IVF with Embryo Donation

1. How are recipient couples screened?: The recipient couple will be screened for infectious diseases, such as HIV, Hepatitis B & C and for sexually transmitted diseases such as Gonorrhea, Syphilis, CMV and Chlamydia.

2. How are donated embryos matched to the recipient couple?: If the embryo to be donated is the result of an IVF, then the donor couple already went through a certain amount of screening for infectious and sexually transmitted diseases, mental disorders, genetic medical conditions and blood tests. The extent of the screenings is dependent on each fertility clinic. The recipient may still choose to have further screenings of the potential donor embryo(s).

Regardless of whether or not the recipient chooses to have the fertility clinic screen the donor further, the center will match the physical characteristics (ethnicity, height, build, skin type, eye color, hair color and texture) of the embryo donors to the recipient couple, or woman.

3. What fertility drugs must be taken?: After the donor embryo and the recipient mother pass all necessary screenings, the recipient mother will be put on fertility medications to thicken her uterine lining in preparation for the embryo transfer.

4. What is the insemination process?: The embryo transfer procedure is the final stage in IVF treatment cycles. If the embryos have been cryopreserved, they are thawed on the morning of treatment and the outside temperature of the embryo is brought to the same temperature as the uterus lining. The embryos are transferred into the uterus through the cervix with a catheter.

Typically 2-4 embryos are transferred into the uterus to increase the chances of pregnancy. Embryos are commonly implanted on the day 5, during the blastocyst stage of cell development. If done successfully, the patient can go home and should rest for the remainder of the day. A pregnancy test will be given 12-15 days after the embryo transfer. If the IVF is successful, a normal pregnancy can be carried out.