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Intended parents

Your path to becoming a parent
with Aphrodite Egg Bank

Introduction

Finding the right egg bank

In working with us, you will see that we fully understand your struggle and that the opportunity to have a child through egg donation can be a source of great joy and fulfillment that you so much desire. Therefore, we would like to offer you guidance on what you should consider when choosing an Egg Bank as you embark on your journey to parenthood. Before making your decision always look at:

Reputation & Accreditation

Always look at the egg bank's reputation and accreditations. These organizations ensure that the egg bank follows strict guidelines and maintains high standards for egg quality and donor screening

Donor screening

It's equally important to choose an egg bank that has a clear and thorough donor screening process, including medical, genetic, and psychological evaluations. This will ensure the accuracy of the donor information presented

Egg quality

Always ask about the egg bank's success rates and their procedures for egg selection and storage. These factors will directly impact your chances of success and quality level of service offered by the Egg Bank.

Legal & ethical considerations

Make sure the egg bank is transparent about its policies and procedures, including its informed consent process and its handling of any ethical issues that may arise. Different rules may apply based on your country.

Pricing & guarantees

Egg bank services can be expensive, so it's important to consider your budget and look for an egg bank that offers competitive pricing and guarantees.

Location

As important as it is to find a suitable egg donor, it is also imperative to pay attention to the locations served by the Egg Bank as different regulations may come into play.

Our process

Finding the perfect donor

The process of finding and securing your egg donor with Aphrodite Egg Bank is very intuitive and fully digital. Our process is designed to offer both, convenience and full support from our medical staff at any time, throughout your journey. The following are the key steps of our process:

Important:

While your donor selection process is done entirely through our online platform, you can always reach out to our members of medical staff for assistance.

Step 1

Registration

Create an account on our online donor database

Step 2

Donor search

Use a range of filters to find a suitable donor

Step 3

Selection

Reserve a donor directly on our platform

Step 4

Approval

We send all the documents to your IVF clinic

Step 5

Payment

Sign patient agreement and complete payment

Step 6

Delivery

We schedule the shipment by specialized courier

Donor screening

How we select our donors

Donors go through a very strict screening process that complies with EU Tissues and Cells Directive, Health CanadaFDA (USA), and the HFEA in the UK (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority). It includes:

This level of genetic testing is one of the most advanced in the world in egg donation treatment

Genetic testing

The most advanced standards in the field

At Aphrodite Egg Bank, we are committed to utilizing the most advanced techniques and technologies to provide you with the best possible experience and outcomes. Your well-being and success are our top priorities, and we take every measure to ensure that your journey is supported by the highest standards of care.

Our comprehensive genetic testing represents one of the most advanced standards in the field of egg donation treatment. Identifying mutations potentially predisposing to genetic conditions helps us make well-informed decisions, reduce the risk of hereditary conditions and provide a higher level of confidence in the donation selection process.

Testing for 303+ Recessive Genes

All our donors undergo testing via qGenomics qCarrier Auto Panel to identify mutations in up to 303 genes, including genes encoding for conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Fragile X Syndrome, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), along with multiple types of hemoglobinopathies.

Karyotyping

Karyotyping allows us to examine the structure and number of chromosomes in a donor’s cells, helping to identify any potential chromosomal abnormalities. This crucial step adds an extra layer of thoroughness to our screening process and further enhances the quality and reliability of the egg donation treatment.

Indefinite access to donor DNA

Something that we believe is unique to our egg bank is that we keep DNA samples for all donors indefinitely, allowing us to perform additional tests in the future if necessary.

Egg Shipping

Secure delivery by hand

For shipping our donor eggs to your clinic, we only use secure shipping by specialized hand delivery courier service.

Lead time

Approximately 1-4 weeks from the date of the order

Cost of shipping

€300 - €1,800 depending on the destination, method of transportation, and the number of patients included in the same shipment

In terms of our current geographic coverage, we currently ship to and have partner clinics in the following locations:

Note: However, we are also able to ship our eggs to all other countries within the EU, North America, South America and Asia on request.

Plans & Guarantees

Our packages and assurance

We offer the below packages and guarantees, provided that the sperm used meets the World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria for normality and that the egg thawing process is carried out correctly at your local IVF Lab

Important: If fewer blastocysts are formed than what is guaranteed, a one-off replacement of an agreed number of eggs can be arranged in an attempt to meet the guarantee.

Plan A

6 Eggs
  • Minimum 1 blastocyst
  • Genetic Test: 303+ recessive genes

Plan B

8 Eggs
  • Minimum 2 blastocysts
  • Genetic Test: 303+ recessive genes

Plan C

12 Eggs
  • Minimum 3 blastocysts
  • Genetic Test: 303+ recessive genes

Custom Plan

? Eggs
  • Under the custom plan: any number of eggs can be purchased and the guarantee will be determined accordingly.

Important:

If a selected donor has a variation of remaining eggs compared to the package, you will be required to purchase the additional eggs since it is not possible to use cohorts of less than 6. For example, if a donor has 7 eggs remaining instead of 6, you will be required to purchase all 7 eggs.

FAQ

Answers to your questions

Usually, success rates using donor eggs are higher than using own eggs. The main reason for this is the lower age of the donors, ensuring a better quality of the DNA of the eggs. Our success rates, using donors from Aphrodite Egg Bank, are over 70%.

In the past, there was a clear preference for fresh oocytes over frozen oocytes due to poor vitrification methods which gave a better chance of success with fresh oocytes. Today, with the most advanced methods and strict protocols for freezing eggs, using frozen eggs have nearly the same and sometimes a better performance than fresh eggs.

Over the years, our egg bank has been fertilising fresh and frozen eggs with huge success, and our success rates are becoming more aligned for both fresh and frozen – over 70% for both. 

Choosing to use fresh or frozen eggs really depends on the patient’s situation, lifestyle and preferences. 

  1. Patients can have frozen eggs delivered directly to their local IVF clinic and perform the IVF procedure in their own country.  
  2. Another option is for the patients to ship the frozen sperm to our center, where we create the embryos and ship them back to their center for the embryo transfer. 
  3. A third option is for the couple to come to our partner clinic in Cyprus – Pedieos IVF Center and have their egg donation treatment in Cyprus. With this option, patients can choose to use fresh or frozen eggs. 

If patients are in a rush to proceed with treatment, frozen eggs might be the best option since they are ready to be used at any time. For a fresh cycle, the donor and the recipient’s cycle must be synchronised so that they are ready for the embryo transfer on the day the donor will donate. 

For a patient to proceed with egg donation treatment, not many tests are required. Essentially, we will require the female patient and the male partner, if applicable, to have testing for sexually transmitted diseases, such as Hepatitis, HIV, and Syphilis. The blood group is also confirmed  so we can find the appropriate donor for them.

We also have the option for the male partner to be genetically tested for genetic compatibility with the donor. All our donors are genetically tested for 303+ recessive genes. We especially recommend this if the couple or their extended family are carriers of a known genetic disorder. 

There is no maximum age for using donor eggs with IVF. There is a legal limit set by each country. For example, here in Cyprus, the age is 50. Essentially the recipient’s age doesn’t matter as long as we have a healthy endometrium and a healthy condition overall.

The patients can use our online database – Aphrodite Egg Bank, and find a suitable donor using the advanced search criteria such as hair colour, eye colour, hight and complexion. You will be able to make a reservation directly on our database with the number of eggs you desire. We will then communicate with your clinic for donor approval and prepare the shipment to your clinic. 

Alternatively, patients can provide us with their own characteristics as well as the desired donor characteristics, and we can find a donor for you based on your features. 

Egg donation treatment is usually recommended when women cannot conceive naturally with their own oocytes. Such cases could include:

  • Premature ovarian failure and premature menopause before 40 years old – when women cannot produce their own oocytes anymore.
  • In advanced maternal age cases, when the DNA damage is too big and there is no possibility to create healthy embryos.
  • A medical illness such as cancer or certain surgeries that affect fertility. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy affect the eggs and their quality which doesn’t allow the formation of embryos.
  • Inherited conditions by the mother that they want to avoid in the offspring.
  • Sometimes when there are repeated failures of embryo creation, using their own oocytes, some women choose to go with an egg donor for their treatment.