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Type of Couples That Use Egg Donors

Couples that use egg donors are usually couples that have failed to conceive with other fertility treatments. This can include couples where the woman fails to produce eggs. Other couples turn to egg donation to help them avoid passing on heritable genetic diseases to their offspring. The woman must still be able to successfully carry a child in order for this procedure to work.

  1. Early Menopause

    • Early menopause, also called premature ovarian failure, is a condition in which menopause starts before a woman has turned 40. Women suffering from premature ovarian failure cannot produce their own eggs and therefore often turn to egg donors to have a child. In this case, the woman has a functioning uterus and can carry a child but cannot conceive one since she produces no eggs.

    Diminished Egg Supply

    • There are various reasons why a woman may have a diminished egg supply or produce low quality eggs. They include chromosomal abnormalities and previous radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatments. Another potential cause of diminished ovarian reserve is age. As women age over 40, their fertility drops steeply, yet many are still capable of carrying a child.

    Failure with IVF

    • Egg donors are also an option for couples that have tried and failed to conceive with other fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization. This is especially true for couples who fail with IVF because they produce low quality eggs or embryos. When the egg donor is healthy and produces good quality eggs, the chances for conception of a couple that has failed to conceive with IVF are improved.

    Genetic Disease Carriers

    • Other couples turn to donor eggs despite the fact that the woman can produce a normal supply of eggs and they can conceive on their own. This happens when the couple knows they have an increased risk for genetic disease in their biological offspring. Often, the man and woman are completely healthy, but they both carry a mutation in the genes for the same disease. If their biological child inherits the mutated gene from both parents, he could suffer from this disease. To avoid that risk, these couples can turn to donated eggs.

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