Every month, Shady Grove Fertility hosts a series of live webcasts to discuss topics such as Getting Started at SGF, Financial Programs, and Inside the IVF Lab. Last night, Dr. Eric Levens presented information about the Donor Egg Program. Here are some of the top audience questions from the presentation.
Are you able to see pictures of the donors?
Yes, recipients are able to view childhood photos of all available donors as well as their adult photographs, if consented by the donor.
For the Shared Donor Egg Program, how are the eggs divided?
In the Shared Donor Egg Program, Shady Grove Fertility will divide the eggs between all of the recipients equally. For example, if you are the tertiary position in 1:3 match, you will receive the same amount and quality of eggs as the recipients in the primary and secondary positions. It is the goal for each recipient to receive at least four mature eggs per cycle.
Does every recipient in all of the three programs (1:1, 1:2 and 1:3) view all of the same donors in the database or does it depend on the program that you select?
Once you complete your pre-screening and select your program, you will then receive an access code to review and select your donor.
Some recipients want their donor to choose their program for them. Meaning, they will view all the available donors and when they find the donor that they like, whichever program the donor is in, that will be the program that they move forward with.
Otherwise, depending on the program you select, you could be looking at different donors. I have listed the breakdown below.
- 1:1 Program: Views all donors in all of the 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 program with the exception of any donors that have been selected by another recipient in the Shared Donor Egg Program
- 1:2 Program: View donors in the 1:2 and 1:3 program with the exception of the donors in the 1:3 program that have already been reserved by a recipient in the 1:3 program
- 1:3 Program: View all of the donors in the 1:3 program
How do you prioritize recipients for their positions in the 1:2 and 1:3 programs?
The recipients are placed in their match positions based on their history at Shady Grove Fertility. For example, if the following recipients are in a 1:3 match together:
- Patient A has done two unsuccessful donor egg cycles with Shady Grove Fertility
- Patient B is brand new to Shady Grove Fertility
- Patient C has done one unsuccessful IUI cycle
Therefore, in this case, Patient A would be primary, secondary would be Patient C and tertiary would be Patient B since Patient B has not done any treatment at SGF.
If you are brand new to the Practice and starting the Shared Donor Egg Program, you should prepare yourself to be in the tertiary position. Again, the eggs are divided evenly and all three recipients are provided with the same quality eggs. The only downside to being the tertiary recipient is that you would be the first recipient to be cancelled if the donor does not produce enough eggs.
If you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your fertility treatment options, please speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons at 877-971-7755.
