What Does Egg Donation Means? Explained In Easy Terms!

Do you want to know what does egg donation means? What’s the egg donation process, and what are some of its side effects? Continue reading this article. Because in this article lies the answers to all your possible questions regarding this topic.

When we speak of egg donation, from the name per se, it means that it’s the process of providing a woman’s egg, mainly for those who want to have a baby. There’s more to this, though.

what does egg donation means

We have given our best to structure this article in a way that is easy to understand. Relatively, we quickly understood vocabulary to ensure everyone moved forward; thus, no one should be left behind.  

 

What Egg Donation Means?

So, what does egg donation means? We’ll try to explain what an egg donation is in the easiest way possible. This is a process where a fertile woman who is the donor in this treatment; donates her eggs to help another infertile woman (the recipient) conceive. It is a part of an assistive reproduction treatment and (the abbreviation used for this is ‘ART’). However, sometimes it’s also done for biomedical research.

 

Why are egg donations accomplished?

This is an option for single women and couples who want to start a family but are incapable of that. Because the woman’s eggs are of poor quality, now the eggs being of poor quality can be due to several reasons. It depends on the woman and her condition. For example, some women have a poor quality of eggs due to their advanced maternal age.

The women’s eggs start declining as they age. Moreover, the second cause behind the poor quality of eggs is premature ovarian failure. This is a condition where the women’s ovaries stop functioning correctly even before she reaches the age of forty. What is meant by ‘stop functioning correctly, you ask.

Well, this means that; the ovaries stop producing average amounts of estrogen, a hormone that aids in controlling women’s menstrual cycle and is significant for childbearing. So now, women enduring premature ovarian failure opt for egg donors because of the decline in egg regularly releasing, resulting in infertility.

However, 5-10% of women going through this condition can still get pregnant. Another reason this is done would be that women have certain genetic factors that they do not wish to pass to their children.

 

What are the medications used for this treatment?

These medications are used to stimulate the donor’s ovaries; this is done to produce more eggs. The specific medications are:

  • Lupron (leuprorelin); controls some hormone levels in the body.
  • Cetrotide (cetrorelix) and Antagon (ganirelix) GNRH antagonists; prevent the eggs from being released from your ovaries.
  • Follicle; this helps stimulate the hormones, which then helps create more eggs and matures them.

Side effects of the medications given before the treatment include headaches, body aches, fatigue, and hot flashes. Sometimes one of these medications can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Hospitalization is required for severe cases. Some of the symptoms include vomiting, stomach ache, shortness/difficulty breathing, and quick weight gain.

 

Procedure Of Egg Donation

Now let’s talk about the procedure; we will be straightforwardly explaining this. It starts with the doctor removing an egg or eggs from the donor. The eggs are then fertilized in a laboratory, and then the results are implanted in the recipient’s uterus. Furthermore, an implantation procedure is used by doctors, just like in vitro fertilization (IVF). Sometimes, all or some of the embryos are frozen; the specialists do this. And these will be used later or implanted in different women.

 

How are the donors chosen?

Fertility facilities have specialists who conduct intensive selection processes to find the most suitable donor. Legal procedures are also taken care of by the specialists.

 

Side effects and risks of this treatment

The good thing is, the risks in this procedure are relatively low. Only the usage of anesthesia carries a negligible risk during this process, but serious problems are rare. Some women experience bleeding when the needle is inserted into their ovaries. In sporadic cases, damage to the nearby blood vessels, bladder, or bowel happens. But severe damage or severe bleeding is not common at all. Moreover, there is a change of infection due to the fact removal of eggs, but antibiotics are prescribed to prevent this.

 

Why do donors decide to do this, and how much do they get paid?

So, how much for egg donation? The donors may decide to do this for monetary reasons or simply help another woman get pregnant. Moreover, egg donors get paid $5000 and $10000 per cycle.

 

When did egg donation first happen?

Egg donation was first made in the early 1980s. However, the first child born through egg donation was in Australia, and the first procedure took place in the United Kingdom.

 

The accomplishment rate of egg donation

The accomplishment rate of this procedure is more than 50%. Know the egg donor success rates

 

It’s A Wrap!

We hope that we have answered your question, and now you know what does egg donation means. Furthermore, we hope all this information stated in this article was easy to understand and not a burden to read. Hopefully, all your questions about this procedure now have their respective answers. Read related articles; know how does egg donation work and how long is the egg donation process

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