Risks of using donor eggs

[CrystalTipps]

Hi Carole, I was reading on your blog about the risk of pre-eclampsia after using donor eggs. I am very interested in this as I have not heard it before. Would you mind expanding on the reasons why, if you can? Also, are there any other risks from using donor eggs that you are aware of?

Thanks,

CT

[Carole]

Hi Carole, I was reading on your blog about the risk of pre-eclampsia after using donor eggs. I am very interested in this as I have not heard it before. Would you mind expanding on the reasons why, if you can? Also, are there any other risks from using donor eggs that you are aware of?

Thanks,

CT

Hi Crystal Tips,

Here is a link to the orginal article The Role of Embryonic Origin in Preeclampsia: A Comparison o... : Obstetrics & Gynecology

The observation from the study was that when the researchers compared two groups of pregnant women, those that used donor eggs compared to those that used their own eggs were more likely to suffer from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, one of which is pre-eclampsia. The study does not seek to discourage women from using donor eggs but suggests that their OB should be made aware of the fact that donor eggs were used and be more vigilant for early detection of hypertension. Hypertension can be treated in pregnancy with good outcomes so early detection is key. What is the physiological basis for this link between using donor eggs and preeclampsis? Not know at this time, although a immune reaction between the mom and the 100% antigenicaly foreign embryo is one theory under study.

I am not aware of any other medical risks from using donor eggs. There are potential psychological risks and legal risks which is why counseling with both a third party reproduction counselor and a lawyer are encouraged prior to using donor gametes or donor embryos.

Hope this helps. Good Luck. Carole

[atomic sagebrush]

Crystal, I don't know if this helps explain the phenomenon, but some research indicates that the presence of different genetic material than your own, in your body, may contribute or trigger preeclampsia. It is believed by some that in pg, even the presence of your husband's DNA might trigger some immune response that causes pre-e and that the longer/more you're exposed to your husband's semen, the less likely it is that you develop pre-e - almost like getting a vaccine to prevent it. Data indicates that women who are on their first pregnancies (thus have not had as much exposure to their husband's DNA via semen/pregnancy than someone who has been married for some time and had several children by DH) and also women who have had children before and then have more kids with a second partner (thus have had less exposure to Partner 2's DNA) are much more likely to develop pre-e than the population as a whole.

Obviously this cannot explain all preeclampsia (like Michelle Duggar's, who one would think would be used to her husband's DNA by this point!) but it does seem to be supported by some data.

The implications of this for a donor egg pg would therefore be that your body does not recognize the DNA in the donor egg, and in the baby itself, and then some chain of events transpires during pg that then triggers pre-e. I agree totally with Carole, it is certainly not an indication against using donor eggs, but it is probably a good thing that your doctor be made aware of the risks.

Also, if you aren't already, you may want to increase intake of Vitamin D - low Vit. D levels in early pg have been linked to pre-e.

[CrystalTipps]

Thanks Carole and thanks Atomic Sagebrush. This is all very interesting and I am glad I know about it so that I can be aware of the warning signs.

By the way, I had to Google Michelle Duggar as I had never heard of her. I was heartened to read on her blog that God had found the time to help her sort out her laundry problem, rather than help the victims of the tornado

[Wanting a daughter]

Interesting.

CONCLUSION: Pregnancies derived from donor oocytes and cryopreserved–thawed embryos may be at a higher risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. These findings inform future research and help counsel women using assisted reproductive technology.

Does that mean that there is also an increased risk for pregnancies come about from frozen embryos?? Even if they are genetically the woman's own.

[CrystalTipps]

Yeah, I also picked up on that, but I have absolutely no idea why that would be the case. Are there any meds that you take in a donor or frozen cycle that you don't take in a fresh cycle, or the other way around? If so, I wonder if that is the reason...

[Carole]

Interesting.

CONCLUSION: Pregnancies derived from donor oocytes and cryopreserved–thawed embryos may be at a higher risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. These findings inform future research and help counsel women using assisted reproductive technology.

Does that mean that there is also an increased risk for pregnancies come about from frozen embryos?? Even if they are genetically the woman's own.

From the authors about cryopreserved embryos:
"We also report a novel finding that frozen embryos are independently associated with a risk of both gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. A possible explanation is that cryopreservation may induce changes in gene expression in the developing embryo and trophoblast, thus predisposing the patient to preeclampsia. This finding was identified in a post hoc analysis and needs to be confirmed in larger, prospective studies"

So, it is not at all clear why they found this and they note elsewhere that their numbers are small for this part of the study so it is probably best not to assume it is true until it is borne out by larger studies looking at just this aspect.

I wouldn't avoid using either donor eggs or cryopreserved embryos to have a pregnancy but I would make your OB aware of these finding so he can carefully watch you for signs that you might be developing pre-eclampsia if you do become pregnant.
Best Wishes,
Carole

[Wanting a daughter]

Thanks Carole, and CT for asking.