Contact us about becoming a recipient
Embryo Donation Treatment Process:
- You will be given medication to thicken your uterus lining so that it is in optimum condition to receive embryos. You will have some scans to check that your body is responding to the medication appropriately.
- The embryologist will remove the embryos from frozen storage and thaw them. Provided they survive the thaw then 1, 2 or 3 embryos (depending on the number available and your age) will be transferred into your uterus.
- Like when you have a smear test, a speculum will be inserted into your vagina to keep the vaginal walls apart. A small flexible tube (catheter) containing the embryos will then be inserted through your cervix and into your uterus.
- You will find out if you are pregnant about two weeks after the embryos have been transferred either by a home pregnancy urine test or a blood test at the clinic.
If you’re thinking about having fertility treatment and using an embryo donor to create your family then it’s likely that you, your partner and those close to you will be experiencing a range of complicated emotions. It’s possible that your feelings are different from each other and that your thoughts change over time. This is all completely normal.
Talking through the implications of using a donor in your fertility treatment is a beneficial way to explore these issues and of getting them out into the open. Depending on your circumstances, you might want to do this individually, as a couple or even as a group. It’s also a useful way of considering how any child born from your treatment might feel about being donor conceived and how you will talk about their genetic heritage with them.
Finding a counsellor
- Fertility clinics do have counsellors available to their patients.
- You might also consider finding a counsellor through the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA).
- Donor Conception Network provides an extensive support network to those considering undergoing donor conception procedures and to those who already have families conceived with donated sperm, eggs and embryos.