We import donor eggs from OVORIA Egg Bank for distribution in the UK, HFEA registered clinics. OVORIA is a licensed tissue centre in Ukraine that is operating in accordance with the European Tissue Directive, the HFEA and the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. It not only unveils worldwide best standards in oocyte vitrification and thawing, but also guarantees 80% survival rate for the set of 6 oocytes and two embryos for the set of 8 oocyte packages.

Child/children born with donated eggs may be able to know the indentifying details f the donor at the age of 18 (or above). They will have to contact the HFEA via https://www.hfea.gov.uk/donation/finding-out-about-your-donor/

CMV is the abbreviation of Cytomegalovirus that belongs to the family of chicken pox and cold sores. It is a common virus affecting 50% - 80% of the adult population of the UK. It remains dormant (inactive) in the body with no detectable symptoms. Most individuals gain immunity from this virus after infection.
CMV spreads from exchange of bodily fluids like saliva, mucus, urine, blood, semen, breast milk, etc. An infected mother could transmit CMV to her foetus through her cervical secretions or placenta during birth.
Symptoms of CMV generally are rather mild or undetectable. An infected individual could have cold- flu- like symptoms and/or swollen lymph nodes for 1-2 weeks. However, individuals with impaired immunity may have severe symptoms when infected with CMV

These tests are done to denote the CMV status of infection in individuals.

• CMV IgG test indicates previous exposure to CMV.
• CMV IgM test indicates a recent or current CMV infection.
• CMV Negative test result indicates that the individual has never had a CMV infection and hence has no antibodies against this virus.
• CMV Positive test result indicates that the individual was exposed to CMV in the past and has now developed antibodies to denote that the virus is in an inactive status.

CMV Positive donors are those who are IgG Positive and IgM negative, which indicates that donor has gained immunity to CMV and is not in a transmittable stage.
CMV Negative donors are those who are IgG and IgM negative indicating that they have never had the infection.
If a donor is tested positive for IgM, then that donor is not taken up for donation.
If the donor is tested positive for IgM (indicating current/recent infection), within the quarantine period after donation, then all the donated gametes are discarded.

Egg donors at OVORIA are examined according to the EU-Tissue Directives guidelines for the following diagnostic tests:

• Blood Type- RH factor
• Complete Blood Count
• HIV 1, 2
• Treponema pallidum antibodies
• HBV / HCV via PCR (Real-time)
• Hepatitis B virus (HBcAg IgM antibodies; HBsAg)
• T-lymphotropic virus I & II IgG, IgM antibodies
• Chlamydia trachomatis (genital swab) by PCR
• Neisseria gonorrhoea (genital swab) by PCR
• CMV IgG / IgM by PCR
• Coagulogram
• AMH, MIS
• E2, LH, FSH, Prolactin
• Vaginal smear
• PAP-test
• Breast ultrasound
• Psychological counselling
• If necessary Molecular karyotype (Chromosomal Microarray Analysis - CMA) is also performed

Extended Genetic screening for 50-500 recessive inherited genes by Next Generation Sequencing is also performed. The panel for screening 500 recessive genes, includes 32-X-linked diseases and all 113 conditions recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG).

Donors are disqualified from donating if they are found to be the carriers of mutations in one of the 32-X-linked diseases or if they show mutation in the CFTR or SMN1 genes.

If you are CMV negative, then it will be best for you to use a CMV negative donor; however, we recommend that you consult your physician before choosing your donor.

If you are CMV positive, then it means that you have had a past infection and have now developed antibodies to fight off any new exposure (invasion) of this virus. In simple terms you have gained immunity to CMV and can use any donor irrespective of the donor’s CMV status; your pregnancies will also not be at any risks.

If a CMV negative woman becomes infected during pregnancy, the virus may cross the placenta and infect the foetus. The risk of transmission to the baby is higher during a primary infection than a reactivation of a previous infection. This is known as congenital infection and occurs approximately in one-third of cases.
Twenty percent of babies born with CMV infection may develop complications in their early years viz.

• Low birth weight
• Deafness
• Blindness
• Small head
• Intellectual disability
• Brittle teeth
• Jaundice
• Seizures
• Liver/spleen damage

However, babies are not known to develop all the symptoms mentioned above; most of them remain asymptomatic.