In Vitro fertilisation with donor eggs and donor sperm
This Assisted Reproduction technique consists of fertilising an anonymous donor’s eggs with an anonymous donor’s sperm in the laboratory. The embryos obtained as a result of this procedure will be transferred to the uterus of the recipient woman.
IVF with donor eggs and sperm procedure
First step (donor selection) The donors are selected according to very strict medical criteria. First of all they undergo a clinical examination to make sure that their ovaries are healthy and they have no transmittable pathologies (infectious or genetic). Before donating her eggs, the donor has a blood test in order to rule out the risk of any transmittable infectious diseases (hepatitis B and C, HIV, cytomegalovirus, gonococcus, Chlamydia and syphilis) and in order to determine her blood group, basal hormonal level and karyotype. A cytology is carried out as well as a neck of the uterus smear and a pelvic ultrasound scan.
These results are studied by a doctor who also verifies by means of a questionnaire the absence of any genetic family illnesses while the psychologist evaluates the donor’s mental health. Finally, the donor signs a consent form according to Spanish law in which she agrees to donate her eggs to a couple who want to have a child and whose identity she will never try to find out.
Second step (donor stimulation) The donors have to undergo a two-week ovarian stimulation treatment, which consists of administering subcutaneous hormonal injections and whose development is controlled by means of ultrasound checks and blood tests (five respectively). The egg collection is carried out by means of a puncture under sedation.
Third step (semen sample collection). The sperm is collected after carrying out a complete study of the donor’s health in order to be sure of the good quality of the sperm and to rule out any illness. The potential donors are placed under a series of tests and analyses before being accepted: sperm, blood, urine, general health, sexual transmitted diseases and a psychological examination. All the donors have to be over 18 and sign a consent form agreeing for their sperm to be used in this technique as well as accepting the anonymity therein. The donor sperm is frozen before being used.
Fourth step (fertilisation and embryo transfer) As with partners’ gametes IVF, the eggs are cultivated in a culture medium while the sperm is prepared (as with Artificial Insemination). Later on the biologist carries out the insemination which consists of placing the sperm (between 50.000 and 100.000 motile spermatozoa) in the culture medium with the eggs. The following day a check is made on how many eggs have been fertilised and the embryos are transferred to the recipient’s uterus two or three days after the egg collection. Two or three embryos are selected for the transfer. They are introduced in the uterus together with a small quantity of culture medium in a fine catheter. Under an abdominal ultrasound control, the gynaecologist places the catheter up to the end of the uterus where the embryos are deposited.
Fifth step (cryopreservation) The non transferred embryos are frozen in liquid nitrogen (cryopreservation) and stored correctly identified in the embryo bank of the laboratory. These embryos can be used in future cycles if pregnancy does not occur at the first attempt. Obviously, it simplifies the process and makes it cheaper, although the pregnancy rates decrease.
This technique is recommended in...
This technique is carried out when women present ovarian function anomalies both due to their age and unknown reasons. Donor sperm is needed because the woman has decided to become a single parent, because her partner is another woman or because her male partner suffers from azoospermia (absence of sperm) or other sperm anomalies.