Embryo Donation

In couples suffering with azospermia and menopause at the same time, embryo donation allows them to have their miracle baby. In the embryo donation method, sperm is sourced from Cryos International, and matched to the physical characteristics of the father. Whilst an egg donor is selected from our extensive pool here in Cyprus and is matched to the physical characteristics of the mother. The donated cells are fertilised and cultured in our lab before they are transferred back to the mother.

Who is Eligible for Embryo Donation?

Women who are in menopause.
Women who have delayed their pregnancy plans due to the late marriage or their career path, and therefore have weakened or completely lost their egg cells.
Women who have gone through early menopause due to genetic issues, stress or inherited diseases.
Women with congenital reproductive problems, such as Turner or Mosaic Turner Syndrome.
Women who have lost their eggs and who undergo menopause because they are exposed to heavy doses of chemotherapy.
Women who have had to have all or a large proportion of their ovaries removed due to illness.
Men with azospermia.
Men with genetic disorders that can be passed to the baby.

How do we Choose Donors?

Egg Donors:

There are certain rules and criteria for being an egg donor. People who do not meet these criteria are not considered as egg donors by us. The infectious disease status, physical and psychological status and the immune system of the proposed donor are all tested. The reason for this procedure is to prevent various possible problems after egg donation. In this way a healthy treatment process can be provided.

In our IVF treatment with embryo donation, the egg donor is selected from healthy and ideal reproductive aged women. All the testing of donors are carried out by us with great care.

Sperm Donors:

We work with Cryos International Denmark which was founded in 1981 and is known as the largest and most reliable sperm bank in the world.

Before the sperm samples are accepted by Cyros, many detailed tests are carried out and genetic and infectious diseases are screened for. Samples which cannot pass the tests are not accepted, meaning there is no question in our patients' minds that they are getting the highest quality sperm.

Sperm donors are also subjected to psychological and intelligence tests which are examined in detail by the sperm bank. Sperm of donors who cannot exceed the required degree are definitely not accepted. Therefore the training levels and intelligence levels of sperm donors are high.

Stages Of Embryo Donation

The treatment history and detailed characteristics of the couples are taken, a treatment plan is made accordingly. Tests and other preparations are asked to be performed. Our experienced senior patient coordinator, Irem Berk provides psychological support to couples.
Egg donors are selected by our specialist Dr. Firdevs, and ethnic identities, physical characteristics, dominant characteristics, blood groups, etc are all matched to the mother. The information about the donor is shared with the couple and after their approval, more tests are completed on the donor.
If we do a fresh IVF cycle (not a frozen embryo transfer), preparation of the mother and the donor are carried out simultaneously. The mother and donor's menstruation period is synched before the treatment with the use of the contraceptive pill. If the mother is in menopause, this is not required and treatment can be started directly. As the donor's eggs are developed by Dr. Firdevs, the endometrium of the mother is prepared with various medications. Our senior patient coordinator Irem Berk assists in a smooth treatment process. This pre-preparation process starts at the 2nd or 3rd day of the mother's and donor's menstrual period and lasts approximately 11-12 days.
After about 12 days of medication treatment, the donor is ready for the egg collection process. All egg cells are fertilised with sperm cells from the sperm donor. We guarantee at least 10 healthy eggs to each patient. After fertilisation, the embryos are left to evolve in special incubators. On the same day the donor's eggs are collected, the endometrium of the mother is examined and new medications are started to prepare her body for pregnancy.
The last stage is embryo transfer. This is done on the 3rd or 5th day after fertilisation. The best developing embryos are transferred to the mother in a painless manner guided by ultrasound.

Couples can choose to use frozen donated embryos instead. the process is much quicker as the embryos are ready to transfer after a 15 minute 'defrosting' period. This process also minimises the time a couple needs to be in Cyprus.