The FCLV team will walk you through every step of the third party reproduction timeline

Third party reproduction can be a beautiful way to grow your family using treatments like egg donation and gestational surrogacy. However, it can also be confusing. At The Fertility Center of Las Vegas (FCLV), we work hard to demystify these advanced treatment options. Carefully explaining the third party reproduction timeline is just one of the ways we do this.

Our Las Vegas fertility center has a third party reproduction team to guide you through each step. You can rely on them to answer your questions and coordinate the details of your treatment cycle.

Taking the first step with a new patient consultation and egg donor database access

Before doing anything else, you’ll have a new patient consultation. At this appointment, you’ll meet one of our board-certified fertility doctors. You’ll also get to know your case manager who will be your main point of contact with the clinic throughout the process. Our case managers speak many languages, including English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch and Chinese.

If you have a partner, we encourage both of you to attend the consultation so that you can make the most of it. Additionally, we ask that you complete two steps before arriving at your visit.

Fill out your new patient paperwork in the patient portal and upload your photo ID.
Find your insurance card and bring it to the clinic so that we can verify your benefits.

After your consultation, the next step of the third party reproduction timeline involves the egg donor database. Your case manager will send you a link to access our database. Once you create an account, you can start looking for your dream egg donor.

Note that your case manager can also provide information about other egg donor or surrogacy agencies as well as U.S. sperm banks.

Forms and finances are next on the third party reproduction timeline

In most cases, you will receive your customized treatment quote seven to 10 business days after your consultation. If you have insurance, our financial services department will review your coverage and obtain prior authorization. This process can take two to three weeks.

After sending your treatment quote, our team will wait for you to complete your financial forms and make your payment. Once everything is in place, we can start coordinating your treatment cycle.

Pre-cycle testing occurs next as a hopeful parent at FCLV

If you plan to provide sperm or eggs or intend to carry the pregnancy, the next step includes pre-cycle testing. Your case manager will give you a list of tests you must complete before treatment. The test results will help your doctor identify anything that could interfere with your cycle.

During this phase of the third party reproduction timeline, sperm collection will also occur if you’re planning to provide sperm for the pregnancy.

If you plan to provide sperm for freezing at our Las Vegas fertility center, you should stay in Las Vegas for a minimum of four days. We recommend this in case more than one semen sample is required.
If you want to provide a fresh sperm sample on the day of your donor’s retrieval, sperm freezing will not apply to you.
If you intend to use donor sperm, this is a good time to start searching for suitable donors.

All the testing generally takes one to two months. This gives you plenty of time to select your egg donor if you are using one.

Moving to third party cycle clearance and starting the treatment cycle

If you are using an egg donor, the next step is finalizing your selection. You will also need to complete all payments and consent forms before the egg donor can get started with testing.

As a part of testing, our team will compare the genetic reports of the egg donor with the sperm provider to identify any common genetic risks. If we confirm that the egg donor and sperm provider do not carry the same gene mutations, we will provide medical clearance for the egg donor match.

After medical clearance, the last step before initiating the IVF cycle is to finalize any legal contracts. A reproductive law attorney should help you with this step, which can take 14 to 90 days depending on negotiations.

Note that, even if you plan to use a gestational carrier, we recommend starting your egg donor IVF cycle as soon as you select your donor. Our Las Vegas fertility center can freeze your IVF embryos, giving you time to select a gestational carrier.

Stimulation and egg retrieval are the next steps of the third party reproduction timeline

Once the egg provider (you, your partner or your egg donor) has been medically cleared, your case manager will give you a treatment calendar.

Ovarian stimulation using injectable medications will stimulate the eggs’ growth and development.
Monitoring the eggs’ development will occur throughout the cycle. Our team will update you on the progress after every appointment. If the egg provider lives outside of Las Vegas, these appointments can occur where she lives.
The egg provider will travel to our office three to six days before the egg retrieval. The retrieval is a short outpatient procedure that removes the mature eggs from the ovaries.

After retrieving the eggs, the IVF lab can fertilize them or freeze them for future fertilization. All IVF embryos resulting from fertilization will be cryopreserved (frozen) for later transfer.

If you have opted for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), the biopsy will take place just before the embryos are frozen. Our office will receive the results in about 10-14 business days. For this part of the third party reproduction timeline, you will have a post-cycle consultation with your doctor. During this visit, you’ll discuss embryo quality and the next steps.

You’ll need to complete an additional step if you plan to use a gestational carrier

If you plan to have a gestational carrier carry the pregnancy, she will need to undergo testing at our Las Vegas fertility center. All the testing normally takes two to three weeks.

Once your gestational carrier has been medically cleared, you’ll work with a reproductive law attorney to finalize any contracts. As with egg donors, this process can take 14 to 90 days.

Exploring the final (and exciting) steps of embryo transfer and pregnancy

Once our team clears you or your gestational carrier to proceed with treatment, your case manager will provide the embryo transfer cycle calendar.

Throughout the treatment cycle, we will monitor uterine lining development. For out-of-town patients, some appointments can occur locally. Your case manager will communicate all appointment results and instructions about medications, bloodwork and ultrasounds.
Once the uterine lining is ready, you or your gestational carrier will travel to our office the day before the embryo transfer is scheduled.
Your doctor will then perform the embryo transfer procedure in our office. We ask that the patient rest at home for 24 to 48 hours after the transfer.

About two weeks later, you or your gestational surrogate will take a blood pregnancy test at our clinic. If the test is positive, your doctor will monitor the pregnancy during the first trimester. Pregnancy monitoring includes additional bloodwork and ultrasounds to ensure that the pregnancy is progressing well.

Around week 10 of pregnancy, you’ll reach the most exciting milestone on the third party reproductive timeline: graduation! This is when you or your surrogate move from the care of your fertility doctor to the care of your obstetrician. We love nothing more than celebrating with our patients on this big day and can’t wait to celebrate your good news!

If you have more questions about the third party reproduction timeline at our Las Vegas fertility center, please contact us. We’re here to answer your questions and can’t wait to help you get started on your path to parenthood.