Infertility is an issue that affects around 1 in 7 couples in the UK. It is much more common than people first think, which is why there are a variety of options to choose from such as IVF, surrogacy, egg donation etc. There are a wide range of options if you think you may be suffering with infertility, such as getting some tests done and ensuring you are correctly tracking your cycle, so you know the best days to conceive.
The UK is now a home to people from all different nationalities and has become much more diverse over the years. Therefore, when it comes to the option of egg donation, there are many couples looking for afro Caribbean egg donors and black egg donors, so the demand isn’t just for white egg donations anymore. Afro Caribbean women are being urged to come forward to donate eggs to allow all couples the chance to have a family.
In this article, we are looking to explore common questions that come with egg donation, to hopefully encourage more people to consider donating eggs and helping to make someone’s dream of having a child come true.
Will donating my eggs impact my own fertility?
The short answer to this would be, no. Donating eggs should have no impact on you conceiving a child later in your life. There are risks that come with donating eggs, however these are all explained before the process begins.
It is useful to know that women are born with around 2 million eggs, each month a group of your eggs will begin to mature, but your body only ovulates one egg every cycle and the rest are absorbed into your body. Fertility medication is used to ‘rescue’ some of these excess eggs.
Can multiple children be born from my donation?
Usually, around one to two women will receive eggs from a donation, each treatment can result in one baby, twins or it could be unsuccessful. Any embryos created from your donation can be frozen (with your consent) in order to help the recipient if they wanted to try for a second child.
Will the recipient ever know who donated their eggs to them?
This issue is highly regulated by HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority), which means any donations are kept completely anonymous. However, if the child from the donation wanted to know who their donor was, they have the right to ask HFEA (only once they are over 18) for the donor’s identity (name, address and date of birth).
Can I become pregnant during the treatment?
Yes, it is possible to become pregnant whilst undergoing the treatment, however it is important that this doesn’t happen, so you are encouraged to avoid unprotected intercourse between starting the treatment and 3 weeks after your egg retrieval.
Has this helped? We hope so!
If you are considering egg donation, it is important to understand exactly what you are doing and how this will affect you and your life. Be sure that you have access to all the correct information from relevant healthcare professionals to help you to make an informed decision. There are lots of resources available online, and your GP will guide you to make sure that your health comes first.
