Fertility and age

The female germ cells are called oocytes. They are the largest cells in the organism – a trained eye can see them even without a microscope.

The process of egg formation is called oogenesis. All of a woman’s eggs are produced during her fetal development, i.e. before she is born. The maximum number of oocytes is reached around the 20th week of the development of the ovaries of a female baby; after that, the total number of oocytes decreases sharply. By the time a girl is born, there are only 1 – 2 million eggs left (see graphic).

Medical illustration of Bailey mariner

The number of oocytes decreases continuously with age. The decline in egg count and quality accelerates, especially after the age of 35. When the number of eggs reaches a certain threshold, spontaneous pregnancy becomes very unlikely and the woman becomes infertile. In the further course of egg degradation, the menstrual cycle ultimately stops and the woman enters menopause.

Note: subfertility and imminent infertility as a result of a decrease in egg count begin much earlier than menopause (menopause – a woman’s last menstrual cycle).

Note: For some women, the decline in fertility starts even earlier and progresses even faster than usual. At the average age at which the average woman’s fertility decline begins (35 years), these women may already be completely infertile.

For women who do not have eggs or whose number of eggs has reached a critically low level (i.e. who no longer have functional eggs), there are several options:

1. Egg donation
2. Adoption of a child
3. Taking in a foster child (foster family)

In egg donation , a woman (egg donor) donates her own eggs to another woman who does not have eggs (recipient). It is therefore a third-party reproduction and always involves the use of assisted reproduction technology (IVF or ICSI).

This means that the recipient is not the genetic mother of the child conceived through egg donation, but this procedure allows her to become pregnant with her partner (who will be the genetic father of the child) and experience motherhood like any other fertile woman. Over the course of her pregnancy, the recipient will build the entire body of a fetus herself, molecule by molecule.

Egg donation is permitted under Austrian law.

However, the procedure is subject to some legal limitations:

• both heterosexual and lesbian couples have the right to use egg donation;

• the recipient must not be older than 45 years of age;

• Egg donors must not be older than 30 years;

• the cost of providing oocytes for the egg donation procedure will not be covered by the IVF Fund in any case;

• the recipient couple and the donor are required by law to sign a notarial deed valid for two years before egg donation;

• Egg donation in Austria is semi-anonymous – from the age of 14 (or earlier if it is medically indicated), a child conceived through egg donation has a legal right to know the basic data of the egg donor. However, the egg donor is not legally obliged to contact or maintain contact with her genetic offspring.

At ReproCreate Fertility Clinic , you have the following options for egg donation:

1. with an egg donor whom you personally engage for egg donation;
2. with donated eggs provided by ReproCreate.

Egg donation is a complex procedure.

It is associated with higher costs than standard IVF/ICSI treatment.

We will be happy to provide you with further details during a detailed initial consultation on egg donation.

“Note: For some women, the decline in fertility starts even earlier and progresses even faster than usual. By the average age at which the average woman’s fertility decline begins (35 years), these women may already be completely infertile.”