How Do We Select Our Donors - Cyprus American IVF Center

HOW DO WE SELECT OUR DONORS?

We know that choosing an egg donor is one of the most sensitive and important steps for you. Healthy donors are our top priority.

Thanks to the wide and healthy donor pool at Cyprus American IVF Center, we ensure the highest level of matching between you and your donor.

Because egg cells age and lose genetic quality over time, our donor age range is strictly kept between 20–28 years. You may be informed about your donor’s characteristics such as hair color, eye color, skin tone, ethnicity, education, special talents, and socio-cultural background.

According to the legal regulations of the TRNC, egg donors must remain anonymous. The donor does not donate directly to you but to our institution, and you receive the service from us. Therefore, there is no personal connection between you and the donor, and it is impossible for your information to be accessed.

For your child’s social well-being, we ensure blood group compatibility with your donor, and physical features are chosen to resemble yours, based on your preferences. In addition, our donors undergo thorough psychiatric evaluations, regular infectious disease screenings, and detailed genetic carrier testing.

Mothers who become pregnant through egg donation experience natural mother–baby harmony during pregnancy and after birth. Breastfeeding, as in all births, further strengthens the mother–infant bond.

While half of the baby’s genes come from the father, the other half comes from the mother. The embryo we create after fertilization is microscopic in size. Once transferred to the uterus, it grows over 9 months into a 3–4 kg baby with the help of biochemical factors in the mother’s bloodstream. During this growth, the baby is genetically influenced by the mother through these biochemical factors — a process called epigenetic interaction.

Pregnancies through egg donation are exactly the same as natural pregnancies in terms of the pregnancy, birth, postpartum hormonal processes, maternal instincts, and the strong emotional bond with the baby.

Tests Performed on Our Donors

Invitae Comprehensive Carrier Screening (up to 569 genes) is recommended in necessary cases to prevent your child from being affected by genetic diseases. It is suitable for individuals of all ethnic backgrounds.
All of our donors are screened for genetic carrier diseases such as Thalassemia and Cystic Fibrosis, and other health-related blood tests are performed regularly.
This guarantees that our donors are not carriers of common genetic diseases.
All of our donors undergo RECOMBINE screening. With a single test, more than 250 genes, 250+ genetic diseases, and 2,000+ mutations can be analyzed.

These screenings — performed routinely and at no additional cost — reduce miscarriage risk after transfer, help prevent recurrent pregnancy loss, increase treatment success, and eliminate the risk of transmitting hereditary diseases.

A Solution in Cyprus and a New Hope

My husband and I had been dreaming of becoming parents for 10 years. In the early years, when we couldn’t achieve pregnancy naturally, we went to see a doctor. The tests showed that I had low ovarian reserve and my husband had severe sperm morphology problems. With these results, we were told that IVF would be our only option.

But the journey was far from easy. At the first IVF center in our city, no embryos developed in our first attempt, so we couldn’t even proceed to transfer. In the second attempt, an embryo transfer was done, but no pregnancy occurred. In the third attempt, I had a miscarriage at 5 weeks. With each failure, I felt more hopeless and kept asking myself, “Will I ever be a mother?”

Over the following years, we tried five more IVF cycles at different clinics. But each time, embryo development was slow, quality was poor, and genetic testing left us with no healthy embryos. Doctors kept reminding me that my age was advancing and our chances were shrinking.

Just when we were about to give up, a friend told us about the American IVF Center in Cyprus. We learned that they used advanced methods like PRP treatment, mitochondrial transfer, and special embryo monitoring systems. At our very first consultation, the doctor created a personalized plan with detailed hormone analysis and genetic testing to identify the root causes.

My treatment included PRP injections to support my ovarian reserve, mitochondrial transfer to improve egg quality by boosting energy from young and healthy cells, and embryo genetic screening (PGT-A) so only healthy embryos would be selected. For my husband, the IMSI technique was used to choose the healthiest sperm cells.

This time, the process felt completely different. A total of 8 eggs were retrieved, 5 were fertilized, and 2 were found to be genetically healthy. The transferred embryo implanted, and for the first time in my life, I saw two lines on a pregnancy test.

The pregnancy wasn’t without challenges. I had bleeding risks in the first trimester, but thanks to my doctor’s close monitoring, we got through it safely. After 10 long years of waiting, at 37 weeks, I finally held my healthy twin babies in my arms.

Through this journey, I realized how important patience, the right center, and the right experts truly are. Success sometimes depends not only on treatment itself but also on advanced technology and personalized approaches.

If you’re also struggling in your IVF journey, please don’t lose hope. Science and the right treatment can create miracles.