Donor Egg FAQs: Answers To Common Questions
What are my overall chances of becoming pregnant using frozen eggs?
Our outcome measures show the difference among physicians, scientists, laboratory technicians, and expertise available across IVF clinics.
When we review fertility clinics that use our frozen eggs, the mean pregnancy rate is around 80% from the first transfer of embryos created with the first set of eggs. Considering all that goes into an IVF cycle and the factors outside our control once the eggs are sent out of our laboratory, we think this truly reflects the likelihood of success with our frozen eggs.
What is considered a high-quality mature egg for vitrification?
A mature egg has only one polar body. We don’t freeze any eggs with two or more polar bodies, big vacuoles, or are badly shaped. Also, we don’t freeze eggs that are bigger than normal or ones that mature after retrieval.
How do I interpret the difference in pregnancy rates reported by other egg banks?
At Lucina Egg Bank, we report pregnancy rates based on each egg thawing cycle (not on a per-patient basis).
For instance, if one patient undergoes a thawing cycle and conceives with it, and another patient has a thawing cycle and fails to get pregnant, Lucina would report the outcomes of the two cycles as a 50% pregnancy rate.
If the second patient received another cohort of eggs from Lucina and conceived, we would report the outcomes of the three cycles as a 67% pregnancy rate.
However, many other egg banks report pregnancy rates based on each patient (not per cycle). So, using the example described above, these egg banks might report a 100% pregnancy rate (since both patients conceived, whereas three cycles were completed). This kind of calculation is often classified as a cumulative pregnancy rate.
When weighing up statistics from various egg banks, you need to confirm that the calculations are done the same way. This will help ensure the comparisons are fair and reflect the true probability of pregnancy in each case.
How do I select a donor?
The final decision is up to you. Hopeful parents usually base their choice on personal considerations, but many of them prefer a donor who is a great physical match to their family profile.
We can help you reduce the number of options to make the selection process easier for you. If you need more assistance making your decision, contact us at [email protected].
Where do you hire your Egg Donors from?
We get our donors from all around the world based on our hopeful parents’ demand. However, most of our donors live here in the USA or Taiwan.
Why should I use frozen donor eggs from Lucina Egg Bank?
Lucina has one of the most thorough and detailed screening processes of all egg banks in the US, which means high-quality donor and a comprehensive egg donor selection.
The friendly, committed staff at Lucina Egg Bank has years of experience addressing the individual sensitivities of Intended Parents who are thinking of using donor eggs.
Lucina Egg Bank offers both quantity and quality when it comes to our Intended Parents’ choice of Egg Donors. We have an extensive network of top fertility clinics and years of experience serving Intended Parents who are growing their families with donor eggs.
Click here to know more why Lucina makes a difference.
Who are the physicians and coordinators at Lucina Egg Bank?
At Lucina, we have a team of highly experienced doctors, geneticists, embryologists, donor coordinators, and client relations experts.
What screening do Egg Donors undergo?
Each potential donor has to meet our comprehensive and thorough screening requirements to be qualified to donate. A lot of testing is conducted, including a
- physical examination
- psychological testing
- genetic testing
- drug testing
- testing for communicable diseases
Will I know the number of eggs available for a donor I’m interested in?
Sure, your client relations expert will let you know how many cohorts of eggs are available for each donor and how many eggs are present in each cohort.
Will I know if the Egg Donor has her own children or has had previous successes as an donor?
Your client relations expert will let you know any performance history we have on an Egg Donor, if such information is available. You can also know if the donor has had her own babies during that discussion.
How much information do you offer about the Egg Donors?
We provide a considerable amount of information on our Egg Donors.
As a matter of fact, our program is among the few that offer such a significant amount of information about each donor. Donor profiles are available in our donor database, and they include
- donor essays
- personal and medical history
- audio interviews
- childhood pictures etc.
You can also see the donor’s adulthood photos once you sign a confidentiality agreement as a precaution to help maintain the donor’s anonymity.
A lot of recipients say that this extra information and thorough screening help a great deal in choosing the right Egg Donor.
How frequently do you add new Egg Donors to your database?
We update our donor database from time to time.
If you are seeking a specific type of donor but could not find any on our website, please let us know so that your client relations expert can see to your needs and make the search process easier for you.
I can’t find any Egg Donors that suit my needs. Can you be of help?
We advise that you check the database from time to time since our database is updated every day. Also, reach out to us, so we can know the type of donor you are searching for.
Your designated client relations expert will stay on the lookout and will contact you once we have a donor who may be right for you.
Do you have other photos of a donor available, aside from what is on the donor’s profile online?
Of course, we often have plenty of pictures available for Donor Eggs. Just let us know the donor you like, and a donor coordinator will tell you if there are more pictures you can check.
Can I get a billing or medical code to send to my insurance for reimbursement?
Lucina is not a healthcare provider and does not partake in any health insurance plans.
We don’t have any HCPCS, CPT, or other billing or medical codes for purchased donor egg cohorts only. Hence, we won’t be able to offer recipients any code to submit to their insurance providers for reimbursement.
Does Lucina offer any guarantee on their donor eggs?
Yes, we do!
Lucina is very sure of the quality of its donor eggs, the practical skills of its scientists, and its vast experience in freezing eggs. Reach out to us today to know more about our embryo development guarantee.
I’m pregnant and/or gave birth to a baby with donor eggs from Lucina Egg Bank. Can I share the news with you?
Yes! This is the kind of news we love to hear, as it helps validate what we do here every day.
Please let us know about your success by sending us an email and providing a review on our site, Google, or Yelp.
I don’t reside in the US. Can you ship to my fertility clinic?
Yes, we can.
Please reach out to us to know if we will be able to send donor eggs to your clinic.
How long does the process take once I select a donor?
The entire process is completed within a few days, provided you are a patient of our partner fertility clinic, your clinic agrees to receive donor eggs, and you do the necessary paperwork and make payment.
Factors that can influence how long the process takes include
- The responsiveness of the egg recipient and IVF
- The testing the recipient and spouse have to undergo and
- The availability of your clinic to receive the donor eggs.
We are going to do all we can to meet your expected timeline for embryo transfer.
What can I anticipate after I have selected a fertility clinic?
Although the process can vary from one clinic to the other, you will need to have a consultation with a doctor and undergo diagnostic testing before treatment can commence. This often takes a couple of weeks to complete.
When treatment is about to begin, you will be given medications to prepare your body in advance for embryo transfer. Also, treatment protocols and medication will vary between clinics. But in a frozen egg donor cycle, the time from when the egg recipient starts medication to “ready” her womb till the day of embryo transfer is usually around one month.
What if I’m interested in a donor, but I’m not ready for an embryo transfer in the next few weeks?
You can still buy a donor egg cohort, even if you are not ready.
You can purchase the donor egg cohort and have it stored at Lucina Egg Bank until you and your fertility clinic are ready to commence treatment.
Please reach out to us for more details.
How do I know if my IVF clinic is one of your partners?
You can check our list of IVF clinic partners in your state. If your clinic is not yet on the list, let us know, and we will message them so that you can begin the process.
Becoming a Lucina Egg Bank partner is quick and easy. Shoot us a message and we will contact your fertility clinic to begin a partnership.
Conclusion
We are always ready to walk an extra mile to make your parenthood through donor eggs a happy, successful experience. While these are the commonest questions we hear from our Intended Parents, you may still have some more questions. Contact us today to have your doubts cleared.