The process of egg donation usually requires a lady with a fertile egg or oocyte. The fertile woman will donate her egg to a different woman to assist her in giving birth. This process is under the assisted reproductive technology, also referred to as ART. A surrogate agency that focuses on egg donation and works as the middle ground for the donors, mother, and therefore the intended parents.
The process typically requires a doctor to get the eggs or an egg of a fertile donor. The doctor will fertilize those eggs inside a laboratory wherein it’ll become an embryo. The doctor will then transfer the embryos to the uterus of the surrogate. This implantation process is known as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
Sometimes, there are specialists in the facility who will freeze either some or all of the embryos which will be used afterward to a different woman. The egg donation process is usually used by women who cannot utilize their eggs due to various reasons. These reasons could be ovarian failure, older age, or trying to avoid congenital anomalies.
The 2014 study of Fertility and Sterility has suggested that around 93 percent of fertility centers based within the US would offer an egg donation service. This journal indicated that the process often results in a successful birth rate which is at 49 to 50 percent.
Factors To Expect For The Procedure
Medication Intake
Specialists working in a surrogate agency or fertility facility are going to be conducting an intensive selection procedure when trying to seek out the most suitable donor. They’re also going to carefully run through the legal procedures involved within the process.
At the start of the procedures, most donors must take medicine which will stop their normal cycle. Some of the side effects of the medication might include:
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Body aches
- Hot flashes
After the medication, the donor will need to take fertility drugs that will help stimulate the ovaries in producing several eggs. This process is named hyperstimulation. The egg donors will self-administer the medication by injecting it under their skin or into a muscle. Some egg donors will experience some effects because of the medication. These may include:
- Bruise on the injection site
- Mood swings
- Tender breasts
In some rare cases, a woman might develop an OHSS or ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This happens when there are too many eggs that develop within the ovaries. Donors who develop the OHSS may have to be hospitalized. There’s a risk that the donors might get pregnant before the eggs are taken which is why it is important to avoid intercourse or use a barrier sort of contraceptive sort of a condom. Throughout the donation process, the donor will have to undergo frequent ultrasound and blood tests to watch the body’s reactions to the given medications.
Extraction Process
Before retrieving the eggs, the egg donor will get her last injection to prepare for the procedure. The doctor will have to perform the transvaginal ovarian aspiration to retrieve the eggs. The doctor will then insert the ultrasound equipment into the vagina of the donor. The needles will help remove the eggs from the follicles within the uterus.
While the procedure is ongoing lasting half-hour, the doctor might give painkillers, anesthetic, or sedatives to the donor. Since this is often a minor procedure, the donor isn’t required to remain at the hospital or surrogate agency clinic overnight.
After Extraction Process
Some women may require certain several days after the transvaginal ovarian aspiration process. Some women may return to their usual schedule the next day. Some agencies provide an aftercare service to the donors while others might not. The egg donation process may have a psychological impact on the donor which is why several women will find it beneficial to go to a psychotherapist or counselor after the procedure is over.
There is a low risk involved in egg donation. The processes and medications for egg donors are almost like women using their eggs using the IVF process. The usage of anesthetic carries very minimal risk to the egg retrieval process but serious problems are uncommon within the procedure.
Some women may have trouble during and after the procedure which is why they need to have an experienced doctor to do the procedure. Donors and recipients must work alongside a reliable surrogate agency to make sure that they’re going to undergo a secure process.
