24 November, 2023
Oocyte donation
Oocyte donation is an altruistic and confidential in which a woman gives her oocytes to another woman or couple to be used for assisted reproduction treatments in women who have a medical indication for oocyte donation.
Either due to low ovarian reserve, failed assisted reproduction treatments with their own oocytes or the risk of transmitting a genetic defect.
Donor selection:
Ideally, the donor should be between 18 and 30 years old, although some women may be eligible for donation up to the age of 34. Once this condition is met, a first visit is arranged with a medical specialist in which a completely confidential form including personal, family and medical questions is completed.
Donation Process:
The donor should visit the doctor between the second and fifth day of her period, so that the professional can evaluate, by means of a transvaginal ultrasound, the number of antral follicles, which will be useful to determine the ovarian stimulation protocol to be followed. On the same day, also with the purpose of evaluating ovarian reserve, a blood test will be done to measure the Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) levels.
If this first step is satisfactory, a psychological evaluation will follow, where the specialist, based on the results of the interview and the psychological tests, will decide whether or not to accept the donor.
In the next medical visit, the following is carried out:
- Cytology and cervical exudates.
- Breast and axillary examination.
- Complete blood analysis, including: Haemogram, coagulation study, blood type and factor, serology for infectious diseases: Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, Syphilis, Cytomegalovirus, Rubella and Toxoplasma, glucose, creatinine, and liver transaminases (GOT and GPT).
- Genetic risk assessment: karyotype analysis and genetic screening study including: cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss, haemoglobinopathies and Fragile X syndrome, among others.
Correct results:
If all these results are satisfactory, the donor is considered a suitable candidate for oocyte donation and she immediately begins ovarian stimulation, which involves the use of injectable drugs administered subcutaneously. This process is monitored by vaginal ultrasound scans, which will confirm the number and size of the developing follicles.
Extraction:
The oocytes are extracted by puncture and aspiration of the ovaries through the vagina. This procedure is performed under sedation in the operating theatre and is done on an outpatient basis, which means that the donor can be discharged within 1 to 3 hours after the follicular puncture.
Give life:
We believe that the act of donating oocytes is an act of immeasurable value, which allows people with fertility problems to fulfil their lives in such an immense and transcendent way as having a child.
Gloria Passarelli
Coordinación médica y de donantes Unidad de Reproducción HC Fertility
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