Couples from all over the world travel to our fertility clinic in search of a quality solution to their fertility problems. In the case of men, infertility is most often due to alterations in semen characteristics, while the biggest infertility problem for women is age. A woman is born with two million oocytes, but once puberty arrives the number drops to 400,000. At the age of 35 the quality of the oocytes drops considerably, while at 41 their reproductive capacity will be really low.
Ovodonation is the fertility treatment that obtains the best results when pregnancy cannot be achieved with the patient's own eggs and is very common in Spanish Assisted Reproduction centres. Unlike in other European countries, the Law that regulates Assisted Reproduction in Spain guarantees the anonymity of donors, which allows for safe and quality donations.
Egg donation is an act of solidarity, anonymous and voluntary. Donors receive financial compensation for their contribution, without forgetting that thanks to these heroines it is possible for other women to fulfil their dream of forming a family.

One of the most frequent questions asked by patients is how the woman who will help them conceive a healthy baby will be selected.
The donor selection process at IVF-Life is regulated by the Assisted Reproduction Act. The Law stipulates that the donor and recipient must share the maximum similarity of phenotypes, i.e. they must have a close physical resemblance.
During the first fertility visit, a quality photograph of the future parents is requested in order to analyse the main features and to be able to choose the perfect donor. The final phenotype of the desired baby is not exactly predictable, as it depends on multiple genes, how they interact with each other and with their environment, which in this case is the pregnant mother. Thus, parents with characteristic phenotypic traits, such as light skin, may not observe exactly the same trait in their child (e.g. darker skin).
This process is absolutely normal and widely known, as it can be observed in any couple who have had a child with or without the help of reproductive medicine.

Another phenotypic selection criterion occurs when the parents express the wish to share the baby's blood type. Thus, the donor will be selected according to this specific characteristic.
On the other hand, the Spanish Law on Assisted Reproduction sets out a series of requirements so that the health of the baby is guaranteed and so as not to put future generations at risk. Among the important criteria to determine whether a donor is suitable is age, as the quality of the eggs depends to a large extent on this important factor.
In Spain the minimum age to be able to donate eggs is 18 and the maximum age is 35, however at IVF Spain we choose to select donors under 30 years of age. The average age of our donors is 25, as this age range increases the success of the pregnancy.
In order to guarantee the healthiness of the donors, a study of the main diseases is carried out, such as: HIV, chlamydia, hepatitis, rubella, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus or syphilis, among others. A genetic and chromosomal analysis is also carried out to rule out possible alterations.
At IVF Spain we have gone a step further and apply the Recombine test to all donors. This is a preconception genetic diagnosis test with which we obtain information on more than 200 monogenic recessive diseases and thus ensure that diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis and Fragile X, among others, are ruled out.
Once the donor's general health has been guaranteed, the donor's reproductive health is checked. For this purpose, a fertility study is carried out in which the Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) is analysed. Finally, a psychological test is carried out. The aim of this assessment is to ensure the donor's health before, during and after the treatment.
Undoubtedly, the donors are the main protagonists throughout the whole process. Thanks to their contribution, many couples are able to fulfil their desire to enlarge their family, and if we know this, it is because they themselves express their immense gratitude to these anonymous heroines.