Egg Donation: Information for the Future Donor

In Russia, Belarus and Ukraine surrogacy service is officially allowed, so all related topics are gaining popularity. Many are interested in the question of how much they pay for egg donation, planning to make money on this, but someone is interested in the consequences of such a procedure. In this article we will talk about how egg donation goes and what a future donor needs to know about this procedure.

Hired biological parents

Over the years, egg donation and seminal fluid donation have become very popular, and there is an explanation for this, because the cost of the service is quite high and the reward for oocyte donation can be obtained quickly. Therefore, many people think about how to become an egg donor solely for the purpose of material gain, and it would be wrong to condemn it. However, before becoming a surrogate mother or egg donor, you must carefully weigh the pros and cons. Indeed, in fact, you receive a reward for a very valuable service – your own genetics and health as well. Well, if you have thought of everything well, then read on how to become a donor.

What is egg donation?

Egg donation is a process of voluntarily transferring one’s own oocytes to an interested person, based on the principles of mutual assistance. Oocytes may be required to participate in an artificial insemination program when both partners have infertility, as well as in cases where only the woman has problems with conception. The procedure is absolutely painless and quick, however, before it requires a long planning stage, research and preparation for puncture (oocyte collection). Every month, every healthy woman naturally produces one, in rare cases, two, eggs. When the reproductive functions in the body are impaired, eggs are not produced or are produced rarely, so often the only options for giving birth to a child is an egg donation or surrogacy service. In both cases, a female egg donor is required, whose biomaterial will be used in the program.

Who can become an oocyte donor?

Puncture of oocytes is performed only in healthy women from 18 to 35 years old. Who already have a child and have undergone a full examination by a number of specialists. Therefore, before confirming your participation in the IVF protocol, you will be assigned a detailed study. The body check is carried out in many parameters and the examination stage can take from one to three months, so do not expect that after your decision to become an egg donor, the candidacy will be approved right there. Women for this position undergo a serious selection, a complete examination of the body and consultation with specialists. But there is no need to worry – an expensive examination is paid by the medical center to which you applied and you will not incur any expenses.

How is the donation planning and procedure going?

After the initial consultation, most often by phone, the future donor must go through a list of doctors and take tests, provide confidential information about himself, which, except for the customer (parents who are planning the IVF protocol), no one will know. But among the data, information will not be provided by which later you could be calculated in some way. For example, information about your:

• height;
• weight;
• hair and eye color;
• education and field of activity;
• marital status;
• the number of healthy children;
• age and so on.

You will definitely need your baby photos so that parents-to-be can have an idea of ​​what you look like. But ethical clinics and competent specialists will never disclose to the customer such data as:

• your last name, first name, telephone number;
• home address;
• place of work;
• the city where you live and so on.

Therefore, egg donation is completely anonymous and safe. At no stage of the protocol will you intersect with the customer and you will never know for whom you did such a good deed. There should always be an intermediary between the customer and the contractor. Moreover, according to the law, the same woman does not have the right to participate in the role of an oocyte donor and a surrogate mother, if required. Psychology plays a role here – the surrogate mother is not carrying her child and therefore, after childbirth, she easily passes it on to her parents.
Naturally, the procedure is very expensive, many couples have been saving money for eco-fertilization for many years and dream of a child, so everything is legally approved by both parties and, according to the law, a surrogate mother has no right to claim the child she will give birth to.

After you have passed all the studies in the clinic, you have been approved in the program as a donor, you need to start taking hormonal contraceptives to synchronize the cycle with the future surrogate mother. There are even cases when there are several surrogate mothers and synchronization occurs with several women at once. There is nothing special at this stage – the donor and mothers just drink contraceptive pills to regulate the cycle, and all critical days began on the same day (this is necessary for oocyte infusion and their engraftment). At the same stage, the donor is prescribed injections of a special stimulating drug into the abdomen, some clinics require a daily visit to the medical center for this procedure, in other institutions it is allowed to inject injections at home. The duration of such injections is usually 2 weeks, you should not be afraid for them, since the needle in the drug that stimulates the production of oocytes is scanty and it does not hurt at all. At this stage, the number of oocytes increases in order to select among them the most promising and high-quality ones for the future embryo. Usually, oocyte collection or puncture allows you to take from 10 to 20 eggs, of which 1 to 3 of the strongest are selected and implanted in a surrogate mother (which is why most often eco-children are twins or even triplets). On the last day of stimulation, another injection is prescribed, which prepares the body for a puncture, it is given intramuscularly and the next day the eggs are taken. Immediately after the procedure, the donor receives the promised monetary reward.

Egg donation cost: how much is paid to an oocyte donor?

Recall that the procedure is free of charge, but the donor still receives material reward, and it is worth noting that it is rather big. The amount of remuneration depends on the clinic, city and experience of the future donor. The average payment amount is from 1000 US dollars, depending on the region and requirements for the donor. If you have already had a positive experience, then it is much easier to establish yourself in the program.

Egg donation reviews: what to expect from the service

Women who have undergone oocyte donation have different opinions about the procedure, but still most want to participate in the program in the future. Firstly, here you can get a large amount of reward practically without doing anything, and secondly, after the already existing experience, it is not so scary. Among the reviews about donation, it can be noted that the most difficult thing here, perhaps, is that the procedure takes place under anesthesia and many women are wary of this. Otherwise, there is nothing terrible or complicated about it.

Egg donation consequences

So far, no negative consequences of the procedure have been identified. The body usually recovers after a puncture within three days, and the only symptoms noted by donors are mild weakness and abdominal pain. But such consequences do not always happen, there are girls who do not change their life schedule at all and immediately after the puncture go to work or go about their business.

The procedure can be repeated several times, but it is still worth thinking about the fact that this may not be useful for women’s health, moreover, the procedure requires some effort, visits to the doctor and time. If you are thinking about becoming an oocyte donor, then it is quite possible for a healthy woman to participate in the program and give the cherished joy of motherhood to a family that needs help.