Oocyte donation is used to achieve pregnancy in women whose oocytes have been timely or prematurely depleted.  Other indications of oocyte donation include failure of previous IVF treatments due to poor embryo quality and women who are carriers of balanced transloacations who failed to conceive despite the application of preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

Who can benefit from oocyte donation?
• Women with no ovaries
•Women with no oocytes (premature ovarian failure)
• Women with genetical problems
• Women with failed ovaries secondary to chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Women at their menopausal period due to advanced age 

Source of oocytes donated :
Oocytes can be obtained either from known or anonymous donors

Known donor:
Any patient who desires to obtain oocytes from a known donor should seek a woman between 26 and 30 with no known medical or genetic problems. Screening tests performed to the donor are standardized and applied according to the guidelines published by ESHRE and ASRM.

Anonymous donor:
When the donor is anonymous, both the identities of donor and recipient are kept discreet. Any woman who applies to the anonymous donor program is first evaluated physically and psychologically. Presence of any medical, genetic or transmissable diseases are be discarded. A donor should be a healthy woman between the ages of 20 and 30 preferably with children. 

Informing the recipient couple :
Medical procedure should be explained in detail to the recipient couple. Informed consent of the couple should be obtained before the procedure.

Follow-up of the recipient couple:
Once the baseline examinations and tests are completed, your doctor will proceed with the treatment.
Physical properties of oocyte donor such as blood group, complexion, eye color, and hair color should be similar to the parents to be. Ethnicity and other physical properties are also considered. Donor pool of Girne World IVF center is wide enough to respond to patients’ all desires. 

Recipient:
Lupron is adminstered to most donor oocyte recipients. Lupron down-regulates hormones secreted from the pituitary gland necessary for spontaneous menstruel cycles. This is used to achieve synchronization of donor and recipient cycles.  This is not necessary in postmenopausal donors who are not menstruating.    
After 2 weeks of Lupron treatment, recipient is given Estradiol Valerate for two weeks to prepare the endometrium for implantation. The recipient is provided with the progesterone support starting on the day of egg retrieval. Progesterone is necessary for the successful implantation of embryos. This support is maintained until the day of the pregnancy test. If pregnancy is achieved, estrogen and progesterone support is continued for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.  
Throughout the treatment, the woman should not smoke and consume alcohol and should go on a balanced diet. No other medication should be used unless permitted by the doctor. 

Donor :
Ovarian stimulation is applied to the oocyte donor. Puregon, Gonal F, Menopur, Menogon and Merional are drugs used fort his purpose. This treatment is called as superovulation and goes along with Leuprolide Acetate injections (Lucrin daily or Lucrin depot). Donor is followed-up closely to monitor the response to the treatment. Blood tests and transvaginal ultrasound examinations are performed during this period. hCG is applied when the oocytes have achieved an adequate size. hCG provides ovulation. Oocytes are picked-up just before ovulation occurs. OPU is performed around 36 hours after hCG injection.
  
Results of oocyte donation:
Results of oocyte donation are beter than that achieved with couple’s own oocytes. This is thought to be due to the oocytes with higher quality collected from a young donor. Furthermore, the endometrium of the recipient is not subjected to the adverse effects of ovarian stimulation that is used to collect the eggs. In our center pregnancy rates with the transfer of 2-3 embryos have been consistent since the beginning and are approximately 70%.  Ultrasound visible pregnancies can be expected in 60% of the couples.