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Third-Party Reproduction
bhaynietippitt
member
May I join you?
bhaynietippitt
member
Hi Ladies,
Hubby and I are contemplating using an egg donor but don't know much about the process or what we need to know. I'm sure I'll have lots of ??? over time, but a couple that are on my mind are:
1. Did you try a round of IVF with your own eggs first? I am 40, and my tests show they are pretty good for 40, but not great compared to younger eggs (of course!).
2. How did you decide on an egg bank? Any you would recommend or stay away from? The photos that my RE showed me for his clinic didn't seem to be good fits (They were 5' tall and 100lbs; I am 5'9'' and 150!)
Any other helpful advice? Thanks sooooo much!
Beth
This discussion has been closed.
Re: May I join you?
Welcome.
I tried 3 rounds of IVF with my own eggs, with not good results. I have a weird issue where my eggs don't mature and it took all three rounds to establish that no protocol was very likely to help me. Plus, after 3 IVFs I was out of pocket so I decided to quit messing around. I'd advise trying with your own eggs if you think you'll second-guess yourself later and/or if you have ample funds or plenty of insurance. On the other hand, if you think you can go to DE without looking back it might make sense to do that. I'd strongly advise seeking a second opinion if your doc recommended going straight to DE despite decent hormonal levels and response to treatments up to now.
What state/region are you in? That might affect what agency would make sense.
Also: You might consider clinic shopping rather than staying at your local practice for a DE cycle. Make sure you check the SART stats. If you're putting a bunch of $$ into DE it makes sense to go somewhere with a great track record.
We are using an agency called Gifted Journeys in CA and they are great. I've meet the president and she was actually a donor herself years ago.
We did an IUI but no IVFs. I have very little hope with my own eggs and we are all OOP. Lastly, I really didn't want to pass this on to any future children I might have.
Welcome and good luck!