Ovum, or egg, donation can allow a woman to become pregnant when she's unable to successfully conceive using her own eggs. Established in 1991, the UCSF Ovum Donor Program was one of the first such programs in the Bay Area. Today, it helps more than 100 people become parents each year.
Ovum Donor Program
Receiving donor eggs is an option when other infertility therapies haven't worked or when hormonal tests indicate a woman is unlikely to conceive with her own eggs. Using another person's eggs may be appropriate for women born without ovaries or for women whose ovaries were removed or damaged by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. It may also be considered by patients who want to eliminate the risk of passing on a genetic condition carried by the partner who will carry the child.
Because the chance of conceiving strongly related to the age of the egg, using donor eggs can increase the likelihood of success with in vitro fertilization, or IVF. At The chance of getting pregnant the first time a fertilized donor egg is implanted is greater than 60 percent. Many cycles using donated eggs result in surplus embryos to freeze, and when you include later attempts with frozen embryos, the pregnancy rate at our center is about 80 percent.
Ovum donation can allow people to experience pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding and to have a child who is genetically related to the partner not carrying the child. Parents will have control over many aspects of the process, including deciding when to try to conceive and choosing the donor.
Prospective recipients
If you don't currently receive care at UCSF and would like more information about this program, please call (415) 353-7475.
We will discuss the program with you and set up an initial consultation with a member of our medical team. During this first appointment, the procedure will be discussed in detail. After taking your medical history, one of our doctors will advise you as to whether receiving donor eggs is an appropriate option for you.
If you're already a UCSF patient and interested in more information about the UCSF Ovum Donor Program, speak to your care provider about next steps.
You may also wish to read our patient education article on the egg donation process for recipients and our FAQ on how we screen and select donors.
Prospective donors
To learn more or request an application, please call us at (415) 514-5615 or email us at [email protected]. Our coordinator will walk you through the steps, from filling out the application to completing the donor profile.
Ovum donors offer a life-changing gift to individuals and couples struggling to become parents. That gift is often emotionally rewarding for the donors as well. Knowing they can make this profound difference is one of the main reasons young women cite in their decision to provide eggs. Choosing to be a donor means committing to a thorough health and psychological screening and, if approved, undergoing the preliminary processes of in vitro fertilization. The medical measures include injecting medications that stimulate the ovaries, undergoing ultrasound monitoring over the course of 10 to 14 days, and undergoing an outpatient procedure to remove stimulated eggs from the ovaries.
You may wish to read our patient education materials on the process for egg donors and our FAQ for those considering donation.
The UCSF Egg Donor Program is part of the UCSF Center for Reproductive Health. All of our doctors are board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology as well as reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Their expertise is complemented by the commitment and care of a large team of knowledgeable professionals that includes genetic counselors, psychologists, highly trained nurses and detail-oriented office staff members.
