Many couples who want to have children face conception difficulties and resort to assisted reproduction (in vitro fertilization) using their own eggs and sperm. However, there are cases where they must use sperm or eggs donated by another person. Egg donation has enabled many women, whose ovaries do not produce enough high-quality eggs, to achieve pregnancy.
You might be reading this information out of interest in becoming a donor, or it might have been suggested to you by a friend or relative. If so, you need to learn everything you can about the process and seriously consider what it involves before starting. Being a donor of genetic material is a very important and courageous decision.
Which Women Can Donate Their Eggs?
Not all women can donate their eggs. There are specific rules set by law.
There are particular age limits for egg donation, from 18 to 35 years old. The minimum age ensures that a woman can legally give her consent.
How Can I Join the Egg Donation Program?
Once you express interest in participating in the Egg Donation Program (by phone or email), you will need to have an initial meeting-interview with a doctor from the IVF Unit. During this meeting, you will receive an information guide about the donation program and be informed about the entire process, the side effects of the treatment and egg retrieval, and the potential risks involved in the method. Based on your evaluation, you may be accepted or rejected from the donation program, and after being fully informed, you may choose to decide or reject the idea of donation.
After the briefing, you will need to complete an application-consent form to participate in the donation program and agree to undergo medical and psychological evaluation.
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What Are the Stages of the Egg Donation Process?
1 . Stage of Multiple Egg Development Stimulation:
In a normal menstrual cycle, one egg matures and is released during ovulation from a sac containing the egg (called a follicle) in the ovaries. In egg donation, the goal is to mature more eggs than usual in the ovaries through medication (“induction of multiple follicular development”). The medication is similar to the hormones your body produces but in constant doses. In most donation cases, ovarian stimulation begins on the second day of the cycle.
A midwife or doctor will teach you how to administer the injection subcutaneously in the abdomen using a very small insulin needle, making the pain negligible. They will also guide you on when to do the daily injection at home. The injections are administered for 10-12 days and must be given at a specific time each day.
During the egg donation treatment cycle, you will undergo frequent blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds to monitor the developing eggs and your body’s response to the medication. Based on these tests, the doctor may adjust the medication dosage.
At a specific point, according to the development of the eggs, you will receive a final shot of another medication to prepare for egg retrieval, and the retrieval will be scheduled.
Generally, during the donation treatment, you will need to visit the Unit 4-5 times by appointment.
2. Egg Retrieval Stage
The eggs will be retrieved from your ovaries through a minor surgical procedure called egg retrieval (transvaginal ovarian aspiration), where a thin needle placed in the vaginal ultrasound probe aspirates the fluid from each follicle to collect the eggs.
During the egg retrieval, which lasts about 30 minutes, the presence of an anesthesiologist is necessary to administer light anesthesia. Immediately after, you will stay in recovery for a few hours before going home. On that day, it is recommended to have someone accompany you home, avoid driving, and rest. Often, you may need to limit any intense activities for a few days afterward.
3. Luteal Stage (Ovarian Relief)
After recovering from the egg retrieval, the treatment cycle is complete. You must follow your doctor’s strict instructions for the following days (high-protein diet, low salt intake, limited fluid intake) until you get your period (within 7-14 days).
Post-Retrieval Care
After the egg retrieval, you will be given instructions on what to do and when to seek medical assistance. In some cases, donors return to the Unit for one or two check-ups.
Will Egg Donation Affect My Future Fertility?
Many women worry that donating their eggs might reduce their ability to conceive later. Every month, a woman matures 1,500 eggs, of which 1,499 will be destroyed by the body, and only one will be selected for ovulation. With IVF hormones, we keep 15-20 of these eggs alive, which were scheduled for self-destruction in that particular cycle. Therefore, the number of eggs a woman has in her ovaries for the rest of her reproductive years is not affected. In the absence of complications, egg donation does not impact your future fertility.
Anonymity or Not?
Each egg donor chooses whether her identity will be anonymous or disclosed or if it will be revealed to the child after adulthood if requested. The choice between an anonymous or named donor is made by the assisted persons. The identity of the child and its parents is not disclosed to the egg donor.
Compensation for Genetic Material Donors
According to the Authority (Government Gazette 5524/B/2022), gamete donors are compensated for medical, laboratory, and nursing expenses incurred before, during, and after gamete retrieval, as well as for travel and accommodation costs within Greece, and biological stress. The donor altruistically donates her eggs and does not receive financial compensation for the donation, only the legally specified expenses and compensation. The compensation amount is paid after the egg retrieval, and a legal tax document is issued.
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