Donor Recipients
Donor Recipient Information
How are donors screened?
Who Qualifies and What to Expect
Required laboratory/diagnostic studies
How are donors screened?
Fertility Specialists of Houston realize that the decision to participate in oocyte donation (egg donation) is not an easy one for a couple to make. Donor oocyte agencies and Fertility Specialists of Houston require that all of our recipient couples and donors have psychological counseling. All of our donors undergo formal psychological screening that includes an interview by a practicing psychologist.
Our donors should be between 20 and 32 years of age. Donor screening includes extensive medical, social and family history on the donor.
- A condensed form of the medial/social history and family history will be provided to the recipient.
- An infections disease screen is performed on the recipient couple. This involves documentation of HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis screening within the last 12 months.
- The donor will be screened for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis.
- Any additional genetic testing as determined by the physician or requested by the patient, such as cystic fibrosis, Tay Sachs, or sickle cell will be performed at an additional charge.
There are risks involved in the stimulation cycle and aspiration of oocytes. Therefore, Fertility Specialists of Houston requires that the recipients clearly understand these risks. For couples using the Fertility Specialists of Houston's donor program we require the recipient to purchase health insurance on the donors at a modest price as part of a national donor program shared risk. In case of complications directly related to the donation, the recipient couple will be responsible for any charges that the insurance does not cover.
Fertility Specialists of Houston allows the recipients to fertilize all oocytes retrieved from the donor instead of dividing oocytes between two different recipients, as is the practice of some donor programs. This allows you to have frozen embryos that can be used for additional embryo transfers in the event that the initial transfer is not successful. There is the chance that the donor may respond poorly to the initial stimulation treatment. We will monitor her progress closely. If it appears that conditions are sub-optimal, the cycle will be cancelled and a new cycle can be initiated with an alternative treatment plan.
Who Qualifies and What to Expect
Candidates for oocyte donation (OD) include healthy, married women under the age of 50 who have one of the following indications:
- Absent or inadequate ovarian function
- Multiple miscarriages related to chromosomal abnormalities (translocation or age-related)
- Presence of a genetic disorder that the couple does not want passed on to their child
- Repeated failure with in vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Advanced reproductive age associated with very limited chances for IVF to succeed using the woman's own oocytes.
Determination of preliminary eligibility for the Program is based on information from our office's history form and copies of medical records documenting female and/or male infertility evaluations and treatments.
The physician consultation will include:
- Evaluation of prior infertility work-ups and treatments
- Assessment of the need for additional testing or alternative treatment options
- Review of benefits, risks, and limitations of the OD program
The OD program requires psychological evaluation in the form of an interview between the recipient couple and the donor's agencies or the program's psychologist. This evaluation is required to assist in determining the couple's motivation, expectations, support systems, sources of stress, coping mechanisms, and other areas of concern. These factors may influence the couple's willingness to participate in the OD program.
The consultation with the oocyte donor coordinator will include:
- Review of records to ensure that a complete infertility work-up of the patient and husband had been performed
- Discussion of the OD program with its benefits, risks, limitations and costs
- Planning of female and male testing to meet screening requirements
- An explanation of the medication regimen to achieve endometrial receptivity for embryo transfer (ET)
Required laboratory/diagnostic studies:
Wife:
- Blood type/Rh factor
- Rubella titer
- CBC *
- TSH *
- Anti-HIV 1 & 2 *
- Hepatitis B surface antigen *
- Hepatitis B core antibody *
- Hepatitis C antibody *
- RPR *
- Gonorrhea/Chlamydia cervical cultures *
- Pap Smear *
- Mammogram per ACR recommendation
- Uterine evaluation *
Husband:
- Blood type/Rh factor
- Anti-HIV 1 & 2 *
- Hepatitis B surface antigen *
- Hepatitis B core antibody *
- Hepatitis C antibody *
- RPR *
- Semen analysis / morphology *
- Semen culture *
- Semen function test (if indicated) *
- Genetic testing (depends on ethnicity)
Other testing indicated in patients 44 years of age or older:
- EKG *
- Chest x-ray *
- Evaluation by a high-risk obstetrician
* Testing must be performed within one year of OD cycle
The doctors and staff at Fertility Specialists of Houston cannot give legal advice about any property or custody rights issues or questions that an interested party may have and anyone considering these programs is strongly encouraged to obtain legal advice from a competent attorney of their choosing.
