Giving birth can be one of the most beautiful experiences for a woman. Although rife with challenges, health issues and various other grave considerations, childbirth is something that almost every woman looks forward to, some time or the other, in her life. Sadly, however, not all women are equally endowed in this matter and some would never experience the raptures of giving birth to an offspring. This is when egg donation comes into the picture. We at Buzzle, provide you some valuable information about this entire process.
What is Egg Donation?
Sometimes, a woman may donate one ovum or several ova either for the purpose of assisting in reproduction, of other women having infertility issues and other adverse reproductive conditions, or for the purpose of biomedical research. Most of the time, donated eggs are used for assisted reproduction. For this purpose, the eggs or ova undergo in vitro fertilization process, under which, they get fertilized in a laboratory environment. The donor of the ova may be anonymous (unrelated and unknown to the recipients), designated (known to the recipient, usually a relative or friend) or participants of shared oocyte programs.
The recipients of such third party ova usually consist of female individuals, whose reproductive conditions do not allow them to bear genetic offspring or who have crossed the fertile period of her life due to advanced reproductive age. Sometimes, birth defects affecting the reproductive system such as absolute or partial absence of certain reproductive organs may also prompt such women to seek donated eggs. Any damage or disorder of the reproductive organs, such as ovarian cysts and malignant growths, leading to their surgical removal, and other gynecological problems may also render a woman unable to conceive. Such women also benefit from third party reproduction programs.
The Procedure
There are a few steps that are involved in the entire procedure. After a donor is recruited, she is made to undergo a thorough medical screening to ascertain the soundness of her health and the health of her ova. The medical screening includes a pelvic examination, a test of her hormone levels, and a screening for infections and other diseases that might affect the health of her ova. An ultrasound screening is conducted to examine the reproductive organs of the donor to determine whether or not, there are any abnormalities or deformities in those organs. Next comes a psychological evaluation to ascertain, whether the donor is mentally prepared and emotionally equipped for donating her eggs. This is followed by the donor signing a legal contract with the laboratory. On signing the legal contract, the donor relinquishes any rights of custody and ownership over any child that results from any pregnancy, which may be induced by her donated ova.
Thereafter, IVF stimulation therapy is initiated. The donor is given birth control medications in order to synchronize her menstrual cycle with that of the recipient. This is followed by hormone regulating medication, which obstructs the normal ovarian functions of the donor. Thereafter, to stimulate the production of the ova and accelerate the rate of maturation of such ova, follicle stimulating hormones are administered to the donor. The entire process is supervised by medical experts to keep an eye on the growth and development of the donor's ova, and to monitor, how the donor reacts to the hormones that are administered as part of the donation process.
Next comes egg retrieval. Once the follicles have matured sufficiently, the doctor decides the date and time on which, the ova would be retrieved for fertilization. About 36 hours preceding retrieval, the donor receives one last shot of hCG hormone as a means of preparing her ova for harvesting. The process of retrieval requires a minimal surgically invasive procedure and takes somewhere around twenty-five to thirty minutes. After the extraction is over, the donor may be released within a couple of hours of resting period and observation, and she may resume her usual activities from the very next day.
How Long Does It Take
Once a donor is recruited and after she has undergone medical screening, psychological evaluation, and has signed the legal contract, the rest of the process - right from IVF stimulation to egg retrieval - takes somewhere between three to six weeks, depending upon the variations between the donor's and the recipient's reproductive cycles.
Egg donation is a noble cause and it is extremely encouraging to look at the motivational statistics, that point towards altruism as the sole motivation for the majority of women to act as donors. Only a small percentage quote monetary considerations as their motivation to donate eggs. The process of donation is not completely devoid of risks, though the incidences of such risks are negligible, given the thorough medical and psychological screening, that the donors are made to undergo. The risks may include adverse reaction to administered hormones, bleeding, and ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome. Some donors may even experience some psychological blocks on or after donation, however, this is quite rare. Certain studies have pointed towards possibilities of developing ovarian cancer, which may result from long-term, repetitive participation in egg donation programs. The recipients may also be vulnerable to transmittable diseases and infections, however, given the intensive donor screenings, such an occurrence is extremely rare.
