Women at 40 can easily carry and give birth to genetically related baby. It has nothing to do with previously frozen eggs

Women at 40 can easily carry and give birth to genetically related baby. It has nothing to do with previously frozen eggs

Nowadays women over 40 and those who had multiple failed IVF cycles can get pregnant and carry a genetically related baby. This has been made possible with mitochondrial donation treatment.

Mitochondria are cell organelles that convert nutrients into energy to drive many processes in organism. A mitochondrion, as a powerhouse of a cell, provides energy needed to ensure effective functioning of organs.

There is often a decline in mitochondria function in oocytes of women above 40. That could be the reason for implantation failure. Mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to multiple failed IVF cycles.

That is why infertile women can get pregnant with the help of IVF using donor mitochondria. So, how does mitochondrial donation work?

Healthy mitochondria are retrieved from a donor’s egg and transferred to a patient’s egg. Then the oocyte is fertilized and a healthy embryo is transferred into a patient’s uterine cavity like in IVF treatment.

It should be noted that a mitochondrial donor is not a genetic parent of a future baby. Donated mitochondria account for less than 1% of the baby’s DNA. Therefore, women who donate their mitochondria will not have any rights and responsibilities for the baby. Mitochondrial donation is anonymous.

Mitochondrial donation program is a breakthrough in reproductive medicine including assisted reproductive technology (ART). Infertility is a global health issue that is breaking records and now surrogacy and egg donation treatment are becoming first choices for women. Through these treatments, thousands of couples are becoming parents. Mitochondrial donation makes it possible for a woman to carry and give birth to a child genetically related to both parents on her own.

Ukraine has always had many advantages in development of the ART industry, in particular, the legal implementation of surrogacy and egg donation programs. Today, a fertility clinic BioTexCom, based in Ukraine, offers its patients a world-class embryological project, mitochondrial donation program. “Three-parent baby” program allows thousands of infertile women all around the world to carry and give birth to their babies!