The whole process of egg donation always requires a woman with a fertile oocyte or egg. The fertile woman will donate her egg to another woman to help her in conceiving. This process is under the assisted reproductive technology, also mentioned as ART. A surrogate agency that focuses on egg donation works as the middle ground for the donors, mother, and thus the intended parents.
The process requires a doctor to retrieve 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 recipient. This process is named In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
Sometimes, there are specialists during a facility who will freeze either some or all of the embryos which can be used later for different women. The egg donation process is typically employed by women who cannot utilize their eggs because of various reasons. These reasons might 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 method often leads to 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 hunt out for the most suitable donor. They also carefully run through the legal procedures involved in the method.
At the beginning of the procedures, most donors must take drugs that can stop their normal cycle.
Some of the side effects include:
- Body aches
- Fatigue
- Hot flashes
- Headache
After the medication, the donor will have to take fertility drugs that are used to stimulate the ovaries in producing several eggs. This process is known as hyperstimulation. The donors are going to be self-administering the fertility medication by injecting it under the skin or into a muscle. A number of donors will experience mild effects from the medication.
Some side effects 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. Those donors who develop the syndrome may need to be hospitalized. There is a risk that the donors might get pregnant before the eggs are taken which is why it’s important to avoid intercourse or use a kind of contraceptive like a condom. Throughout the donation process, the donor will need to undergo a frequent ultrasound and blood tests to observe the body’s reactions to the given medications.
Extraction Process
Before the retrieval process of the eggs, the donor will get a final injection to arrange for the procedure. The doctor will then try to retrieve the eggs by performing the transvaginal ovarian aspiration. The doctor will then insert the ultrasound equipment into the vagina of the donor. The needles are getting to be wont to 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 stay at the hospital or the agency clinic overnight.
The Extraction Process
Some of the women may require several days after the transvaginal ovarian aspiration process.
Some women may return to their normal lifestyle the next day. There are other agencies that provide an aftercare service to their donors while some agencies don’t. The method of egg donation may have an impression on the psychology of the donor which is why a lot of women will find it beneficial to go to a psychotherapist or a counselor after the procedure.
There are only a couple of risks involved in egg donation. The processes and medications for egg donors are almost like women using their own 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 it’s essential for them to have an experienced doctor doing the procedure. It is vital that donors and recipients must work alongside a reliable surrogate agency to make sure that they are going to undergo a secure process.
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