The establishment and maintenance of pregnancy using in vitro fertilization and embryo donation in a patient with primary ovarian failure

Abstract

Ovarian steroid replacement therapy in the ovariectomized ewe, given in the correct sequence to mimic endogenous steroid changes in the normal ovulatory cycle, allows the development of embryos transferred in utero. A similar type of sequential therapy was designed for steroid replacement in women with primary ovarian failure. This produces the histological changes in uterine endometrial morphology and plasma oestradiol and progesterone similar to those observed in the normal ovulatory cycle. We now report that in one of these women a donated oocyte, fertilized by her husband's spermatozoa and cultured to the two-cell stage in vitro, was transferred in utero, resulting in a normal pregnancy and the delivery of a healthy child. Oestrogen therapy was withdrawn at 12 weeks and progesterone at 19 weeks gestation. This technique allows the treatment of human infertility due to primary ovarian failure.

Subcutaneous estradiol pellets for endometrial preparation in donor oocyte recipients with a poor endometrial response

“…They dissolved completely and did not require removal. Other estrogen regimens included micronized oral estradiol tablets at doses of 1-6 mg per day, estradiol transdermal systems at 0.2-0.4 mg per day, and estradiol valerate injections of 2-6 mg twice a week as recommended previously (6,11,13). Pelvic ultrasounds were performed using a real-time convex scanner with a 5.0-MHz transvaginal transducer (SAL-77B; Toshiba Medical Systems, Tustin, CA).…”

Perspectives, experiences, and choices of parents of children conceived following oocyte donation

“…The first successful use of donated oocytes was reported in 1984 (Lutjen et al, 1984). Since this time, oocyte donation has become a more common treatment option.…”

Egg sharing: a practical and ethical option in IVF?

“…In accordance with common usage in the assisted reproductive technologies (ART) literature, we have employed the terms 'donor' and 'donation' in this paper, but the reader should be aware of this caveat. While insemination of donor sperm has been used as a medicalized procedure for well over a century [1], IVF using donor eggs is a much more recent phenomenon; the first birth from such a procedure was reported in Australia in 1984, using an egg provided by an IVF patient [2]. It is quite possible, although the authors do not provide details of the arrangements under which the donation took place, therefore, that the very first reported birth through egg donation was in fact the result of egg sharing.…”