Donor egg embryo transfer: what to know

The donor’s eggs are fertilised with sperm in an IVF laboratory, creating embryos. The recipient’s uterus is prepared with hormones or a monitored natural cycle so the lining is ready. During transfer, a clinician guides a thin catheter through the cervix and releases an embryo into the uterus. The procedure is usually brief, but cramping or light spotting can happen afterward. The donor provides the egg; the person carrying the pregnancy provides the uterine environment.

Take prescribed medicines exactly as directed, including progesterone when it is part of the plan. Keep your clinic informed about bleeding, missed doses, new medicines and medical conditions. Normal gentle activity is often possible, but follow the clinic’s instructions about exercise, travel and intercourse. Do not stop hormonal support because of spotting unless your fertility team tells you to. A pregnancy test is scheduled after the transfer at the time chosen by the clinic.

Contact the fertility team promptly for heavy bleeding, severe or one-sided pelvic pain, fever, faintness, breathing difficulty or marked abdominal swelling. These symptoms need assessment rather than waiting for the planned pregnancy test. Mild cramps and light spotting can occur, but they cannot confirm whether implantation has happened.

Ask how the donor was screened, which embryo will be transferred, how the uterine lining is assessed, how long progesterone continues, and what support is available if the test is negative.