A chance for life

IVF and Egg Cell Donation

When the Miracle does not Happen...
The miracle of a child's conception starts through fertilization during which the coupling of sperm and egg occurs. Unfortunately this miracle may not always happen.

The number of women who cannot conceive has increased. There are many reasons why a woman cannot conceive, but most often their ovaries produce too few or no ova (oocytes) or the created embryos do not develop sufficiently. This is frequently true for women over 40 years of age for which the methods of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) using their own oocytes show a limited success. Moreover, for some women, certain genetic traits may prevent them from having a healthy child.

There are several options available for couples who cannot get pregnant:

They decide to remain childless
They decide to adopt a child
They choose a form of artificial insemination
They choose IVF with own or donated eggs

In the latter case, the oocytes harvested from an anonymous donor are fertilized by the recipient's husband or partner sperm and the embryos are then transferred to the recipient's uterus.

Oocyte donation: benefits and risks
Since 1983, when the oocyte donation was successfully performed for the first time, this method has been used to a greater extent. In conjunction with the development of assisted reproduction, the oocyte donation is an excellent success.

In the IVF & Egg Cell Donation treatment follows the highest standards and criteria stipulated by The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

The success rate in oocyte donation program is about 55%-60% of pregnancies for one single embryo transfer.
Three attempts yield 80% success rate of pregnancy.
The risk of miscarriage in the oocyte donation program is approximately 12 - 15%.
There is a 1.2% chance of extra uterine pregnancy.
There is a 20-30% chance of pregnancy with multiples.
In our clinic, usually 1-2 embryos are inserted.

Pregnancies with multiples have an increased chance of complications during pregnancy, delivery and neonatal period. Since the chance of pregnancy with multiples is possible, the number of transferred embryos will be discussed: two or three.

There are two more positive aspects to IVF when compared with an adoption or involuntary childlessness:

With an oocyte, there is a clear genetic contribution of the father
The mother can nourish and form a bond with the fetus before birth. Of course, the experience of pregnancy since its very beginning, birth and immediate ability of breast-feeding are a wonderful and memorable times for the whole family.

For whom is this therapy suitable?
There is a number of reasons why a couple has to rely on IVF & Donation.

The IVF & Donation is suitable for the following:

women who have never menstruated spontaneously and have a uterus
women who ceased to menstruate in young age. The cause can be genetic disorders (Turner's syndrome), auto-immune ovarian disease, radiation or chemotherapy by malignant diseases, ovarian surgery or unknown reason
women who are carriers of genetic diseases (cystic fibrosis, Morbus Recklinghausen) or who have chromosomal defects (deletion, translocation, inversion, mosaicism)
women who underwent therapy by means of IVF method and only few or no own oocytes were retrieved
women who underwent therapy by means of IVF method repeatedly and without reaching pregnancy with low-quality of their own oocytes
women whose oocytes were not fertilized by the husband's or donor's sperm by means of the ISCI method (intra cytoplasmatic sperm injection)
women suffering from a serious form of endometriosis affecting ovaries
women around 40 years of age who's cycle starts to be irregular and who do not respond to ovarian stimulation

For all these women, the acceptance of donated oocyte is the only way to become a mother.

Warranties
IVF & Egg Cell Donation demands a great deal of carefulness, for the sake of the donor, the embryo and the recipient. This is why we provide the following warranties:

Donor warranties

A woman is only appointed a donor when she meets strict criteria for the search of oocyte donors (Guidelines for oocyte donation of The American Society of Reproductive Medicine published in Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 77, No. 6, Suppl. 5, June 2002). Each donor undergoes gynecologic, endocrionologic and genetic examination, and they are repeatedly tested for the presence of sexually transmitted diseases (HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, chlamydias, cytomegalovirus).
Our donors are young women between the ages of 21 and 34, in good health, non-smokers, and well educated.
We can only match our Donors for a maximum of six donations.
WWe try to choose donors of approximately the same height, eye and hair color as the recipient. Whenever possible, we try to match a donor with the same blood group as the recipient.
Active donor recruitment has resulted in one of the most extensive donor lists. This allows donor egg recipients to move through their cycle more quickly than at almost any other fertility center. Egg donor cycles are typically completed within 3-6 months, depending on the pace at which the patient wants to proceed.

Embryo warranties

For an individual recipient, 6 - 8 oocytes from one donor are prepared for the fertilization
For each embryo transfer at least 2 embryos are prepared
The remaining embryos - in case the recipient agrees - can be cryopreserved for further use. Cryopreservation can be performed with the written consent of the recipient.

Legal warranties

Since the Czech Republic has no specific legislative norm in the area of gamete donation, sperm and oocyte donation is not prohibited by any law. The oocyte donation in the Czech Republic is anonymous, voluntary and gratis.
Nevertheless, it is customary to compensate the donor for the time and effort involved. Egg cell donation involves a serious time commitment and requires a donor to undergo extensive medical procedures.
On the grounds of anonymity, it is not possible to provide any information about the donor. All information about the donor's condition, examination results and direct contact information are safely stored at our clinic. In case of necessity, it is possible for the physicians to obtain all pertinent information.
The age of the receiver is limited. The egg donation treatment has to be completed before the 50th birthday.

Treatments
Four treatment programs have been designed in cooperation with the Spa Resort Klimkovice:

Natural Conception (with the emphasis on only treatment and relaxation - 28 days)
IVF Optimum (an extended treatment and relaxation, terminated with IVF/IUI - 28 or 21 days)
IVF Plus (a short treatment and relaxation, concluded with IVF/IUI - 14 days)
IVF Standard (IVF/IUI treatment combined with a relaxing stay - 7 days or shorter)

In the section "Spa Treatment" it is described why and how these treatments influence the chance of successful IVF/IUI therapy. After having read through the options, you will know best, which course of treatment suits your needs.

Steps
Before you decide to use PregDesire's services, it is important to know, which steps have to be taken to fulfill your desire. These steps are described in the section following "Spa Treatment".