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Baby Steps
Once a couple chooses you as their donor, you will have a psychological
assessment performed. If you are an experienced donor and have already had this
done you will
skip this step. You will have testing done such as lab work and vaginal
ultrasound on day 3 to measure ovarian function, blood work to test for STD's,
drugs, nicotene, etc.
This testing is often times performed by an FDA approved facility close to you,
but be aware that sometimes the recipients clinic will ask you to fly out to
their facility for this testing. After these initial tests, you will be asked to
fly out to the recipients clinic where you will meet the staff and physician.
Once you pass all screening tests, you will enter into an Egg Donation Contract
with your couple. BABY STEPS will arrange for an attorney to represent you, at
no expense to you.
After the procedure, you will be held for approximately one hour for observation
and released to go back to your hotel or home, if you are local. You may
experience cramps
similar to menstrual cramps following your procedure. You will be asked to rest
for the remainder of the day and possibly 2-3 days thereafter, but should be
able to return to
a light schedule the following day. You can expect to be out of town for
approximately seven (7) days during the week the actual retrieval takes place.
IF YOU HAVE
NEVER HAD INTERCOURSE, OR HAD A PELVIC EXAM, you cannot donate until your
regular doctor has performed a pelvic exam. This is because there is a risk that
your
hymen may still be intact. (Please note:) All edical/psychological costs are
paid for by the Intended Parents.
The ideal egg donor is between the ages of 21 and 32 (some clinics will accept
donors as young as 19 up to age 34), in good health, with a good health history,
a
non-smoker, non-drug user, height/weight proportionate, and have a schedule
flexible enough to accomodate the necessary 8 to 12 local appointments plus
travel (one to
two days for initial meeting/testing with recipients clinic and approx. one week
during the week the retrieval is set to take place). IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
THAT
These appointments are made to coincide with different phases of the cycle,
therefore, it is not always possible to work around your schedule. The actual
retrieval (aspiration) date depends on how the eggs are developing, and while
you will be given an estimated day of retrieval, this day can change depending
on your bodies response to the medications during this time.
www.babystepping.com
North Carolina Fertility Clinic
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine defines infertility in women less
than 35 years of age as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected
intercourse.
The incidence of infertility in females increases dramatically after the age of
35 and these women are often counseled to seek care after only 6 months of
trying.
Significantly more women are waiting until later in life to have children. Often
they want to establish their careers first, or are marrying at older ages. These
societal trends have contributed to the overall increase in assisted
reproductive technology cycles (IVF) especially donor egg. Unfortunately, the
biological clock does not sync with these new societal morays, as women are most
fertile in their teens and early twenties.
Female aging ultimately leads to reduced ovarian reserve (lower quality eggs)
meaning the eggs are less likely to fertilize and develop normally. This
condition is often first diagnosed by high FSH hormone levels on day 3-4 of the
menstrual cycle. Oftentimes the Clomid Challenge Test will be administered to
predict how a woman will respond to fertility drugs (FSH). Women aged 35 or
older who suspect they may be infertile should consult a fertility specialist
immediately. Many of these women can only become pregnant using donor eggs. The
good news is that women in their forties and fifties can become pregnant using
donor eggs as long as their overall health is good.
In order for pregnancy to occur the following processes must occur:
Follicles, each of which contains an egg, must be recruited and develop under
the influence of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). As healthy follicles grow,
they produce increasing amounts of estrogen.
The endometrium must thicken and become more vascular under the influence of
estrogen and progesterone so that an embryo can implant and develop.
The eggs must reach maturity and be “ovulated” after a surge in luteinizing
hormone (LH). The eggs must travel unimpeded through the fallopian tubes to the
distal end where fertilization occurs. "Scarred" or blocked fallopian tubes are
a major cause of infertility.
The male must develop viable sperm that can be ejaculated into the vagina. Sperm
development requires three months and sperm quality today is a reflection of
conditions three months earlier. The semen analysis is one of the most important
fertility tests. We have expert technicians at our Greensboro, NC fertility
clinic.
The sperm swim through the cervical mucus into the uterus and ultimately to the
end of the fallopian tubes. The mucus must be the correct consistency and be
free of
antisperm antibodies.
A sperm must attach to, and penetrate, an egg.
The genetic material of the male and female must combine to result in the proper
number of chromosomes with no breaks or other abnormalities. An abnormal number
of chromosomes can lead to miscarriage.
The fertilized egg must travel into the uterus and embed in the endometrium.
The leftover follicle, known as the corpus luteum, must produce progesterone to
support the embryo.
The embryo must undergo normal cell development resulting in a healthy fetus.
The placenta forms and must produce progesterone to support the pregnancy.
The fetus must be carried to term and delivery.
If any of these processes fail, infertility is often the result.
www.premierfertility.com
2783 NC Highway 68 Suite 104 High Point, NC, 27265
IVF
Clinics Charlotte :
IVF Clinics Winston :
IVF Clinics Salem :
IVF Clinics
Greenville : IVF Clinics Asheville
:
IVF Clinics Raleigh
: IVF Clinics Durham |
