“1 in 8 couples will struggle with infertility, and while the causes may vary, there are ways to make those dreams come true.”
ABC27 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania recently interviewed Shady Grove Fertility patients Stephanie and Kenny Myers about their experience with donor egg treatment. Stephanie and Kenny began their family in their 20s and had their first son, Gavin. Soon after, they began trying for their second child, but they experienced unexpected adversity, with Stephanie having five miscarriages and ultimately having to remove both ovaries. The couple was devastated, but their physician, Dr. Melissa Esposito of Shady Grove Fertility’s Harrisburg, PA office, was able to give them hope:
“When using donor egg treatment, we can transfer one embryo and have a 55-65% success rate. For some of our patients, it’s so sad to see what they’ve gone through for years and years, feeling so hopeless and helpless. But with donor egg, you’re then able to help make their dreams come true.”
Stephanie and Kenny began looking for a donor on SGF’s donor database. They selected a woman who had very similar features to Stephanie. After the donor’s eggs were retrieved, a single embryo was transferred to Stephanie. She became pregnant with her second son and he was born in January. “It was the best feeling in the world,” said Stephanie.
Donor Egg Treatment: The Great Equalizer
Donor egg treatment is needed by women who are unable to use their own eggs to conceive, but are still able to carry a child in their uterus. While women in their 20s and 30s may need donor egg treatment, it becomes more common as women increase in maternal age, as a woman’s ovarian reserve decreases in quantity and quality. In SGF’s Donor Egg Program, donors are between the ages of 21 and 32 and have been thoroughly screened, both medically and psychologically. When a patient (known as the recipient) selects a donor from our database, she gives herself the greatest opportunity for a successful pregnancy due to a donor’s young age – which should yield better quality eggs and a greater quantity of eggs. The Donor Egg Program has the highest of all success rates in our In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Program.
- Read an in-depth look at donor egg treatment at SGF
- View 2013 success rates for the Donor Egg Program
If you have been having trouble conceiving or would like to learn more about donor egg treatment, please call our new patient liaisons at 877-971-7755 or click to schedule an appointment.
