# Covid 19 and Donor eggs



## jennyH1 (Mar 10, 2019)

Hi guys.

Sorry to have to bring up a negative question. I know all of us with fertility issues are blue in the face hearing about and reading about the pandemic.

I'm just wondering if anyone who is using a foreign clinic has heard anything about donor egg IVF and safety around donors who are cycling at this time??

We've been with a clinic in Spain. After years of own egg fails and 2 donor egg cycles with early miscarriage we now have no frozen embryos left and were due to find a new donor when the virus hit.

I'm just dying to find out if anyone knows if donors are still safe to cycle in Europe/Spain or if they are even still doing so.

Thanks so much everyone xx


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## snowdropwood (Jan 24, 2016)

just a quick one to say that i had DD cancelled in UK and hoping to resume asap  - i might be wrong but i think the issues are similar in the UK ? I have been reading /listening to info from HFEA/ British fertility Society about how patients ( inc donors will be monitored / asked questions b4 coming into the clinic / use of masks and PPE etc ). Hope that your clinic can advise and give info about the way forward  - been such dfficult time for everyone on fertility journeys , best wishes x


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## jennyH1 (Mar 10, 2019)

Thanks so much for your reply snowdropwood.

Yeah it's the unknown and uncertainty that's the worst. I would love to know if it effects donor's eggs if they have contracted the virus but are asymptomatic as so many people have been. It's a mindfield. 

Best of luck to you for the future and thanks again xx


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## hkd (Feb 20, 2018)

jenny, at least my clinic in Barcelona started all treatments back. In my clinic, all patients have to answer some questionnaires and the clinic administrates the blood test to see if a patient has coronavirus. If it's positive, they suspend the treatment. Have you asked your clinic how they're going to deal with the current situation?


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## snowdropwood (Jan 24, 2016)

Hi again,  I am guessing my UK clinic won't use testing for C virus for anyone , just questionaires each time / possibly temperature and PPE and other safety measures. I guess for me I am more concerned/ upset by the way that IVF has been treated differently to natural conception, no evidence that C virus causes harm to embryo/ mother and yet that potential was one of the reasons IVF stopped yet natural conception didn't.    It exaserbates already existing inequalities in health / fertility, l I think probably  to do with an external agency like HFEA  having litigation / legal need to be cautious which obviously doesn't exist in natural conception.  I just want to continue (at 43 near the end of this journey ) safely, ethically and kindly like i always have, I am not a scientist and this is just my opinion and experience - others may have different ones and the journey has a been a nightmare during this pandemic for so many people ,  Good luck all x


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## miamiamo (Aug 9, 2015)

hkd said:


> jenny, at least my clinic in Barcelona started all treatments back. In my clinic, all patients have to answer some questionnaires and the clinic administrates the blood test to see if a patient has coronavirus. If it's positive, they suspend the treatment. Have you asked your clinic how they're going to deal with the current situation?


My clinic works in the same way


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## justjazzyjess (Aug 1, 2016)

There has been some guidance released for European clinics which is very stringent - download the document released on 23rd April: https://www.eshre.eu/Press-Room/ESHRE-News#COVID19P2

Donors have to do questionnaires and has a test if show symptoms. Cycles are cancelled if they are positive. But at my clinic they are actually doing testing on all donors, I think this is across the whole of Greece. My main concern was the impact on egg quality but I was reassured by the fact that my clinic will be screening patients. They has also been some research to suggest that eggs do not have the receptors for COVID to enter - but for me I was more concerned about the general impact of the virus/being unwell etc might have as didn't want to create embryos using donated eggs that were of poor quality.


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## treezuk (Jan 5, 2015)

I am sure most clinics will be swab testing any potential donors I’m pretty sure the clinic I used in Greece are - although I haven’t asked the question as don’t need to at this moment.


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## jennyH1 (Mar 10, 2019)

hkd , miamiamo, justjazzyjess, treezuk and snowdropwood

Thank you all so much for your replies. Sorry I didn't thank you sooner. Was concerned about Covid at the time of writing this but since then my thyroid has shot up and my TSH is now 0.005 which pandemic or no pandemic puts me out of the picture for another 3 or 4 months. God this journey is so heart breaking. If it's not Covid it's something else!!!!!!  

For you guys or anyone still reading this my clinic in Spain are testing donors 24hrs before egg collection and were going to test me 24hrs pre-transfer. Who knows what the protocol will be 3/4 mths from now. Hoping and praying there won't be a resurgence!! 

Best of luck to all and thanks again for your replies xx


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## miamiamo (Aug 9, 2015)

Most IVF clinics are used to performing genetics tests, and I think COVID testing might be an issue for other clinics, but not IVF ones.


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