Michelle Emblenton, a biochemist at inviTRA, talks about when donor eggs are used:
When we talk about ovodonation or using donor eggs, the eggs from a donor are used instead of from the patient. In this process, the woman needs to be clear and sure that she is willing to give up passing on the genetic load to her children. When the patient is unable to use her own egg cells, for example, if she lacks ovaries or is of an advancing maternal age, IVF with egg donation is the treatment of choice. As for regular IVF, the donor eggs are mixed with a previously prepared sperm sample in the laboratory and any resulting embryos will be transferred into the patient's uterus for implantation and, hopefully, pregnancy. Using donor eggs does increase the price of the treatment. In the United States, it tends to cost between $16,000 and $20,000. Again, prices do vary greatly from clinic to clinic.
