Oocyte Donor Program

Oocyte Donor Program:The use of the female gamete, the egg or oocyte, for the treatment of certain disorders leading to female reproductive failure has only been possible since 1984. The oocyte from a donor can be either recovered as an embryo after it has undergone fertilization within the body (by uterine lavage (washing) in a process called ovum transfer) or recovered as an egg and inseminated in vitro (in the laboratory) to yield an in vitro fertilized embryo.

Ovum transfer, the transfer of a normally fertilized egg from a female donor to an infertile recipient.

Egg donation is the process by which a woman provides one or several (usually 10-15) eggs (ova, oocytes) for purposes of assisted reproduction or biomedical research. For assisted reproduction purposes, egg donation typically involves the process of in vitro fertilization as the eggs are fertilized in the laboratory; more rarely, unfertilized eggs are frozen and stored for later use by the intended parents. Egg donation is part of the process of third party reproduction as part of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology). The ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) has issued guidelines for these procedures, and the FDA has a number of guidelines as well. There are boards in countries outside of the US who have the same regulations.