This is one of a series of news items from abstracts of studies presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine as complied by Dr. David Meldrum, Scientific Director of Reproductive Partners. We appreciate the enormous amount of work it takes to compile and comment on these abstracts.
Until recently egg donation required that a recipient be synchronized to an individual egg donor, making the process very complex, time-consuming and expensive. Now better freezing techniques by vitrification and stimulation protocols to allow a maximum number of eggs be obtained without the danger of hyperstimulation in the donor is making the use of donor egg banks a new option for women needing egg donation. Using frozen donor eggs is much simpler, less time-consuming and thus less expensive.
In a study reported at ASRM, 168 egg donors received either the traditional long agonist and hCG trigger, or if they were high risk, antagonist/agonist (Lupron) trigger. The agonist trigger donor's mean anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) was 4.6, mean antral follicle count (AFC )32, mean peak estradiol (E2) 5330. With a mean of 21 mature eggs, 81% fertilized and 10 excellent blastocysts were achieved per donor. Pregnancy rate was 93%.
These donors received 4 mg lupron 12 hrs apart as a trigger, so that achieves excellent results. It shows that if high AMH donors were chosen for egg banking, the number of eggs would be enough for 3 recipients receiving 7 eggs each and each would be expected to have 3 excellent blasts.
With a mean AFC of 21 in the hCG trigger group 3 required paracentesis (there were none in the 54 with agonist trigger).
For more information on frozen donor eggs visit the website for Donor Egg Bank USA.