Embryo donation is an effective infertility treatment option where thawed or fresh embryos are carefully implanted into the uterus cavity of a woman. In this procedure, both the sperm and eggs are donated anonymously. The procedure is safe and has an impressive success rate.
About embryo donation
During an IVF treatment, many female eggs are obtained and fertilised by combining them with the male's sperm to produce embryos. The couples who develop the embryos may only want to use some of the embryos during the current implantation. If they want, they can donate those embryos to treat other women. Donating those embryos to another woman or couple who can't develop healthy embryos gives them a chance to attain pregnancy that might otherwise not be possible.
Who qualifies for this?
Indication for an embryo donation in case of male infertility
- Ejaculation disorder
- Azoospermia
- Multiple male infertility issues
- A risk for the baby to be born with genetic issues that the father has
Indication for an embryo donation in the case of a female infertility
- Poor quality eggs of the patients and unable to conceive using eggs
- Premature ovarian failure (POF)
- Multiple unsuccessful ICSI or IVF procedures
- Ovarian exhaustion problem after radiation therapy or chemotherapy
- A high risk for the baby to inherit the mother's genetic diseases.
An embryo donation programme can be a good option for patients with untreatable fertility problems. Before the implantation, the doctor may conduct a blood test and check the Rh factor. Besides, the patients will be tested for the human T-Cell lymphotropic virus, hepatitis C antibody, syphilis and more.
Benefits
- Compared to the traditional adoption method, an embryo donation can allow the couple or individuals to witness a natural pregnancy process, and they can also control the pregnancy environment.
- It may be noted that embryos are donated; they are not purchased. That's why the only cost involved here is the costs related to administration and treatments.
- Compared to a surrogacy or egg donation procedure, the patient may find an embryo donation affordable. The cost is similar to the frozen embryo transfer procedure cost.
- Intended parents with genetic abnormalities can get a healthy baby through this procedure.
Risks or complications
The embryo donation procedure involves transferring tissue to another person, which can also lead to the transmission of any infectious disease. However, such issues are very rare. Some other risks of embryo donation that the patients should keep in mind are:
- The embryo may not be viable for the procedure.
- The risk of ectopic pregnancy is around 2% to 5% in the case of pregnancy attained using donated embryos through IVF procedures.
- In some cases, it can lead to multiple pregnancies, diabetes during the pregnancy, increased risks of congenital disability and premature birth.
Patients interested in receiving a donated embryo or women interested in donating embryos should consult a fertility expert before deciding to know the risk factors and whether this can help in getting pregnant. Both intended parents and donors can request an appointment at Apollo Fertility, Anna Nagar, Chennai. They can also call 1860 500 4424 to book an appointment now.
Patients who want to use donated embryos must make an appointment at a fertility centre. Then after analysing the condition, the fertility doctor will share the information about the available embryos and check if any of the embryos are acceptable to the patients.
After ovarian stimulation, retrieval of the egg and fertilisation, the final procedure in an IVF treatment is a transfer of the embryo. In some cases, the patients have more than one viable embryo that can be transferred, and they can choose how many embryos they want to transfer.
Both the donors and receivers do not have to worry about an embryo donation programme as it is legal in India. Every state has its own rules for this, and this procedure can only be done with the help of a fertility clinic.
No, the donors under this programme don't need to deal with any expenses. The couple who opted for this programme will handle all the expenses. They will handle expenses related to counselling, health examinations, doctor appointments and more. The donor can consult the fertility doctor to know more about this.
Per the rules, the donors of embryos will have no legal rights over the baby. A child born through this procedure will be treated as the child of the woman who carries the baby. The donor has no legal or financial obligation to the child.
Treatments
