If you’ve recently received an infertility diagnosis and are unable to use your own eggs to conceive, your doctor may have recommended pursuing donor eggs to start or complete your family. This generous genetic gift can help those struggling to have a baby on their own conceive. However, you may not know much about the process, or perhaps you have some concerns based upon misinformation you’ve already heard.
Significant misunderstandings can surround the process of egg donation, especially regarding donors, their compensation, and their reasons for donating.
Here are four reasons why egg donation benefits all parties involved in the process.
Donors make others’ dreams of a family come true
A common cause of infertility is advancing age. As a woman grows older, her eggs diminish in quality and quantity, and achieving pregnancy becomes increasingly more difficult. By age 40, she has about a 5% chance of conceiving.
As an alternative to natural conception, many people turn to in vitro fertilization (IVF) for fertility help. After several rounds of traditional IVF with no success, some people may wish to consider donor egg IVF, as they can significantly increase their chance of pregnancy by using donor eggs. Additionally, if a woman is predisposed to certain genetic diseases, she may wish to use donor eggs to mitigate that risk.
Participants learn about their bodies and overall health, including genetics
Throughout the egg donation and donor egg IVF processes, participants on both sides learn a great deal about how human reproduction works and their own fertility. For example, doctors administer genetic and fertility screenings to ensure egg donor applicants are eligible to donate. As a perk, the results of these exams give these young women a robust education about their overall health. All participants can discover much about their genetic health and family’s genetic past.
Both parties can become fertility treatment advocates
While donating their eggs, many young women come to understand much more about those who are suffering with infertility, and may wish to spread awareness of their newfound knowledge. Working with their clinics and online research can help them understand the hardships so many people have been through to receive donor eggs.
Perhaps you’re a same-sex couple seeking to build your family using donor eggs. Your donor may learn about the different options available to same-sex couples trying to have children, such as using a gestational surrogate and donor eggs. With this understanding, your donor can spread awareness of why LGBTQI families deserve to have children. You and your partner dream of having a life together that includes a family; why shouldn’t you have an opportunity to grow your family like anyone else?
Egg donation and donor egg IVF participants often become vocal advocates for destigmatizing fertility treatment and spreading awareness of alternative family building methods like donor egg.
Donors are compensated for their time and effort spent donating
Young women may not have the financial status or career growth yet to pay off college debts, start a new business, or pursue similar interests which cost a hefty sum. Rather than going into debt or choosing to relinquish their dreams, donating their eggs is an altruistic way of attaining capital relatively quickly.
The significant monetary compensation for egg donation may initially be an attractive reason to become an egg donor; however, most clinics won’t accept women who are only donating for the compensation. Most – if not all – donors are empathetic to those suffering with infertility, and seek to give them the gift of life.
Open your mind and heart to the opportunity
Taking part in the egg donation process allows donors to see there are many ways to live and have children. Donors have the potential within them for life, and they have the power to give others – like yourself – the experience of parenthood. Consider this opportunity and make the right choice for you and your future family.
