with ovarian failure, advanced reproductive age, heritable conditions or recurrent implantation failure the ability to conceive. Recipients must be medically screened carefully prior to attempting pregnancy. Egg donors should also be healthy and pose no infectious or genetic risk to the recipient or offspring. Donor and recipient menstrual cycles are synchronized so that embryos are transferred to a receptive endometrium. Donors are prescribed injectible gonadotrophins to achieve multifollicular growth. Recipient endometrial priming begins with 2 weeks (or more) of oestradiol, with progesterone added to the regimen 3-4 days prior to the transfer of embryos. Pregnancy rates following egg donation are among the highest observed following assisted reproduction. Despite advanced reproductive age, perinatal and obstetric outcomes are generally good. Techniques (i.e. germinal vesicle transfer, donor ooplasm, and ovarian cryopreservation and transplantation techniques) may permit the recipient to provide some genetic contribution to offspring and are currently under investigation.