The Age Factor: Later Life Conception with Donor Eggs

The Age Factor: Later Life Conception with Donor Eggs

Guest Post written by Heidi Hayes, CEO of Donor Egg Bank USA

When it comes to most things, the old adage “age is nothing but a number” usually rings true. Whether she has an interest in traveling or striking up a new hobby, a woman always has options and shouldn’t be dissuaded from trying something just because of her birth date.

Conceiving a child, however, is one of the things that can be more difficult, or even impossible, later in life.  The relationship between fertility and age often leaves older women coping with infertility issues.

The reality that some older women struggle to get pregnant should not, however, push someone into having children before they’re ready or able. Technology is an incredible tool that has provided couples with alternative fertility methods needed when conception proves to be a more trying task than expected.

While IUI, IVF cycles, and adoption are some of the most well-known fertility options, there is a great deal to be said about the decision to use donor eggs.

As a woman ages, the quality and viability of her eggs will decrease. When a woman is told that her own eggs are unusable, it can often feel like the end of the line. For many couples, adoption can be much too risky and expensive to consider. Frozen donor egg IVF, on the other hand, is an ideal alternative.

 

 

The Decision to Use Frozen Donor Eggs

As a woman, accepting that you will never carry your own biological child can feel like an impossible burden to bear. It is undoubtedly something to be grieved, but it should not leave you feeling defeated in your quest to have a child.

Once you have begun to overcome the sense of loss that comes with infertility, looking into donor egg IVF can not only provide the chance to become a mother, but also the opportunity to carry your child within your own belly.

Feeling a child grow inside of you, and knowing that your body is supporting that baby and providing them with everything they need, forms a bond that is simply incomparable. While many women worry they will not feel a connection to a baby born from a donor egg, the vast majority will experience an immediate bond.

 Choosing Your Egg Donor

After a couple has decided to use frozen donor eggs, the first step is to find a donor. Online databases offer a large selection of donors with a variety of different traits and characteristics to search through, such as appearance, ethnicity, and mental history.

Prior to donating, women must undergo a comprehensive screening process to determine whether their eggs are suitable for donation. This includes different examinations, including:

• Background Checks
• Medical History
• Psychological Screening
• Educational History

Once you and your spouse have selected the perfect candidate, you will be ready to start the donor egg IVF process.

How Does the Frozen Donor Egg IVF Process Work?

When a couple is ready to start their frozen donor egg IVF cycle, their selected eggs will be shipped to the fertility center of choice. The eggs will be stored at the fertility clinic until the recipient is ready to cycle, when they will be thawed out and fertilized.

To prepare for a cycle, the woman undergoing the embryo transfer will need some preliminary screenings to determine her current reproductive health. This includes blood work and ultrasounds amongst other things. She will also begin a regimen of fertility drugs, estrogen and progesterone, which will ensure that her uterus is ready to accept an embryo for implantation. The overall goal is a thickened endometrial lining that will nourish the growing embryo.

Once your body is ready and the embryo has begun to develop, it will be transferred into your uterus using a thin catheter.

Two weeks post transfer you will return to the clinic for a blood pregnancy test that will hopefully yield positive results. Your hormone levels will continue to be blood tested until around 7 weeks of pregnancy.

Finding Your Happily Ever After Later in Life

 

As a woman, you should never accept someone saying you can’t, or you won’t, simply because of your age. Whether you want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, or simply have a baby, there is always a way to reach your goal.

Frozen donor eggs have revolutionized the fertility options of women everywhere. In a society where the age of first-time mothers is consistently rising thanks to increased personal and professional opportunities for women, you shouldn’t have to choose between having a baby and doing something else. When the time is right, know that there are options available to help you achieve your dreams.