DivyaEvery woman that wants to have a child should be able to. However, certain women find they are unable to conceive naturally and must turn to others for assistance in achieving this goal. Egg donation by egg donors becomes important to many of these women.
A woman might find she wishes to serve as an egg donor to help others have the baby they dream of. However, certain questions need to be asked before a woman takes on this role.
The following are just a few of the questions every female should obtain answers to before agreeing to be a donor.
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What are the requirements for egg donation?
The first thing a woman needs to know before egg donation is what the requirements are for doing so. Facilities want to ensure the woman donating the eggs is in good health, understands the process involved, and is willing to commit to it.
Age restrictions are often put into place by facilities, and the woman typically cannot have any reproductive abnormalities or disorders. However, each facility determines what an abnormality or disorder is.
Facilities want to ensure the candidate doesn’t smoke, drink or use drugs, and is at a healthy weight before allowing eggs to be donated.
Furthermore, potential donors typically must go through both medical and psychological evaluations to ensure they are good candidates. To learn about egg donation requirements for a facility, it is best to contact that facility directly. This ensures the potential donor knows exactly what is expected and there are no surprises as the process moves forward.
What are the fees involved in egg donation?
Women willing to donate their eggs aren’t charged fees for doing so. In fact, donors are compensated for providing the eggs and can use the funds as they desire once the process is complete.
The woman receiving the eggs is charged a fee that varies by the facility used. Often, the cost runs into the tens of thousands of dollars, as the donor receives payment, there are agency fees, the actual fertilization takes time and requires several medical professionals to be available, etc.
The family wishing to have a child bears these expenses in their effort to conceive. The donor is responsible for none of these associated fees.
What are the risks for the egg donor?
Egg donation is not without its risks, and donors need to recognize this. While these risks are short-term, they must be considered when a woman is making the decision to be a donor.
For example, medications that must be taken by the donor can bring about headaches, fatigue, bloating, or moodiness. Antibiotics might be needed to prevent infection, and some women find they are allergic to these drugs.
Women need to plan their sexual relations carefully following retrieval of the donor eggs, as the medications are taken to enhance fertility increase their likelihood of conceiving as well.
The egg retrieval process can be uncomfortable for some women, and a few do have complications as a result of this procedure.
Furthermore, bloodwork must be drawn routinely throughout the process and some women find they don’t like this portion of the process, as they come away bruised or with other side effects.
What process is used when donating an Egg?
Although the process does vary slightly by the facility, women can expect to go through several stages before they are approved as egg-donor and the retrieval process is carried out.
First, the woman goes through an intake process and completes an application. At this time, she will go through physical and mental evaluations to ensure she is ready to complete the process without suffering any harm. Once the facility feels comfortable, the process can move forward.
The woman is then entered into a database where families looking for a donor can pick who they wish to work with. Women need to understand they may not be selected as a donor right away.
In fact, some women are never chosen, and the woman needs to be comfortable if that is the case. Once a family does choose the woman as their desired donor, the egg retrieval process begins.
Medications must be taken to add the retrieval process. The medications may be used to enhance fertility or to mature the eggs to be retrieved. The medical team determines when medications are to be taken and when.
Women need to ask any questions they have at this time to ensure they understand and are comfortable with the steps that are being undertaken and why they are needed. The eggs are then retrieved for use by the recipient.
What happens if something goes wrong?
Things can go wrong during the egg donation process For example, a woman might find her ovaries are overstimulated and she needs to seek medical care.
Pituitary tumors may be aggravated during the process and lead to the need for care as well. Women need to be aware of these risks before moving forward with the process.
In addition, the donor needs to learn who will be responsible for any costs associated with these complications. For example, the donor might find her insurance won’t cover the costs as they are related to egg donation, and the facility handling the donation process doesn’t cover the bills either.
She must then pay for any care related to the complications out of her own pocket.
Take the time to learn what will and will not be covered by a personal medical insurance policy before agreeing to serve as a donor. No woman wants to find she tried to help others conceive only to find herself with mounting medical debt that she cannot pay.
This can lead to the female having a bad experience that she will never want to repeat.
Egg donation is a very personal thing. Take the time to ask as many questions as necessary to ensure you feel comfortable taking part in this process.
If there are any doubts, it’s best to hold off and not serve as a donor at this time. Wait until you feel completely comfortable doing so and you will walk away pleased with the entire process and your role in helping another family conceive.
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Happy Parenting!
