Matching is fundamental in egg-donation treatments to achieve as much similarity as possible between the egg donor and the recipient
Will my child look like me? This is the question that most women who are planning to undergo assisted reproductive treatment through egg donation ask themselves at some point. The response is given by matching or pairing the donor and the recipient, which aims to ensure maximum similarity in the physical features of both.
In accordance with Law 14/2006 on Assisted Reproduction in Spain, the choice of donor is made by the medical team and it must try to ensure maximum phenotype and immunological similarity between the egg donor and the women receiving the egg and/or her partner.
As explained by Dr. Clara Colomé, gynaecologist and specialist in assisted reproduction at Eugin Clinic, the aim is to obtain the highest possible degree of similarity in physical features such as race, height and the colour of the skin, hair or eyes. To achieve this, the characteristics of the donor and the future parents are studied and detailed photographs are taken of them. This facilitates the integration of the baby-to-be into the family group.
Another element that is considered is the blood group. Although matching by blood group is not medically relevant in most cases —, every attempt is made to achieve this when possible. “The intention is to selected a blood group which is equivalent to the natural concordance of the blood groups of the father and mother”, says Dr. Colomé.
No waiting list
The Eugin egg-donation programme is very well organised and provides universal access to recipients of all origins, without the need for long waiting lists.
The key to this development is the vitrification technique, which allows the eggs to be frozen and preserved with similar fertilisation and pregnancy rates to those obtained with fresh eggs. Consequently egg banks can be created in the best possible conditions which make the donor-recipient matching process much easier. This option adds benefits to the traditional model of donating eggs, in which it was necessary to synchronise the donor treatment with that of the recipient.
Eugin Clinic helps 10% of European patients who use egg-donation technology. Thanks to the versatility and enormous capacity of its frozen egg bank, we are able to find the ones which are most appropriate for each recipient in a matter of weeks, thus speeding up treatment and reducing waiting lists for future mothers.
