标签： Egg Donor

Do Women treated with donor eggs pass on DNA?

Last modified: 20 2 月, 2017

Do women treated with donor eggs pass on DNA to their babies? According to new research the answer is positive.

It has been previously shown by a study conducted at theepigenetics and donor eggs University of Southampton that the environment in which an embryo grows, that is the womb environment, can affect the embryo’s development. According to experts that event is related to epigenetics. More specifically the embryo’s genes’ activity may be turned up or down in response to specific genetic factors present in the womb fluid of the woman.

But how is this related to infertile women treated with donor eggs? Well it was previously thought that the embryo produced by a fertilized donor egg would share characteristics of the father and the egg donor, not the woman in whom it was implanted. However, according to a recent study conducted at IVI Valencia, a Spanish fertility clinic and Stanford University, genetic material of the pregnant woman was detected into the womb fluid. Laboratory findings confirmed that these fragments of genetic material in the womb are actually absorbed by the embryo.

Researchers studied 20 women, reporting the presence of DNA and its influence on how the embryo develops. This could mean a lot for many women getting pregnant through IVF treated with donor eggs, as they can feel they actually contribute to their baby’s development. It is uplifting to know that their babies could actually get something from them even if it is not their eggs.

These findings may be the first step in elucidating the complex mechanisms underlying the womb environment effects on the development of the embryo. Scientists consider the data provided by this study as an amazing discovery, encouraging infertile women who used egg donation as an IVF treatment by revealing that their baby will eventually have some of their genetic material.

The study, published in the medical journal Development, was led by Dr Vilella and Dr Simon who commented that there are still a lot of things to discover regarding the effects of the mother’s genetic material and how it confers with the baby.

What do you think of this piece of information?

Would you consider it as an optimistic approach of Egg Donation treatment?

 

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Egg Donation On The Rise

Last modified: 26 10 月, 2015
Egg Donation On The Rise

Among women over 45, more now use Egg Donation than their own eggs when using medical assistance to get pregnant.

Egg donation is the process by which a fertile woman donates her eggs to an infertile woman for purposes of assisted reproduction. According to recent statistical studies, egg donation for IVF appears to be on the rise as the number of women using egg donors to get pregnant is constantly increasing. — and with good results.

This is probably not a surprise since that’s something that most people are likely to consider if becomes clear to them that egg donation is going to be the only way in which family creation via assisted conception can be possible. This frequently applies to women of older age whose fertility has started to decrease. Among women over 45, more now use donated eggs than their own when using medical assistance to get pregnant.

Recent statistics surrounding the egg donation industry show a rise of donor egg pregnancies, although the ideal outcome — a single baby born on time at a healthy weight — is still uncommon. A US study reported a 69 percent increase in fresh and frozen IVF cycles from 2000-2010 and that attempts using donor eggs increased over the decade from 10,801 to 18,306.

In 2010, about a quarter of the women who used donor eggs had good birth outcomes (a singleton born after at least 37 weeks) compared to 19 percent in 2000. This is probably related to the number of embryos transferred to the intended mother’s womb. According to the study, single embryos were used in 15 percent of IVF cycles in 2010. In 2000, that number was less than one percent.

The number of egg donors is also increased over the past years and according to Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) women registering as altruistic donors have risen every year since 2006. The HFEA study which surveyed 1423 egg donors at 60 IVF clinics in 11 European countries, reported that the majority of donors are keen to help infertile couples for altruistic reasons, but a large proportion also expect a financial benefit.

What could possibly motivate you for becoming an egg donor, money or altruistic reasons?

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10 IVF myths

Last modified: 17 9 月, 2015
IVF-myths

Many people think of IVF as the answer to all infertility problems

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) as an infertility treatment could not but be accompanied by its fair share of myths.The contribution of IVF and generally Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) in the rapidly growing field of
medical technologies and healthcare services, available for disease treatment and life quality enhancement, is undoubtedly unique.

There are studies suggesting a higher implantation rate with frozen embryo transfer

However, many people think of IVF as the answer to all infertility problems. Others believe that IVF is a treatment of high cost, affordable only for a small number of people such as business people or movie stars.

Here is a list of most commonly believed IVF myths:

Myth #1: IVF always results in multiple pregnancies like twins or higher-order multiples

FALSE: The risk for a multiple pregnancy can be decreased by reducing the number of embryos transferred, especially in young women.

Myth #2: Patients undertaking an IVF cycle have no control over the outcome of the treatment

FALSE: The success rate of an IVF cycle is highly dependent on a thorough evaluation of the couple and a careful coordination of both a medical and a scientific approach for each couple. There are a number of things IVF specialists have to deal with in order to optimize the chances of a pregnancy such as ovarian stimulation monitoring and timing of oocyte retrieval.

Myth #3: IVF is the answer to all infertility problems

FALSE: Depending on the case of infertility for each patient there are more options for treatment like Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) and ovulation induction (OI) with medications.

Myth #4: IVF is only for wealthy people

FALSE: Though the cost of IVF is not low, it is not less affordable than some major procedures like heart surgery or joint replacement.

Myth #5: IVF increases women’s fertility

FALSE: Technically, IVF does the opposite. The hormones that are taken at the beginning of a cycle are made to stop a woman’s natural fertility process. Then the next round of hormones creates a synthetic cycle for optimizing the chances of pregnancy.

Myth #6: IVF babies have a significantly high risk of birth defects and malformations

FALSE: Even though some evidence seem to indicate that there may be some increased risk for birth defects in babies born through IVF, current studies suggest that the difference in the incidence of birth defects between naturally conceived  and IVF babies is not high significant.

Myth #7: IVF requires admission in the hospital

FALSE: It does not require overnight admission.  It is an out-patient treatment.

Myth #8: IVF is the last resort for infertile couples

FALSE: IVF is only one of the options available for infertility treatment, but in cases where IVF is not applicable there are other types of Assisted Reproductive Technology that work for patients like egg donor, sperm donor or surrogate.

Myth #9: Insurance covers IVF costs

FALSE: Usually there is no fertility insurance coverage but it is advisable to check with the insurance company before starting an IVF treatment.

Myth #10: IVF is successful in all cases

FALSE: Unfortunately this is not true; IVF is successful in up to 40% of cases. Multiple factors contribute to IVF success rates including the age of the woman.

Any more IVF myths to add?

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