Egg Donation: Could You Cope with Giving Away Yours?

Egg donation is the process where a woman undergoes drug and surgical treatment to produce eggs so that she can give them to another woman. Usually the other woman either is unable to produce eggs herself, or has eggs that have been deemed to be infertile or unhealthy.

This procedure is legal, however there are many things to consider when thinking about egg donation.

When you give up your egg, it is going to become a real person that will carry your genetic makeup. Humans naturally have a deep desire to know their parents and can often feel like something is missing when they have not got that connection to their genetic parents.

Could you cope with knowing that a person is out in the world, maybe wondering about you and longing to know you?

Could you cope knowing that a part of you is with someone else and that someone else is getting the enjoyments that parenthood offers?

If you have deeply considered these factors and feel that you can handle this situation, than perhaps egg donation is something you wish to look further into. It is an altruistic thing to do and can richly reward the life of another. If a child develops from the situation the pleasure and joy to the woman you donate to, and also to the friends and family around her, would be a marvellous thing.

So what medical procedures would you have to undergo in order to make an egg donation?

Well before you even start the medical process you would have to undergo psychological tests to make sure you understand what you are doing. The process from beginning to end can take up quite a lot of time, so be prepared to have to work your life around it. It is not a spare of the moment decision where you can just head into the clinic and say "You can have my eggs!"

After the evaluation has taken place and you have been approved as a suitable candidate, you will need to prepare yourself mentally for medication that you will be taking into your body. This medication is not in an easy oral form. The medication has to be injected under the skin of your body. This is generally not painful, but if you happen to hit the wrong spot, it can be.

The medication stimulates the ovaries so that the egg production is underway. Normally a woman only releases one or two eggs every cycle, but the drugs are designed to stimulate more eggs, anywhere between 5 and 20. This process is called hyper stimulation.

You will need to head into the clinic to have ultrasounds and blood tests along the way to make sure everything is going according to plan. The eggs can be monitored and then the drug doses may be adjusted accordingly.

Naturally because you have multiple eggs maturing, you need to avoid having any intercourse during this time. You may be told you can have sex if you use an effective barrier contraceptive system, but it is much better to be safe than sorry.

When the eggs are getting to a point of maturity, you will have an ultrasound to determine what stage the growing follicles are at. If you are ready, then you will be given another injection with a different drug to prepare your body for the harvest of the eggs.

The process of collection is called transvaginal ovarian aspiration. You may need to be sedated or have anesthesia during the process as it can be quite painful.

A probe with a needle on the end of it is inserted into the vagina and the needle will then puncture the follicles and collect the eggs and the liquid from inside them. Although it is considered a minor process, you will still need to rest for a few days after to recover.

There are certain risks of this procedure to take into consideration also. During the collection process your blood vessels, bowel or bladder can be accidentally punctured and damaged. This is a very rare occurrence, although it still needs to be discussed as a possibility.

The eggs are then taken and fertilized with the sperm from the partner of the woman who will then have the embryo implanted into her. At this point you will no longer have any legal control of your egg.

As you can see the process is quite involved, from the psychological factors to the medical ones. It is not a decision to jump into. Read and learn as much as you can about the subject. There are some great forums on the internet that can get you interacting with others who have gone through the process or wishing to go through it.

Egg donation has been responsible for making many people parents who otherwise would not have been able to be.