In an effort to reduce the average year-long patient waiting period for donor eggs from its Australian egg donor bank (Egg Donors Australia), City Fertility has recently formed a partnership with US egg bank, The World Egg Bank.
Dr Neil Astill, Medical Director at City Fertility Brisbane Southside, said for some people waiting up to a year for an egg donor is just too long due to advancing age and declining fertility.
“As a woman ages, the quality of her eggs is reduced. For the infertile woman over 40, the chance of a successful IVF pregnancy and live birth is substantially reduced when using her own eggs and this is one of the many reasons driving demand for donor eggs,” said Dr Astill.
“We currently have over 120 patients on our donor egg waiting list and they are always amazed that the wait is that long. The wait is often just another disappointment for them on what is already a difficult journey. It could be the difference between becoming a parent and not becoming a parent,” said Dr Astill.
Due to a lack of Australian egg donors, City Fertility was forced to look abroad for a safe and credible donor egg service that complied with all Australian state laws and national regulations.
“We looked into many options and The World Egg Bank met and surpassed many of the Australian requirements,” Dr Astill said.
Unlike many other egg banks, The World Egg Bank has a centralised model guaranteeing they use best practice protocols for egg freezing, and they ensure quality control of the eggs with all donor stimulations and retrievals are carried out at one singular location.
“The quality of the eggs is paramount for our patients to optimise their chances of success,” said Dr Astill.
With this latest partnership, Dr Astill said City Fertility patients now have two options for egg donors, they can wait for one from our Australian egg donor service or they select from The World Egg Bank.
“Despite COVID, there is currently no delay in receiving the donor eggs from overseas, and we can receive eggs within two weeks of selection, which patients are pleased about,” said Dr Astill.
Those in need of donor eggs can include women: who have had repeated unsuccessful IVF attempts; who have undergone premature menopause; who for genetic reasons cannot use their eggs; are women born without ovaries; who have undergone treatment for cancer; and surrogacy cases.
The World Egg Bank donors must donate altruistically and be screened to all Australian standards. The service offers patients a range of options including frozen eggs or embryos and a choice of selection criteria. Some options include a guarantee of one embryo per group of eggs or you receive a replacement group of eggs for free.
Interestingly, City Fertility’s Australian egg donor service (Egg Donors Australia) said they are currently seeing a small increase in local donors.
“We have up to 10 women across Australia currently going through the process to donate, but it is still not enough to meet demand,” Dr Astill said.
Australian egg donors must be altruistic, and we find most of them have a connection to someone who has experienced fertility issues, said Dr Astill.
In Australia and New Zealand, over 3,000 IVF cycles were performed using donor eggs (or embryos) in 2017 with 707 live births reported.
Dr Astill said clinic-recruited egg donors are a safe option due to the rigorous counselling, screening and clinical protocols that are followed.
Payment Plan options available
The World Egg Bank has developed a unique structure: they are the only egg bank that focuses only on providing quality donor ova. They built a state-of-the-art facility that solely focuses on egg freezing. Their unique centralized model ensures they conduct all egg vitrification with proven protocols and the same experienced laboratory systems and professionals. They manage all donor stimulations and retrievals in one single location. They manage quality.
Peace of Mind Payment Plan™
The Peace of Mind Payment Plan™ allows you to divide the cost of your donor selection into three equal payments over a three month period. This program applies only for services and products supplied by The World Egg Bank. You do not have to complete an application or qualify to take advantage of this payment plan.
Ova Assurance
If your shipment arrives at City Fertility damaged and unusable due to freight mishandling in transit, The World Egg Bank will send a new cohort of eggs for free. Ova Assurance does not void or change any existing guarantees.
City Fertility offers payment plan options for IVF cycles such as accessing superannuation. To learn more about City Fertility IVF payment plans please visit our Payment Options page.
Please note this service is only available in Queensland and New South Wales.
For more information about the options available through The World Egg Bank, download our booklet The World Egg Bank Recipient Information or contact us today at 1300 354 354 or email us at contact@cityfertility.com.au
