When you’re faced with another hurdle in your infertility journey, what do you do?
You may have tried IVF, may have been offered the chance to adopt and could have considered surrogacy.
But what you really want is the opportunity to carry and give birth to your own child.
That’s why many women are turning to egg donors from the US for help in their ambition for the perfect family. With just two trips across the pond needed, UK mums are being offered the chance to bring their own child into the world.
Let’s find out why US egg donors are being chosen, what’s involved in the process and how it can benefit you.
Why Are UK Women Looking to US Egg Donors?
In the UK, as in many other places around the world, it is illegal to pay a woman for the donation of her eggs. They are, however, provided with compensation.
In the UK, the maximum amount a woman can receive per egg donation cycle is £750 (approx. $1,000) – this was only increased from £250 ($330) in 2011. In stark contrast, US egg donors enjoy a compensation limit of $7,000 (£5,030).
It’s not hard to see why more women in the US are donating eggs than in the UK, is it?
Thankfully, there are fertility clinics in the US making it possible for women in the UK to gain access to these donor eggs. And there are several benefits to this process, too.
What Are the Benefits of Travelling to the US for Donor Eggs?As there are more women in the US donating their eggs than the UK, this provides you with access to a far greater number and more diverse pool of egg donors.
How do you choose from this database?
With elite access to the profiles of these anonymous donors, you can search for the ultimate candidate, using several criteria for your search. For example, the profiles include the donor’s strengths and weaknesses, educational achievements, hobbies and interests and personal bios. You’ll be able to see some childhood photos, with many donors including several current pictures, too.
You also have peace of mind that these donors have been through a rigorous screening progress. This looks through their family history and includes extensive physiological, genetic and medical tests.
There’s Reduced Costs and Travel Involved, Too
As well having the ability to choose a donor that closely matches your requirements, the frozen egg donor process also reduces the amount of time you need to spend travelling to and from the fertility clinic.
For example, there’s no need for you to synchronise your menstrual cycle with the donor’s, unlike fresh donor egg. You also don’t need to pay for the donor to come to your US clinic when you’re ready for implantation.
This makes frozen donor eggs far more cost-effective and convenient, especially if you’re travelling all the way to America.
Furthermore, because the donor’s eggs are frozen before the donor’s profile is placed on the database, as soon as you find your ideal candidate, you can start the treatment process right away.
But what about the success rate of frozen egg donors?
Some studies suggest that frozen eggs are just as successful as fresh donor eggs – if not more so.
What’s Involved in the Egg Donor Process?
After an initial consultation with your clinic in the UK, you travel to America for an in-depth consultation at the US clinic. This includes pre-cycle tests for you and your partner and a comprehensive overview of what you can expect from your treatment. Your partner’s sperm will be frozen while they’re there (unless you’re using a donor’s sperm, too).
You then return home where the search for your egg donor commences. Depending on your criteria, this process can take several months to complete.
What happens when you’ve found the perfect candidate?
The treatment cycle begins at your local fertility centre and lasts approximately 8 weeks. This includes taking medications that prepare your uterus for implantation.
During this time, the frozen eggs are received at the US clinic and fertilised with the thawed sperm. Within a couple of days, you return to the US ready for transferral of the embryos and can return home straight afterwards.
Two weeks later, a pregnancy test is taken by your local doctor.
Creating New Life Across the Atlantic
The saying, “the world’s a small place” has never been more apt.
In just two transatlantic trips, couples who were facing the prospect of infertility have been given the miracle of life they’ve so often dreamed of.
*Collaborative post*
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