What’s the meaning of shared egg donation?

Hello, I’ve been consulting the egg donor program in a few clinics from the US but many say “shared egg donation” (also “split egg donation”) and to be honest with you I don’t know what does it mean… I’ve also observed cycles are cheaper when share, so does it mean egg quality is poorer or something like that? Less chances of getting pregnant? Pls, any ideas out here?

Hello Barbie 33,

Shared or split egg donation means that various families share the same egg donor, that is to say, the eggs retrieved from a single donor are allocated to more than one recipient. By doing this, each recipient receives 3-4 eggs approximately – depending on each fertility center.

It is neither better nor worse than non-shared egg donation. Although it is true that its cost is lower, since the chances of getting pregnant are lower mainly because of the reduced number of eggs (the less eggs, the less number of embryos, and therefore fewer chances of achieving pregnancy). However, taking into account that they are donor eggs, that is, they have been donated by young, healthy women, the likelihood of getting pregnant is elevated in general terms, so in principle, even if you have a reduced number of eggs, pregnancy is likely to be achieved.

I hope this helps,

All the best