In order to maximize pregnancy rates in an egg donor program, it is very important that a good egg donor is selected. You may already know that it's important that the egg donor be in good health, including being a non-smoker, drug-free, and of a healthy weight. All of these things should be on the list of requirements that your fertility clinic has for being an egg donor.
But perhaps one of the most important requirements for success with egg donors is one of the least well known: egg donor age plays an important role in an egg donor's suitability. Because not only does pregnancy loss increase as a woman ages, but so does aneuploidy (chromosomal abnormality) in eggs.
The good news is that the pregnancy rates are excellent when the egg donor age is between 23 - 29 years of age. The InVia Fertility Anonymous Egg Donor Program has an age cutoff of 29 years of age.
Very frequently, patients will ask me if their 40 year old sister or 45 year old friend can be their known donor.
“She’s TOTALLY fertile!” they tell me.
“She’s had 8 pregnancies, she’ll be great!” I’m told.
And then I have to deliver the bad news that she would not be a suitable donor. Here is a slide showing the pregnancy and miscarriage rate with IVF by age of the woman.
To see a fertility specialist whose egg donors meet key requirements for success, make an appointment at one of our four Chicago-area fertility clinics.