Infertility is a serious issue that has affected many people worldwide. Be it men or women, most people have difficulty getting pregnant naturally. Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) was brought forward to help people with fertility issues get pregnant.
IVF is the most preferred ART with high success rates. But some women may not get pregnant even with IVF. This is because their egg quality may be too low to develop into an embryo.
In such cases, couples can opt for donor eggs . A donor egg is a fertile egg collected from other women that can be used by couples who need it. In this article, we’ll look into the cost of donor eggs in India, and some other details regarding donor eggs.
What is the Cost of IVF Treatment and Egg Donation In India?
The cost of IVF treatment with donor eggs can be a bit higher than using your own eggs. Since the women who donate their eggs are younger and have no health issues, the quality of the eggs used for fertilization is high.
The average IVF treatment cost with donor eggs in India ranges from 2 to 2.2 lakhs per cycle. This price covers both the IVF cycle and the donor egg cost.
What are the Different Forms of IVF Cost in India
Here is the price range for different forms of IVF cycles in India.
| Treatment procedure | Cost |
|---|---|
|
IVF with Self-Eggs & Sperm
|
1,50,000 to 200,000 |
|
IVF With Donor Egg/Sperm |
2,50,000 to 300,000 |
|
IVF with Embryo DonatioIVF with Embryo Donation |
3,00,000 to 3,50,000 |
|
Frozen Embryo Transfer |
3,00,000 to 3,20,000 |
Who can be an Egg Donor?
Not all women are eligible for egg donation. They have to go through some criteria before they can be chosen to donate their eggs. They are done to increase the chances of successful pregnancies, to collect more good quality eggs, and to prevent getting eggs with any abnormalities.
Here are some criteria that women need to pass before donating their eggs.
- The donor should be within 21–35 years of age. They have better-quality eggs.
- The donor should not have any infections or diseases like HIV and hepatitis C.
- The donor should not have any genetic issues.
- The donor should provide a detailed medical history.
- The donor should have completed or is undergoing college.
- The donor should not have any fertility issues and must ovulate regularly.
- The donor should be physically and mentally stable and follow a healthy lifestyle.
- Some fertility centers prefer women who have already given birth or have donated before.
What are the types of Egg Donations?
There are two main types of egg donation: known and anonymous/unknown egg donation. The intended parents can choose which type of donation they prefer.
Known egg donation
Here, the egg donor is either someone the couple already knows or someone whom the couple will get in touch with during the procedure.
If the chosen donor is a family member, the developing baby still has the chance of having some of the couple’s genetic makeup.
Using the egg of a known member also makes the couple feel like they have control over the situation. They have a pretty good idea about the donor’s physical characteristics, personality, intelligence level, health, etc. This can make them guess what the baby will be like.
Anonymous donation
In anonymous donation, the intended parents do not know whose egg they are going to use. They work with an agency or hospital to get an egg donor.
This is the most common type of donation method that many couples follow. Here, both the donor and intended parents are unaware of each other’s identity.
The parents choose an egg donor based on the details provided by the agency. They will be provided donor details like photo, height, age, skin, eye and hair color, ethnicity, race, education, etc. No other details will be provided about the donor.
The couple will choose a donor they prefer from this list. Similarly, the donor will also have no information about the intended couple.
Is there an age limit for Egg Donation?
Yes, there is an age limit for egg donation. However, the age limit differs for each hospital, and they have their own criteria for egg donation as well.
Many hospitals prefer their egg donor to be between 21 and 35 years of age. This is the time when their eggs will be of the highest quality. Collecting eggs at this age can ensure higher success rates.
Women between this age are also less susceptible to chromosomal disorders that are present in the eggs of older women. Their ovarian reserve will also be high, so they can go for multiple donations.
Conclusion
The cost of using a donor egg differs for each hospital. They also have different eligibility criteria for choosing an egg donor. Do thorough research and look into the success rate and quality of services before choosing an IVF doctor or clinic.
IVF using donor eggs has an average success rate of 60–80% for fresh eggs and a success rate of 40–60% for frozen eggs in India. The IVF success rate from case to case.
Therefore, donor egg cycles can be assumed to fail for the same primary reasons that all IVF cycles fail: either the quality of the eggs/embryos is low, or the implantation failed.
The quantity and quality of eggs women produce decline as they age. The likelihood of an IVF pregnancy for a woman in her 40s increases by roughly 49.6% if she uses donor eggs. But, it is not an easy process. It involves rigorous matching and screening procedures.
