Egg Donation

Egg donation is a fertility treatment option in which a woman provides eggs for use in assisted reproductive treatment. The donated eggs may be fertilized with sperm and the resulting embryo transferred to the intended mother or, where appropriate, a gestational carrier.

Egg donation may be considered when a woman is unable to use her own eggs or when a fertility specialist recommends donor eggs for another medical or reproductive reason.

At Maryebere Fertility Services Ltd, we assist with the recruitment and referral of eligible egg donors to appropriate fertility facilities. Medical assessment, ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval and other medical procedures are carried out by qualified fertility professionals.

There is no single fertility clinic that can objectively be described as the “best” for every patient. The appropriate clinic depends on the patient’s medical needs, treatment type, budget, laboratory facilities, medical team, donor or surrogacy requirements, and other individual circumstances.

If donor eggs are used, the baby will not inherit nuclear DNA from the woman who carries the pregnancy if she is not the egg provider. The child’s nuclear DNA comes from the egg donor and the sperm provider.

Donor eggs can provide an important treatment option, but there are considerations that intended parents should understand. These may include:

• The child will not have the intended mother’s nuclear genetic material if she is not the egg donor.
• Donor selection and matching can take time.
• Medical and genetic screening is required.
• Treatment can be financially demanding.
• Intended parents may have emotional concerns about using donor eggs.
• There can be legal and ethical considerations surrounding donor conception.

There is no single answer that applies to every family because “mother” can refer to different roles.

The egg donor is the genetic mother because her egg provides the child’s nuclear DNA. The woman who carries and gives birth to the baby is the gestational/birth mother.

For intended parents using donor eggs, the intended mother may not be genetically related to the child but may be the child’s legal and social parent, depending on the applicable legal arrangements.

Because parentage laws can vary, intended parents should obtain appropriate legal advice before treatment.

A child may share physical characteristics with the egg donor because the donor contributes genetic material.

However, appearance is influenced by many genes inherited from both genetic parents. Therefore, nobody can guarantee that a donor-egg baby will look exactly like the donor or like the woman raising the child.

Fertility programs may consider characteristics such as physical features, ethnicity, blood group and other relevant information when matching donors, subject to the program’s policies.

The number of eggs retrieved varies from donor to donor. It depends on ovarian reserve, age, response to fertility medication and the stimulation protocol used by the fertility specialist.

Recovery varies from person to person.

Some donors experience mild abdominal discomfort, bloating, tiredness or spotting for a short period after egg retrieval. Others may require more time before feeling completely normal.

Age requirements vary between fertility programs. As a general professional guideline, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends that oocyte donors preferably be 18–28 years old.

Donor eggs can offer good pregnancy opportunities, particularly when the recipient’s own eggs have reduced quality or quantity.

However, saying that donor-egg IVF is automatically “more successful” would be misleading. Success depends on the individual circumstances and the fertility clinic’s treatment protocol.

The cost of IVF at Federal Medical Centre Abuja can change depending on the treatment plan, medications, investigations and additional procedures required.

FMC Abuja officially operates a fertility unit providing IVF, ICSI, IUI, embryo freezing, oocyte freezing and other fertility services.

There is no single “best age” for IVF because fertility depends on several factors, not age alone. However, female age is an important factor in reproductive medicine because egg quantity and quality generally decline with age.

For someone considering IVF, an early fertility assessment can help determine ovarian reserve and identify any other factors that may affect treatment.

When donor eggs are used, the age and quality of the donor’s eggs become particularly relevant.

There is no universal list of conditions that automatically disqualifies everyone from IVF.

A fertility specialist may postpone, modify or advise against treatment when there are medical conditions that make pregnancy or ovarian stimulation unsafe, or when additional treatment is required first.

Egg donation is generally performed under medical supervision, but it is not completely risk-free. Potential considerations include:

• Injections and hormonal medication
• Frequent monitoring appointments

Egg donation should be approached as a medically supervised fertility program, not as simply “selling eggs.”

Women interested in becoming donors should first determine whether they meet the program’s eligibility requirements and then undergo the required screening.

At Maryebere Fertility Services Ltd, prospective donors can enquire about available recruitment opportunities and receive guidance on the application and referral process.

Compensation, eligibility and medical requirements vary by program. Applicants should understand the terms before agreeing to participate.

IVF prices in Nigeria vary considerably between fertility clinics and according to the treatment required.

For example, published prices from individual clinics can differ depending on whether the cycle uses the patient’s own eggs or donor eggs, whether medications are included, and whether additional services are required. One Nigerian fertility provider currently publishes separate prices for own-egg IVF, donor-egg IVF and surrogacy treatments.