In Vitro Fertilization
Egg Donation
Jan
Egg Donation
Are you interested in becoming an egg donor, or have decided to make use of egg donation for reproductive assistance? Egg donation is a procedure that is done with the assistance of a fertility specialist who extracts eggs from the ovaries of a donor; the obtained eggs are either frozen for future use or immediately fertilized to be implanted in the uterus of a woman to begin their pregnancy.
What is Egg Donation
Egg donation is the process that allows a woman to conceive using the donated eggs of another woman. This is a third-party procedure that may be done as a part of an assisted reproduction treatment or for biomedical research. In assisted reproduction, egg donation usually involves the In Vitro Fertilization technology; eggs are fertilized in the laboratory while unfertilized eggs are preserved and stored for later use.
Who Uses Egg Donation?
There are a variety of reasons why a woman chooses to use a donated egg to conceive instead of making use of their own egg cells; all of these reasons are linked to infertility in a way. Single men, as well as gay couples who wish to have a baby, must also utilize egg donation; in this case, the egg is fertilized using the one of the males semen.
There is a wide range of situations when an individual or a couple may opt to go through the egg donation procedure to start a family, and below are some of the most common reasons:
Age
Early Menopause
Medical Reasons
Repeated Failed Pregnancies
Who Are Qualitifed as Egg Donors
Donating eggs is one of the biggest decisions a woman can make since being an egg donor may be complex and overwhelming. Egg donors are recruited when eggs are needed for reproductive assistance; however, not anyone can volunteer to be an egg donor.
Listed below are the necessary qualifications to become an egg donor:
Aged between 18 and 32 years
Physically and psychologically healthy
The egg donors BMI should be within 19 to 29
Has both of her ovaries
Experiences regular, monthly menstrual periods
Does not contraceptive implants or Depo-Provera injections for birth control
No smoking and using of psychoactive drugs
No history of substance abuse and no family history of genetic disorders that can be inherited
Pros of Being an Egg Donor
If you plan to be an egg donor, it is good to know some of its advantages. Here are some of the benefits of being an egg donor:
You will gain knowledge about your fertility potential, which may help you in planning and deciding when you will start your own family. It can also give you insights in considering egg freezing if you plan to delay childbearing for a long period of time.
Egg donation brings psychological satisfaction since you will feel good after helping a struggling couple that is unable to conceive naturally or even with advanced reproductive technologies. Couples who are unable to conceive experience a lot of internal stress which is similar to patients who suffer from cancer.
You will be able to receive free testing for several genetic disorders and screening for infectious diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B and C, HIV, as well as syphilis,
For your time and effort, you will be given financial compensation; women who choose to be egg donors are known
Cons of Being an Egg Donor
While egg donation has its advantages, it also has its risks as with any medical procedure. Listed below are some of the cons of being an egg donor:
Donors are commonly reported to go through psychological difficulties due to the thought of not having involvement with the child after contributing to the couples conception.
Egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedure that requires sedation and monitoring, so after the procedure, you may experience having impaired reflexes and feel disoriented.
Major complications are rare, however, there have been reported cases of bleeding, blood clots, and infection after the procedure. Some women may also develop ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or OHSS; this results to swollen ovaries, abdominal pains, and water retention until the next menstrual period.
Extraction of Eggs
Egg donors are required to undergo a health screening to see if they are physically and mentally capable of donating eggs. The examination includes a pelvic exam and pap smear, blood tests to check hormone levels and if there are any infectious diseases, a pregnancy test, as well as a psychological screening which will be done by a mental health professional.
Egg donation lasts from three to six weeks each time eggs are extracted. For the first few weeks, the donor and the recipient will be given hormone therapy in order to get them to the same reproductive cycle.
The donor will receive a series of injections of follicle-stimulating hormone therapy for her ovaries to release several oocytes or mature eggs. The procedure itself is an out-patient surgery that is done under sedation and will take about 15 to 20 minutes. Guided by ultrasound, the fertility specialist utilizes a long, thin needle to obtain the eggs from the follicles of both ovaries.
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