More Evidence about the Lack of Risk Achieving a Live Birth via Egg Sharing

In 10 seconds? Egg sharing between women is a sensitive question in human fertility treatment. There are financial, ethical, and health concerns. Among them: how does the practice affect the chances of live birth. A new study has some reassuring results.

Why are we talking about egg sharing? With a current worldwide trend to delay first-time motherhood, oocytes donation – i.e. of immature eggs – from one woman to another represents the only realistic possibility of reaching live birth for many women. Why? Despite significant advances in fertility treatments, the likelyhood of women becoming pregnant after 40 drops by 30-50% compared to younger age groups. Many fertility clinics advise women over a certain age, or with very poor ovarian reserve, to consider resorting to donated eggs (obtained from other women undergoing IVF treatment), because of the low likelihood of conception with their own relatively “aged” oocytes.