We have worked with thousands of patients for infertility and in need of egg donors. Third-party reproduction, or using a third party such as an egg donor in order to have a baby, has always been a special passion of ours.   Over the years, we have heard many questions and concerns about the process. Apart from same-sex couples who know third party reproduction is a necessary part of their journey, most individuals and couples never envisaged the need to have assistance in having a child. Here are some tips and some advice from us to you in the hope that should you need assistance in becoming, you can decide what choice is best for you.   The mourning process. Accepting your diagnosis and learning that the plan of a biological child may not be possible is a deeply personal one. The response will vary from couple to couple and partner to partner, but it takes time before any decisions are made. Some patients take a break, even if just for a month, to take some time to...

  Using third-party reproduction - egg donation - can be an emotional process.   While IVF has become increasingly well-recognized and discussed in popular media, third-party reproduction hasn’t received quite as much attention. This means there are some minor misconceptions regarding egg donation. Here are some myths about using third-party reproduction to start or grow your family: Myth #1: There’s something wrong with me Many times when intended parents learn they are unable to conceive traditionally, they feel lacking in some way. But the truth is, everyone’s journey to parenthood is different, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Thankfully with the major breakthrough in reproductive science, it has made the path to parenthood more accessible than ever before. Everyone deserves the opportunity to create their own family, and everyone’s journey is valid. Myth #2: Will it really be  my  baby Many many adoptive families all over the world know...

What is IVF? IVF is an acronym for  in vitro  fertilization (‘ in vitro ‘ meaning ‘in glass’). Simply put IVF is adding a man’s sperm to his female partners eggs in the laboratory to produce embryos. In vitro fertilization is an option for many couples who cannot conceive through conventional therapies. These embryos are put back into the female partner’s uterus (womb) after 3 to 5 days of being in the incubator, hopefully they will then grow into a baby. The reasons IVF is done include – poor sperm quality and/or quantity, obstructions between the egg and sperm, ovulation problems, and sperm-egg interaction problems. These problems can prevent couples having a baby naturally, and IVF helps to solve this. Specific conditions that might require IVF include: ·       Tubal blockage or failed tubal reversal ·       Endometriosis ·       Cervical factor ·       P...

For couples who are in the process of IVF, but the verdict is still out on whether it can improve fertility in general. Some studies have shown promising results, but more research is needed before this can be confirmed that this form of therapy can help to make you fall pregnant. Acupuncture is based on the theory that vital energy (or “qi,” pronounced “chi”) flows through the body along certain pathways. Acupuncturists try to balance this energy and restore health by stimulating specific points along the pathways with thin needles. Although it has been a staple of Chinese medicine for some 5,000 years, acupuncture has gained acceptance in the American medical community only in the past few decades. In some research there have been suggestions that acupuncture is effective in reducing stress. Since stress has been shown to interfere with getting pregnant, it makes sense that reducing your stress through acupuncture could theoretically improve your odds of conceiving. Some wom...

Take a quick vacation and come home pregnant! In the world of assisted fertility, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is nothing new. Especially for females that are 40 and over, donor egg IVF, where eggs from a younger, more fertile donor are fertilized with the partner’s sperm, cultivated and then transferred to the prospective mom’s uterus – is often the only hope for achieving pregnancy. But for couples whose health insurance doesn’t cover infertility, the costs of these treatments can be prohibitively expensive; IVF with an egg donor costs an average of R50,000. That’s per try, pregnant or not pregnant at the outcome. So increasingly, fertility tourism is becoming more and more popular for couples and they are seeking international options in their quest for a baby.  They are looking into countries where the medical technology is on par with theirs and the costs are significantly less. Foreign couples can mix purpose with pleasure by making t...

Age is an important factor in fertility, and chances of conception decrease with advancing years, usually after the thirties. The reason why fertility decreases with increasing age is the diminished number of eggs left in the ovary. Most infertility specialists define an older woman as one who is more than 35 years, but this is an arbitrary number. A woman’s fertility does not fall off at a particular age, but starts declining gradually after the age of 30. After 35, the drop is fairly dramatic; and after 38, it’s even more so. However, there is no magic number at which fertility disappears and this decline is a progressive irreversible process. In the past, it was assumed that as the woman got older, her entire reproductive system started failing. However, today we know that the uterus and the fallopian tubes remain relatively unaffected by age; and that the reason for the decline in fertility is the diminished number of eggs left in the ovary. Every girl is born with a fin...

Babies via egg donation & the importance of the birth mother Epigenetics is a new (well to some of us!) buzzword in the field of egg donation for conception. Essentially Epigenetics refers to factors outside the gene, such as a cell's exposure to hormones or genetic variations that can modify a gene. Such factors can change what is ultimately expressed; they can change a phenotype i.e.: they can alter what an organism looks like as a consequence of the interaction of its gene AND the environment. In terms of conception via egg donation that environment begins with the womb of the birth mother. Some examples include hormone and reproductive factors in a woman that may influence the chances of breast and ovarian cancer. These factors are believed to be linked to a woman's exposure to estrogen and progesterone and their effects on cell differentiation in the breast that occur during pregnancy. Conventional science has historically linked cell behaviour to the genes presen...

It has been researched and shown that women undergoing infertility treatment report the same level of stress, anxiety, and depression as women who have cancer, HIV, or heart disease. Chronic stress can lead to depression and lower resistance to disease. Acute stressors cause increased heart rate, sweating, and rapid breathing — the “fight or flight” response. Internal stressors are harder to control than external ones. For example you can’t “make” a cycle work, but you can change doctors or clinics if you are unhappy with the medical care you are receiving. Research has shown that chronic stress causes the hormone cortisol to rise and blood flow to the uterus may be decreased, which could impact implantation of a fertilized embryo Why Is Infertility Stressful? Infertility is a loss of control of your body Infertility is a loss of your life plan Infertility lowers self esteem Infertility can feel like a roller coaster ride; the on-going effects can cause stress and exhaus...

"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give" Kahlil Gibran There is no greater gift that a woman can give, then the gift of life. As we enter the second month of 2010 and some of those new year resolutions start to fade, egg donation is a selfless act that will forever be appreciated and may change the life of a woman in a way you can only imagine. Whether the donated compensation which you will receive matter to you or not, the act of giving touches the soul and remains forever appreciated. Since the first pregnancy with egg donation in South Africa, performed at Cape Fertility Clinic, Cape Town in 1986, egg donation has become a regular and routine treatment over the past 22 years and the number of people seeking this form of fertility treatment has increased. The statistics are that 33% of women older than 37 years, who present to a fertility clinic with infertility, will require the use of donor eggs to achi...

South African Egg Donors available to the World By Gift ov life South African woman battling infertility due compromised or absent eggs of their own may not realise how fortunate they are. Operating in South Africa we are able to offer the services of donor angels who are able, willing and allowed by law, to donate their excess eggs to woman who otherwise would not be able to experience the joy of motherhood. We are made acutely aware of how fortunate we are by the daily enquiries and new clients seeking our services from France, the UK, Hong Kong and especially Australia. In some parts of the world it’s not appropriate or acceptable to even mention “egg donation” or “surrogate.” What a sad place to find yourself as a woman in need of an egg donor or a surrogate mother. Yes, South Africa is a wonderful place to be! The sense of relief and joy that these couples express when they find us and realise that its “ok” to need and egg donor or a surrogate mother, is rewarding in itself....

The Measure of an Egg Donor Agency How should one measure the success of an egg donor agency? On the face of it one might say, “Well, it must be the number of pregnancies achieved!” “Is it?” Is the number of pregnancies achieved not the result of more factors than an egg donor agency can take credit for? After all, the fertility clinic and doctors and their treatment prescribed, the age of the donor and her fertility screening, the quality and quantity of the sperm used to fertilise, the ability of the uterus to facilitate the growth of the embryo. These are all factors that must be optimal in order to achieve pregnancy. The fact is that all egg donor agencies are governed by certain criteria that ensure donors are viable as fertile egg donors. These factors include egg donors being between the ages of 18 and 35, having a certain and optimal BMI and being screened before an egg donation cycle is undertaken. These factors result in all agencies being created equal as regards the ac...

Egg Donation - A Happy Ending For those women whose “partners look at them and they fall pregnant” the use of donor eggs may seem completely absurd. It’s a case of “If you have never walked in someone’s shoes don’t judge them,” and often it’s a complete ignorance, as is the case when you are dealing with a choice you would never have to make. The reality is that, for those increasing woman who, without the use of donor eggs would never be able to experience motherhood, egg donation is the greatest gift of life. The need for donor eggs is on the increase, as infertility becomes a widespread in a sentence that does not discriminate. Our fast paced lifestyles; stress, cancer and delaying having children are all factors that can result in a woman’s ovaries not functioning to produce viable eggs for fertilisation. For these woman an egg donor is a last resort and a gift of life. The world of fertility brings fulfillment and joy to couples via egg donation, or surrogacy. In South Africa we a...

Babies via egg donation & the importance of the birth mother Epigenetics is a new (well to some of us!) buzzword in the field of egg donation for conception. Essentially Epigenetics refers to factors outside the gene, such as a cell's exposure to hormones or genetic variations that can modify a gene. Such factors can change what is ultimately expressed; they can change a phenotype i.e.: they can alter what an organism looks like as a consequence of the interaction of its gene AND the environment. In terms of conception via egg donation that environment begins with the womb of the birth mother. Some examples include hormone and reproductive factors in a woman that may influence the chances of breast and ovarian cancer. These factors are believed to be linked to a woman's exposure to estrogen and progesterone and their effects on cell differentiation in the breast that occur during pregnancy. Conventional science has historically linked cell behaviour to the genes present. La...

Egg donation in South Africa is indeed legal and legislated as Chapter 8 of the National Health Act (Act no 61 of 2003) Gamete donation is regulated by The Policy Committee of the South African Society of Reproductive Science and Surgery. The 2008 Guidelines for gamete donation provides the latest recommendations for clinicians involved in assisted conception using gamete (egg) donors. Egg donation in South Africa is anonymous which allows the recipient parents to choose whether to reveal the details of their child’s conception. For psychological and to ensure optimal egg quality, only donors between the ages of 21 and 34 can be recruited by egg donor agencies. There are no requirements in South Africa for an egg donor registry to be kept and the child’s birth certificate details the names of the recipient parents. It is important for intended parents planning egg donation in South Africa to choose a reputable egg donation agency – one that works with the leading fertility clinics in S...