# 1st Post - any advice on Donor Eggs?



## Lollyloo (Apr 15, 2010)

Hi Everyone, 

I have been a member of FF for alittle while however up until now I have not posted anything, but have read and learned so much here regarding the treatments I have already had, thank you all so much. 

My husband and I  have now hit abit of a brick wall and could really do with any advice anyone has around using donor eggs as opposed to my own, even if it is just how do you stay sane during this process?

After our last IVF round failed, we met with our Consultant, who suggested we would have a much better chance of conceiving if we used Donor eggs as opposed to mine. I am a poor IVR responder with low Ovarian Reserve for my age. We have not yet met with the Councillor attached to our unit (Seacroft, Leeds) but will do shortly. 

If anyone has any words of wisdom, advise or guidance I would love to hear from you...........we are feeling alittle out of our depth now!

Thanks


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## lisa_A (Feb 4, 2010)

HI Hun,

so sorry to hear ur last cycle didnt work  its so hard when all  want is to do what eveyone else can do naturally.

I have had 3 natural cycles and on my last only got 4 eggs so i m thinking i ahve come to end of my own egg days too.

I moved to donor embies which for myself was an easy decision, and even when i had ET it felt strange expecially not going through any tx myself. ok so far its not worked but we are trying again.

the way i looked at donor eggs is like an empty shell, its nothing without ur dh swimmers, and when the embies go back into you u will make that baby urs.

i went abroad for donor eggs as its far cheaper and no wait.

what ever ur decision i wish u lots of luck. xxx


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## greatgazza (May 27, 2010)

Hi Lolly

i'm no expert on IVF as i never actually got to have it myself and I have just had Donor frozen embryo transfer on thurs.  However, i would say that it seems you are rather young to be told to give up on your own eggs and you have only had 2 cycles of IVF.  You mention being a poor responder with low reserve but each time you got 7 eggs and on your last go 3 fertililized, i'm sure someone with much more knowledge will come along but that doesn't sound hopeless by any means and it 'only takes one'.  There are many women on here who have had success with a low AMH and there is a poor responders thread.  But from my limited knowledge it seems that you are being asked to consider donor eggs very early in your ttc/ivf journey so i would try and do more research on here about your options and the successes as it may just mean you need a different protocol or something or if your clinic only do certain protocols think about getting consults and other opinions at other clinics.  Unless there was actually something specific wrong with your eggs (a chromosome abnormality or something) then i would hope you've got plenty of time to keep trying with them.  


GGx


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## Curly Sue (Dec 5, 2010)

hi lolly,

like you i am in the process of trying to find a donor egg. I have heard that the best place to try is Spain? I have contacted several clincs and had only one reply so far.

To be honest the whole process is really scary. Like you if anyone could share their experiences, good or bad i wolud really appreciate it.

I was diagnosed with POF so this my only chance of ever having a child and with there being no egg donors in the Uk Spain might be my only option.

Please keep me posted. Good luck!


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## greatgazza (May 27, 2010)

Curly Spain isn't the only option, many clinics in europe do donor egg tx.  I got back from the Cz rep Reprofit clinic on thursday after DFET.  Take a look on the international location boards.,


GGx


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## Curly Sue (Dec 5, 2010)

gg, thanks for the info. I shall make some enquiries. I am new to this and to be honest totally out my depth.  Still trying to understand the whole process. What clinic did you use if you don't mind me asking. Would rather contact clnics people have used so i know it's reputable, if that makes sense?


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## suitcase of dreams (Oct 7, 2007)

Sue - and others,

Am sure a mod will be along soon to point you in the right direction but def check out the donor board and threads here on FF:
http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=64.0

It is true that there are limited numbers of egg donors in the UK, but it's not impossible to find a UK clinic which can do donor egg tx (not sure how things stand on the NHS if you are eligible for free tx, but certainly if you are self funding there are options) - eg LWC, CRM etc
The National Gamete Donation Trust may be able to help point you in the direction of UK clinics with relatively short waiting lists for DE:
http://www.ngdt.co.uk/

Both they, and the Donor Conception Network (http://www.donor-conception-network.org/) are good sources of information, support, and networks (as of course is FF  )

If you choose to go abroad there are many many options and lots to consider. Most clinics abroad offer only anonymous donors (ie you get basic physical characteristics and no more - and the child will never be able to contact the donor/find out more). Exceptions to this are I think US, South Africa (some donors) and there may be others I'm not aware of. US is very expensive but does tend to get good success rates and as I say, tends to offer widest choice and level of info about donors. 
In Europe Spain is known to have short/no waiting lists at all and there are some very established clinics with good success rates however again costs are high (potentially higher than in the UK - a UK cycle is approx £7-8000, Spain approx €10,000+)
Other popular countries (based anecdotally on FF users rather than statistics) are Greece (Serum in Athens has a great reputation), Czech Republic (eg Reprofit, Gyncentrum Ostrava, Zlin), Ukraine, Cyprus....there are threads/boards for all of these on the country pages so worth a scan through to get personal views and opinions. Czech and Ukraine are definitely more cost effective than other countries....

At the end of the day you need to think about all the factors - distance to travel, waiting lists, costs, whether you have a particular affinity with a particular country for some reason, success rates (although hard to get accurate ones) etc etc. Sadly no short cuts here, you need to do your research, contact clinics and read reviews/comments here etc and then make an informed decision
Some people also like to visit a few clinics to get a feel for which they prefer before they go ahead

I personally used Reprofit in Czech - based on a combination of good reports from fellow FF users, reasonable prices and good reported success rates as well as relatively easy to get to etc. I had own egg IVF there a couple of times with no success before I moved to donor eggs so I was already familiar with the clinic.

Some of the challenges of treatment abroad include logistics (managing flights, hotels, currency exchange, the general stress of travelling), communication issues (doctors for whom English is not their first language, emails not answered, not able to get through on the phone etc), getting medications (some clinics will email scripts, not all chemists take emailed scripts, others will send the meds) etc
One way to avoid some of this is to go through a co-ordinator (for eg myivfalternative) - however personally I don't think you need to do this if you take advantage of all the guidance and advice on FF - it seems scary at first but it's all very do-able once you get going 

Lollyloo - you are relatively young and you are still getting eggs which fertilise so I would suggest a 2nd opinion at least before you move to DE - just to see if there is an alternative protocol you could try etc. I think you need to feel that you explored all the options before you make the move to DE as it is a big decision

Sue - different for you as you have POF so decision essentially taken out of your hands - not thatthis makes it any easier to deal with  
I found counselling helped a lot - you def need to find a good counsellor who specialises in fertility issues though

Hope this helps, best of luck with next steps,
Suitcase
x

/links


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## greatgazza (May 27, 2010)

If you click on the czech republic thread under 'international location' and take a look at any posts pertaining to Reprofit, that's where i went and many others have been and are due to go.  There's  a thread called 'anyone going to reprofit oct/nov/dec' that people are writing on at the moment who have just been or are about to go.  There are other clinics in cz, one call gycentrum ostrava that people rate as well.  Just have a general read around, it is totally daunting at first but you will get used to it.  In some ways you just get a 'feel' for a clinic when you're reading about it and it feels like the place for you to go, so take your time and have a good look round.  Everyone on here is really helpful and supportive so if you have any questions just shout and someone will always be along to help you out.

GGx

Suity's just come along with a big post but i'll post mine anyway GGx


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## suitcase of dreams (Oct 7, 2007)

PS Reprofit is now very popular so there is a long wait (9-11mths) for fresh donor egg tx (which I assume you will want if using your DH sperm - GG and I are both single so use donor sperm and therefore can go for donor embryos which have a shorter wait time)

Alternatives in Czech with shorter lists seem to be Gyncentrum and Zlin, also Gennet in Prague - but as GG says, have a browse of the Czech boards to get a feel for the different clinics/options

Suitcase
x


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## Ceri. (Sep 6, 2004)

to FF!

Please have a good look around the site and feel free to post in any area, and make yourself at home. There are many who are on their TTC journey, and others who have been fortunate to have little ones with assistance. You will soon discover that our members are very encouraging of one another and offering advice or just simple hugs. There's a vast amount of information here for everyone, so start reading, posting and getting to know others. You will make some great friends too, lots of members often have meet ups locally too, for chats, coffee, shopping or even nights out! You can share conversations with one another freely, simply because we all understand each other. It's hard when family and friends don't fully comprehend what this journey entails and the emotions that go with it. That's where we come in!

Here are some links which you should find really useful at the moment&#8230;&#8230;

*What Every New Member Needs To Know (includes a list of common abbreviations) ~ *   CLICK HERE

*Complimentary, Holistic and Spiritual Approaches ~ *CLICK HERE 

Poor responders (Low AMH ladies) thread here ... http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=249942.0

* Negative Cycle Follow up Questions ~ *CLICK HERE 

*IVF General ~ *CLICK HERE

Starting IVF at Leeds chatter thread here  http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=250741.0

While undergoing treatment, you might find it useful to join other ladies having treatment at the same time. The Cycle Buddies threads are just for that. Just pop along to the appropriate month and say "Hi" when you are ready to start treatment.

*Cycle buddies ~ *CLICK HERE

Wishing you lots of luck xx


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## J0J0 (Dec 3, 2008)

Hi Lollyloo,

I had donor egg treatment twice in UK due to premature ovarian failure and now have a beautiful 8 week old daughter, Lexii Amber.  Being given the news that you need donor treatment can seem very daunting but sometimes some of us need more of a helping hand and need to use donor eggs to maximise chances.  You may have so many questions and worries, so definately see the counsellor as this does help, but also so many people here happy to help and listen.

JoJo xx


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