For women whose own eggs cannot produce a viable pregnancy — due to premature ovarian insufficiency, severely diminished ovarian reserve, repeated IVF failures with own eggs, or genetic conditions they do not want to pass on — donor egg IVF offers the highest per-cycle success rates of any fertility treatment available.

Dr. Shachi Singh, consultant gynaecologist and fertility specialist at Prakash Hospital, Sector 33, Noida, explains.

---

Who Needs Donor Egg IVF

• Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI): Ovaries have stopped functioning before age 40. Own eggs cannot be used; donor eggs are the primary pathway to pregnancy.
• Severely diminished ovarian reserve: Very low AMH, very few eggs retrieved in previous IVF cycles, or poor embryo quality in multiple own-egg IVF attempts.
• Repeated IVF failure: When multiple own-egg IVF cycles have failed, poor egg quality is often the underlying reason. Donor eggs bypass this.
• Genetic conditions: Women with serious hereditary genetic conditions they do not want to pass to a child — particularly those affecting the mother (not requiring PGT-M testing of embryos) — may choose donor eggs from a screened, unaffected donor.
• Menopause: Women who have completed menopause cannot use own eggs. Donor egg IVF with a uterus that is still responsive to hormone preparation is possible.

---

The Legal Framework in India

Donor egg IVF in India is regulated by the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021. Key provisions:

• Anonymous egg donation — the donor's identity is not disclosed to the recipient couple
• Donors must be between 23 and 35 years old, healthy, and have at least one biological child of their own
• Commercial donation is permitted under the legal framework
• The child born through donor egg IVF is legally the child of the birth mother and her partner

---

How Donor Egg IVF Works

Donor selection: Fertility centres maintain databases of pre-screened donors, matched on physical characteristics (height, complexion, blood group, education level) according to recipient preferences. Donors undergo medical, genetic, and psychological screening.

Synchronisation: The donor undergoes ovarian stimulation (same protocol as standard IVF). The recipient's uterus is prepared simultaneously with oestrogen (to thicken the endometrial lining) and progesterone (to time the receptive window).

Egg retrieval and fertilisation: The donor's eggs are retrieved and fertilised with the recipient's partner's sperm (or donor sperm if needed) using ICSI.

Embryo transfer: The best-quality blastocysts are transferred to the recipient's uterus. Success rates per transfer are driven by the donor's age and egg quality — typically 50 to 60% per transfer, significantly higher than own-egg IVF in older women.

Ongoing pregnancy support: Oestrogen and progesterone supplementation continues until the placenta takes over hormone production at approximately 10 to 12 weeks.

---

Realistic Success Rates

Donor egg IVF success rates are primarily determined by the donor's age, not the recipient's age. Because donors are screened young women (23 to 35), success rates are consistently high:

• Clinical pregnancy rate: 50 to 65% per transfer
• Live birth rate: 40 to 55% per transfer

This is substantially higher than own-egg IVF success rates in women over 40.

---

Emotional and Psychological Considerations

The decision to use donor eggs involves processing the loss of a genetic connection to the child. This is a significant emotional process for many couples. Counselling before and after the treatment is strongly recommended. The legal status of the child as fully the recipient mother's child — she carries, delivers, and raises the child — is important context for this processing.

---

Fertility Care in Noida and Greater Noida

Dr. Shachi Singh at Prakash Hospital, Sector 33, Noida, provides donor egg IVF counselling and coordinates treatment for women across Noida and Greater Noida.

To book a consultation with Dr. Shachi Singh, call: +91 97023 46853

---

This blog is for informational purposes only. Please consult Dr. Shachi Singh or a qualified fertility specialist.