Procedures for IVF with Donor Eggs at North Cyprus IVF Centre

In this article, we talk about the procedures and processes involved in donor egg IVF treatment at North Cyprus IVF Centre.

Patients who are interested in undergoing IVF treatment using donor eggs are likely to belong in one of the following groups:

1- Women who have undergone IVF treatment with own eggs but failed to achieve or maintain a pregnancy (IVF failures or recurrent miscarriages).

2- Women who are menopausal or peri-menopausal who may or may not have undergone IVF treatment before.

3- Women whose ovaries have been removed or damaged during surgery.

4- Women with genetic problems

5- Women who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

IVF treatment using donor eggs is significantly different from standard IVF treatments in terms of procedures and the medication use. As opposed to standard IVF treatments, during egg donor IVF treatment, an egg donor undergoes the medication stage instead of the patient (recipient). However, the recipient also uses certain medication in order to prepare her body for pregnancy. The steps involved in IVF with egg donation are as follows:

Step 1: Testing and Assessment
During this step, we ask that the couple seeking donor egg IVF treatment undergo a number of tests in order to make sure that the couple is fit for pregnancy. The testing stage will be different for each patient depending on their unique history of infertility. For instance, a patient who has undergone failed cycles or recurrent miscarriages with her own eggs will first need to be assessed with respect to ovarian function. If ovarian function indicates low reserves and low oocyte quality, then relatively simple tests such as an ultrasound scan and a few blood tests will suffice. However, if there is any reason to believe that factors other than the egg quality may have contributed to previous IVF failures or recurrent miscarriages, then additional testing will be required.

A patient who has never had treatment before, but requires donor eggs due to older biological age, then a general health screening as well as an ultrasound scan will be sufficient as the first round of testing. But again, if the patient suffered from infertility previously, then additional testing will be required.

If the patient has had failed cycles using donor eggs previously, then certain additional tests must be completed before proceeding with another treatment. Given that success with donor eggs at North Cyprus IVF clinic is very high, a failed cycle with donor eggs calls for a thorough investigation in order to make sure appropriate measures can be taken prior to another treatment in order to maximize your chances of success.

Step 2: Preliminary Work
Once your testing has been completed and our IVF experts have made an effective assessment of your unique treatment requirements, we will be at a position to recommend treatment and formulate your treatment program. With your treatment program, we are able to prescribe your medication along with a calendar of treatment which specifies what needs to be done on a daily basis.

This is also the point where you select your egg donor. For egg donor selection, we will be providing you with a donor/recipient form so that you can specify your donor requirements and we can narrow down our donor pool according to these specifications. At the end of this process, we will be able to send you a few donor profiles to choose from. However, due to donor anonymity, we are not able to show pictures of our donors. For more information on donor recruitment, please visit our “IVF with Egg Donation” page.

Since the majority of our patients come from abroad, we can design our treatments so that the preliminary work can be carried out locally with your local consultant so that you can use your medication locally, have your initial monitoring and come to Cyprus for a total of 6 days to finalize your treatment. If you do not have a local consultant, we may be able to recommend you one depending on your location. The medication protocol which will be used will be a mild one, aiming to prepare your endometrium for a successful embryo transfer.

Step 3: Arrival in Cyprus
Your treatment calendar will specify which days you will be required to be present at our clinic for finalization of your treatment. Once in Cyprus, we will be able to pick you up at the airport, deliver to your choice of accommodation and provide all ground transfers back and forth between our clinic and your hotel. For more information on accommodation options, please see our “Accommodation” page.

During your 6-day stay, you will be required to attend 3 appointments with us. One for your initial consultation, one for providing your partner’s semen sample (if partnered. If using a sperm donor, this appointment will not be necessary), and one for the embryo transfer. Frequent updates can be obtained from your patient coordinator in between procedures.

Step 4: Embryo Transfer
This is the final step of your treatment, and perhaps the most significant step. During your last appointment, you will be given information about the progress of your embryos and will be offered the choice of how many embryos you would like transferred into the uterus. Legally, we are able to transfer up to 3 embryos, but we can also transfer 1 or 2 embryos per your request.