Third Party Reproduction Options for Fertility Assistance

For many of our patients and couples, not being able to conceive is a challenging obstacle. At the Center for Reproductive Health, we offer “third party reproduction” solutions for those individuals and couples who may benefit from donor assistance.

“Third Party Reproduction,” according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, refers to the use of eggs, sperm or embryos that have been donated by a third person (donor) to enable an infertile individual or couple to become parents. The use of donor eggs, sperm or embryos can then be used in ART (assisted reproductive technology) procedures such as IUI and IVF. “Third Party Reproduction” also includes surrogacy, gestational carrier and traditional surrogacy arrangements.

Egg donors

Third Party Reproduction is a complex process requiring consideration of social, ethical and legal issues, and is approached by our physicians and staff with privacy, thoroughness and compassionate care.

Egg donation

Egg donation is when a woman volunteers to give her eggs to another woman in the hopes of helping her become pregnant through in-vitro fertilization. The Center for Reproductive Health offers patients and couples the option of known or anonymous egg donation. Known egg donation is reserved for those individuals or couples who select a family member or friend to be their egg donor. Anonymous egg donation is when the donor is unknown to the patient or intended couple. Many times, egg donation is anonymous.

Egg donation assists women who otherwise are not able to conceive and/or those women who may suffer or have experienced the following:

The donor selection process is diverse and all egg donors have been thoroughly screened and educated on the process of egg donation through a third party company. We follow the guidelines set forth by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) as well as FDA regulations for egg donors.

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Sperm donation

Sperm donation is when a male voluntarily gives his sperm in the hopes of helping a woman or couple to become pregnant by way of IUI or IVF. Just as in egg donation, sperm donation can be done anonymously or as a directed (known) donor.

Anonymous Sperm Donation:

The Center for Reproductive Health assists couples with selecting anonymous donor sperm from sperm banks that are accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB). Such accreditation assures us that these banks meet specific minimal standards for disease screening and semen quality.

Known Sperm Donation:

Known or directed sperm donation is reserved for those individuals or couples selecting a family member or friend to be their sperm donor. We follow the guidelines of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) as well as FDA regulations for directed sperm donation. We select only those men as donors who have passed appropriate physical, genetic and psychological screening.

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Embryo donation

Embryo donation involves using another individual’s or couple’s embryo(s) that were produced from previous IVF cycle(s) in order to conceive. For many patients and couples undergoing IVF, more embryo(s) are oftentimes created and cryopreserved (frozen) than are used to successfully complete one’s family. These remaining embryo(s) are often donated, providing a unique opportunity to help other individuals or couples experience pregnancy and childbirth.

We follow the guidelines of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) as well as FDA regulations for embryo donation. We select donated embryos from individuals and couples who have passed appropriate physical, genetic and psychological screening.

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Surrogacy

Surrogacy

A surrogate is a woman who agrees to carry a pregnancy for another woman or couple.

There are two types of surrogacy:

Gestational surrogacy (also known as a Gestational Carrier, IVF Gestational Carrier, Uterine Carrier or Host) is the most common type of surrogacy and refers to a woman who agrees to have another individual’s or couple’s embryo(s) transferred into her uterus by way of IVF. The surrogate has no genetic link to the pregnancy she carries.

Traditional surrogacy refers to a woman who is artificially inseminated with sperm (typically from the male partner of a couple seeking a surrogate) for the purpose of conceiving. The surrogate’s eggs are fertilized with the sperm during this process and therefore the surrogate has both a genetic and biological link to the pregnancy she carries. At this time, traditional surrogacy is not offered at Center for Reproductive Health.

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