6 Top Myths About Egg Donation Busted by Experts

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) has helped millions deal with and overcome the harrowing diagnosis of infertility. Egg donation, and the use of donor eggs for ART procedures, has been truly revolutionary in the world of fertility treatment. Egg donation allows women to donate eggs to those who cannot use their own eggs to become pregnant. Let’s take a look at the top myths about egg donation and have the experts weigh in.

Myth 1: Anyone Can Donate Their Eggs

Not just anyone can become an egg donor in India. Donating eggs involves a strict legal process, and donors must meet rigorous requirements to qualify, such as the following:

• Be between 21-35 years of age
• Have a healthy BMI
• Be a non-smoker
• Have no substance abuse issues
• Have no infections like hepatitis or HIV
• Have no family history of genetic diseases or disorders
• Provide detailed family medical history

Additionally, egg donors must undergo infectious disease screening, screening for common genetic conditions and hereditary diseases, mental health assessments, and drug testing to confirm that they are physically and mentally fit.

Myth 2: Donating Eggs Depletes Egg Supply

According to this myth, donating eggs reduces the number of eggs in your ovarian reserve (egg supply) and causes infertility. This is completely false. Women are born with approximately 1-2 million eggs, and this number slowly decreases as they age. Your body gets rid of a certain number of eggs each month (approximately 15-20) through menstruation.

When you ovulate, multiple eggs begin to develop in your ovaries but only one or two mature. If fertilization does not take place, these eggs are reabsorbed by the body and lost forever. During egg freezing, all of these eggs are retrieved. This means that you don’t lose any ‘extra’ eggs during egg donation, just the ones you were meant to lose naturally anyway.

Myth 3: Egg Donors Can Donate Multiple Times

What’s stopping egg donors from donating eggs over and over again? The law. The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 makes it clear that egg donors can donate eggs only once in their lifetime. Unlike blood donation, you won’t be receiving repeated calls asking you to donate again. Donating eggs only once ensures that you don’t strain your body by undergoing multiple ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval cycles.

Myth 4: Donating Eggs Is a Time-Consuming Process

Many would-be donors mistakenly believe that egg donation is a needlessly long process. At Corion Fertility Clinic, we understand how precious your time can be. That’s why we ensure that the entire process remains as streamlined as possible and educate egg donors about timelines and the different protocols that they can choose.

A typical donation cycle lasts just 2-3 months. You may have to take 1-2 days off work to rest after the egg retrieval. Other than the retrieval itself, the only other time commitment is showing up to your doctor’s appointments regularly!

Myth 5: Donating Eggs Can Be Very Painful

While it’s true that egg donation can be uncomfortable at times, it should certainly not be painful. This is one of the major myths about egg donation that discourages women from donating eggs.

During the ovarian stimulation phase, you may feel bloated and experience symptoms similar to PMS. The egg retrieval procedure itself is quick and minimally invasive and lasts barely 15 to 20 minutes. It is performed under sedation, so you won’t feel any pain or discomfort during the procedure. Any uncomfortable symptoms after the egg donation process are temporary and should go away within a few days to a week.

Myth 6: Egg Donation Is Harmful To The Donor’s Health

This is one of the most common myths about egg donation. Egg donation is a medical procedure, and as such, comes with a small risk of infection or other complications during egg retrieval. During ovarian stimulation, there is a very minor risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

OHSS occurs when the ovaries overreact to stimulation medication and start to swell up and leak fluid. At Corion Fertility Clinic, we do our best to minimize the risk of OHSS and other such complications by carefully monitoring the donor’s condition and response to treatment protocols.

Egg Donation in India: Take The Next Step

Myths about egg donation harm both egg donors and donor egg recipients. We hope we’ve been able to shed some light on the actual egg donation process. Donating eggs allows you to give a couple the greatest gift they can receive: the promise and possibility of their own child! It is a caring, selfless act that lets infertile couples secure their reproductive future.

Egg donation changes lives. Are you interested in becoming an egg donor? Sign up at Corion Fertility Clinic today.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. How many times can I donate eggs in India?
A. In India, women can only donate eggs once in their lifetime, according to the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021.

Q. Can donating eggs cause infertility?
A. No, donating eggs does not cause infertility, as only a small number of eggs are retrieved during the process, which doesn’t have any impact on overall fertility.

Q. Can egg donors have medical issues?
A. Egg donors need to be physically and mentally fit to donate eggs. A person with a genetic condition or even a family history of a genetic condition will not be allowed to donate.

Q. Can donor-conceived children contact the egg donor in the future?
A. No, all egg donations in India are anonymous (except in the case of known donors) and so information about donors is kept strictly confidential, even from the couple using the donated eggs.

Q. Do egg donors have parental rights?
A. Egg donors sign legal contracts waiving any rights or responsibilities associated with the children born from their donated eggs. This ensures that they do not have parental rights or any financial or legal obligations towards the donor-conceived child.

Disclaimer

The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.