Egg Donation - Common Medical Tourism Procedures

Definition:

The egg donation process enables a woman to become pregnant who is not capable of producing healthy eggs due to various reasons.  The child who is born with donor eggs has the genes of his father and a donor mother.

An egg donor is a woman who donates her eggs to help other woman to become pregnant. The egg donors can be Designated (known) - known donor such as friend, sister or relative or anonymous (unknown donor) who donates eggs for money or just to help other infertile woman. Many infertility clinic and agencies helps to find appropriate egg donor.

Additional information about the procedure

Preparation for the procedure

The donor may need to sign legal contracts involving the parental rights of the recipient and responsibilities.

The egg donor is screened for medical and emotional stability before the actual egg donation procedure begins, by various test and examinations.

During the procedure

After the suitability is confirmed the donor woman is given certain hormonal medication to synchronize her menstrual cycle with recipient’s menstrual cycle. She also requires taking fertility drugs to stimulate her ovaries to make extra eggs.

The last step involves eggs retrieval or egg harvesting. The donor is put under the mild anesthesia and the mature eggs are retrieved by small needle that is placed in to vagina and is guided to ovaries with the ultrasound. Generally this procedure may take about an hour and patient is kept under the medical observation in a clinic (or hospital) for few hours.  A donor can expect next menstrual cycle after 10 days of procedure.

This entire process starting from matching of menstrual cycle to egg retrieval is called as “egg donation cycle”.

Risk

The egg donor may experience mood swings, bloating, cramping etc for few days after the procedure.

The major complications associated with egg retrieval procedure are rare however the other associated risk include

• Injury to the ovaries and adjacent organs
• Infection
• Vaginal bleeding with lacerations
• Infertility or ovarian hyper stimulation
• Anesthetic reaction

Uses

Egg donation helps the infertile couple and a woman who is not able to produce good quality eggs necessary for pregnancy.

Egg donation is also used in case when a woman wants to avoid a genetically transmitted disease to their child.

The donated eggs can be used in other infertility treatment such as Invitro Fertilization, surrogacy etc, especially when a single man and woman wants to become a parent.

Traveler’s guide

Donor should plan to stay for longer duration and arrange for the help after the procedure of egg retrieval.

It is necessary for both donor and recipient to understand the whole procedure and be aware of associated consequences. Before taking decision about donation or receiving the egg have recommendations and also ask the others who have undergone similar process.

Do have legal contracts to protect the rights and responsibilities of respective persons.