An increasing number of women are becoming independent parents. Whether they haven’t found the right partner to start a family with or just wish to go it alone, there are a number of reasons why more women are starting a family on their own.
Whatever a woman’s reason for embarking on independent parenthood, however, some still face the difficulty of an infertility diagnosis. Thankfully, egg donation is an option available to them. Through this, and the use of a sperm donor, women are able to not only achieve their goal of having a family but are able to experience the joy of pregnancy, too.
Let’s take a look at what’s involved in egg donation and what it has to offer single moms.
What is Egg Donation?
The start of the process begins with finding a suitable egg donor. This means choosing someone that meets all of the necessary medical requirements (something a reputable egg bank or clinic will do) and is compatible with the recipient’s unique desires (such as the personal traits they want the donor to have).
Once found, the donor will undergo a course of hormones to help mature their eggs and get them ready for an egg retrieval. An egg retrieval done through a procedure whereby the eggs are extracted from the ovary via a needle. In the case of frozen donor egg, this process will have been carried out beforehand.
Then, the eggs are fertilized with the sperm from the sperm source, before being placed into an incubator for several days. Afterward, one or more of the viable embryos are transferred to the recipient’s uterus (she too has taken a course of hormones to prepare her for this stage in hopes to achieve pregnancy).
How Successful is Egg Donation?
There are a number of factors that determine the success of egg donation, including the health of the recipient, the quality of the retrieved eggs, and the use of fresh or frozen donor egg. Using a clinic who is well- versed in the use of donor eggs helps to mitigate many of these factors as they will help ensure the eggs, donor, and recipient are fully prepared for the process.
Equally, the gap between fresh and frozen donor egg use and their successes is narrowing. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found a 54.7 percent chance of a live birth in fresh donor egg compared to 47.4 percent in frozen egg donor.
Many also choose egg donation due to low egg quality, poor ovarian reserve, or genetic disorders. Using an egg donor may help to reduce or avoid these potential hurdles.
Why Is Egg Donation Such a Great Option forIndependent Parents?
The majority of independent parents are aged between 36 and 45. The aforementioned factors of low egg quality and poor ovarian reserve are factors that increase with age.
For example, the odds of getting pregnant naturally each month at the age of 30 are 20 percent. As we’ve mentioned before, too, egg donation is the one option that enables one to enjoy pregnancy. Other routes, such as surrogacy and adoption, don’t offer this.
Embarking on Your Triumphant Egg Donor Journey
While there are a lot of complicated emotions involved in egg donation, it is, as we have seen, a wonderful option for those who want to start a family on their own.
As an increasing number of women look to do this later on in life, egg donation helps to remove some of the risks, complications, and challenges involved in pregnancy in their late 30s or 40s.
Not only that, but through the ability to choose an egg donor that boasts similar traits to theirs (or ones they hope their child will possess), moms-to-be can have a say in their egg donation process. And, by being able to carry, nurture, and give birth to a baby, they are able to forge those unbreakable bonds with their child.