The journey from IVF to choosing egg donation

27th January 2016

Choosing Egg Donation After IVF

Before Elizabeth* and John* even thought of choosing egg donation or Shady Grove Fertility, they had gone through one miscarriage, one termination due to fetal problems, two failed in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles in Spain, and a diagnosis of premature menopause.

They had given up hope of ever having their own child, but when they were referred to Shady Grove Fertility by their general practitioner they decided to try one more time.

The First Step with Shady Grove Fertility

The couple, although hesitant, decided to request a free consult with Dr. Levy, one of the founders of the Shady Grove Fertility. They spoke with Amanda, a UK liaison, who walked them through the whole process, from the initial phone call, to the bloodwork they had to get done in the UK, to the first trip to America and all the procedural tests, to the follow up monitoring in the UK, to the actual transfer during the second trip to the United States.

They reassured, comforted, and supported us, supplying all the information we needed. This made us want to travel to.’

Choosing a Donor

The search for a donor was a very detailed, and involved process for Elizabeth and John. They looked for someone who had similar height, weight, looks, and character traits that they felt would complement their eldest son.  And it was a relief to know that their donor had gone through as much screening, if not more, than they had.  Each donor has a profile that includes demographic characteristics (eye color, race, ethnicity, etc), childhood photos, and most even had adult photos. The profiles also had the donor’s health and family health history, their likes and interests, and a personal essay about their motivation to donate. It was a lot to sort through, but in the end it led them to their little girl.

Looking Back on Choosing Egg Donation      

Elizabeth and John can’t imagine their life without their daughter. She is 3 years old now, and she is their miracle. People comment on how much their daughter looks like Elizabeth, and she can’t help feel gratitude towards Dr. Levy, Amanda, and the rest of the UK team for being willing to help.  ‘They were calm and supportive forces throughout the process, letting us know we weren’t in the process alone,’ Elizabeth recalls.

Advice for Others Considering Donor Egg Treatment at Shady Grove Fertility

Go for it! If you don’t, you will never know if it could work for you. Shady Grove Fertility is the only clinic I would trust. Even though I wanted to give up at times, understandably going through a roller coaster of emotions over those 3 years, they were always there to pick me up and encourage me not to give up. Do not worry; you are in the best hands possible and I cannot rate them highly enough. I tell anyone I meet with similar challenges to go to SGF. They are the best! 

If you have any questions about our Donor Database or the Donor Egg Treatment Programme in general, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team by calling 0208 003 0827, or email Amanda Segal our International Patient Liaison at [email protected].

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