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Egg Donation

Egg donation is a route to having babies that many couples take during their fertility treatment. Couples across the world choose this route when struggling with female infertility

What Is Egg Donation ?

Egg donation is a route to having babies that many couples take during their fertility treatment. Couples across the world choose this route when struggling with female infertility , but others may choose to use a donor egg if a woman has a genetic predisposition that she doesn’t want to pass down to her children. Others still decide egg donation is right for them if they are in a lesbian relationship and one partner wants to carry a child using the other’s egg, or if they have gone through chemotherapy or have transitioned from male to female and no longe have viable eggs.
Egg Donor
Egg donation is a very successful form of fertility treatment in which one woman donates her healthy eggs to another woman who needs them. First, the egg donor has some of her eggs removed from her ovaries. (Don’t worry! Most women have about 300,000 eggs, only 400 of which ever have the chance to become babies. The donor will still be able to have her own children if she wants.)
Then, these donated eggs are fertilized with sperm in a process called in vitro fertilization or IVF , and the embryos created are placed into the recipient’s uterus. The sperm may be from the recipient’s partner or may be from a sperm donor . Finally, the recipient of the eggs carries the growing baby to term and gives birth to it just like any other mother!

Who Would Benefit from Egg Donation?

Lots of people around the world use egg donors for a variety of reasons! You should always consult a fertility doctor before deciding on a procedure, but you might consider finding an egg donor if you fall into any of the following categories:
There are many, many more reasons that a person might want to use an egg donor; these are just a few of the most common ones.

How Are Donors Selected?

You have a lot of options when choosing an egg donor. If you want your child to share some of your genes, it is possible to ask a sister or a cousin if they would be willing to act as your donor.
If using a known donor, it is important that she goes through counseling and psychological evaluation before donating to ensure she is prepared for the process of donation and her future involvement or lack of involvement (depending on the parent’s choice) in the child’s life.
It is also critical that a known egg donor and the prospective parents draw up a legal document with a lawyer that relinquishes all parental rights that the donor might have over the child. Fertility Doctors emphasize the importance of this step, as it is absolutely essential to ensure that your future child and family are legally protected from any unforeseen circumstances that may arise.
While using a known donor is a great option for some, many people use an anonymous donor from an egg donor agency.
If you do decide to go this route, you will have access to information such as the egg donor’s physical appearance, ethnicity, education, hobbies, and achievements to help you choose whose eggs you would like to use. This means that even though the donor’s egg won’t be genetically related to you, you can still have a child that looks very much like you in terms of skin color, hair, and other physical features.
Potential egg donors must undergo a rigorous screening which includes a complete physical exam, medical/social screening, psychological evaluation, genetic screening and infectious disease screening approved by the FDA. The donors must also give informed consent for the procedure and sign a legal contract that relinquishes all parental rights over the egg.

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