What is egg donation?
An egg donor cryobank is a specialized facility within a clinic that stores healthy oocytes from thoroughly screened donors. Cryopreservation utilizes vitrification — a rapid-freezing method that ensures high viability and integrity of the stored eggs.

Who can become a donor?

To qualify as an egg donor, a woman must meet strict medical and psychological criteria, including:

• Age between 20 and 32
• Excellent general and reproductive health
• No hereditary or genetic disorders
• Psychological stability and altruistic motivation

Because oocytes are formed in the fetal period and decline in quality with age, ensuring donors are young significantly boosts the chances of successful conception and a healthy baby.

Who needs donor eggs?

Egg donation in IVF is recommended for:

• Low ovarian reserve
• Premature ovarian failure
• Poor egg quality
• Genetic or chromosomal abnormalities
• Failed prior IVF attempts

This method is especially suitable for women over 35 with a history of unsuccessful IVF or a risk of inherited conditions.

Donation & IVF process:

• Synchronizing menstrual cycles of donor and recipient
• Stimulating donor’s ovulation with modern medications
• Egg retrieval via ovarian puncture
• Fertilization (partner’s, donor’s sperm, or ICSI)
• Preparing the recipient’s endometrium with hormonal therapy
• Embryo transfer into recipient’s uterus

Modern techniques

Vitrification offers:

• A ready-made egg bank for flexible IVF scheduling
• Time buffers for disease screening (HIV, hepatitis, syphilis)
• Faster access to high-quality donor eggs

Success rates and stats

• Pregnancy success rate with donor eggs: 60–65%
• Over 50,000 babies worldwide born via egg donation
• Donor eggs used in approximately 10% of IVF cycles

Contraindications for donor-egg IVF:

• Severe mental or physical health issues
• Uterine abnormalities preventing implantation
• Active inflammation in pelvis
• Current or past malignant tumors

Note: Male infertility is not a contraindication. Techniques like ICSI and sperm aspiration (MESA, PESA, TESA, Micro-TESE) may be used alongside donor eggs.

Donor compensation
Egg donation involves time commitment and medical procedures, thus donors receive financial compensation in accordance with ethical and legal standards.

Vitromed Clinic (Yerevan)
We maintain a database of extensively evaluated donors, including genetic and psychological assessments. All procedures adhere to international quality and safety standards.