What is Embryo Donation?
As described by ASRM, “in the current practice of IVF, some patients may create more embryos (fertilized eggs) than they need. The extra embryos may be cryopreserved (frozen) so that they can be transferred later. However, sometimes these embryos may not be used. These patients have the option to have their embryos discarded, donated to research or donated to another woman to achieve pregnancy.”
It is a safe, reliable fertility treatment with high rates of success.
Embryo donation is completely legal in Greece and the Greek assisted reproduction law protects donors’ identity, so that the donor never knows the child’s identity and the child never knows who the donors is.
Could IVF with donor embryos be right for me?
The use of donated embryos may be considered by women with untreatable infertility that involves both partners, untreatable infertility in a single woman, recurrent pregnancy loss thought to be related to the embryo, and genetic disorders affecting one or both partners.
Embryo donation is usually considered by couples who have had several previous failed IVF treatments or recurrent loss due to several factors, such as advanced maternal age, poor oocyte/sperm quality. Also, in case of genetic disease. Embryo donation is suitable for single moms-to-be, especially if their own egg quality is poor or in case of diminished ovarian reserve.
What does IVF with donor embryos involve?
The requirements for embryo donation in Greece are:
-assessment by the fertility experts
-detailed information about the cost of the treatment
-detailed information about the legislation in Greece
-detailed information about the time and the stages will be needed for the procedure
-woman’s/ couple’s consent for the legislation in Greece
-woman’s/ couple’s consent for the procedure
-anonymity of the donor
What to consider
Donated embryos are cryopreserved (frozen). They are thawed prior to embryotransfer during a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) and our expert team of embryologists carefully assess their suitability. If the embryo(s) is still suitable after thawing, they are transferred into the womb as in a normal IVF cycle. FET is performed in an unstimulated cycle and involves careful monitoring and preparation of the lining of the uterus (endometrium), ready for the transfer of frozen embryos.
Although initially it was believed that fresh embryos offer better success rates than using frozen embryos, success rates for IVF using frozen embryos have increased year on year and are now comparable to using fresh embryos. At Gennima IVF we are very proud of our FET success rates because we have invested a great deal of research and effort into advancing our techniques to ensure we create and freeze high quality embryos.
Success rates with embryo donation depend on the quality of the embryos at the time that they were frozen, the age of the woman who provided the eggs and the number of embryos transferred.
Embryo Donation Cost
The cost of embryo donation in Greece is affordable and compared to other countries is lower. Please contact us for further information about your own treatment. We will be more than happy to help you!
