Donating eggs is often described as one of the big decisions in reproductive life. Becoming an egg donor requires generosity and willingness because it allows you to help other women fulfill their dream of becoming mothers.
In this sense, many potential donors wonder how give eggs and how this procedure is carried out. In this note we tell you everything you need to know about it.
How to donate eggs?
There are many reasons why a woman may not be able to use her own eggs to get pregnant. For example, if she has received cancer treatment or her children are at risk of inheriting a serious genetic disease.
Turning to egg donors opens the possibility –to this type of patient– of resorting to assisted reproduction techniques to make their dream of having a child come true.
Egg donation is a good alternative for many individuals and/or couples struggling to conceive, and egg donors play a crucial role in this process. However, not all women are eligible to donate.
In general, donors must be between the ages of 18 and 30. In addition, they have to pass a series of medical and psychological tests to ensure that they will not transmit any disease to the baby or the mother.
Egg donation is a procedure that involves a woman – the donor – delivering her eggs to another woman – the recipient. Thus, the second can have a baby.
Once the medical tests are satisfactory, the donor will receive medications that stimulate the development of several ovules in a single menstrual cycle. This is known as “ovarian stimulation.”
Subsequently, the health professionals from the egg bank extract the oocytes from the donor by follicular puncture, a painless procedure that is performed under sedation.
Once the eggs are retrieved, they are evaluated by a specialist doctor known as an embryologist. If the expert determines that everything is in order, the next stage is passed, which consists of injecting each egg with sperm from the recipient’s male partner or with sperm from a sperm bank. This stage is called “In Vitro Fertilization” (IVF).
Finally, the fertilized eggs are transferred to the recipient woman three to five days later, and from this moment her pregnancy can begin. Health professionals will continue to monitor the progress of the conception and provide support to the expectant mother.
It should be noted that the recipient also goes through an evaluation prior to egg donation. This includes a medical history of her and her partner who will donate the sperm, if they have it. Tests include blood group and Rh factor, as well as studies of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
In addition, the recipient must go through a pelvic exam and an evaluation of her uterus. If you are over 45 years of age, you should also have an evaluation of your heart function and risk of diseases that may arise with pregnancy.
In the same way, it is possible that you will be referred to a doctor who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Throughout this stage, a mental health professional accompanies the recipient couple or person to support them in the decision to use an egg donor.
The success of egg donation will depend on different factors. However, the effectiveness of the procedure is generally not considered to be related to the age of the recipient.
Knowing all of the above, you may be ready to donate eggs or start a pregnancy thanks to this procedure. Before making the decision, you should take into account the assessment of a health professional. Likewise, I chose a reliable fertility clinic that provides you with timely information and has the right professionals.
