What is egg donation?
Egg donation is a process in which a fertile woman donates an egg or oocyte to another woman to help her get pregnant. To make sure you get an effective treatment plan, visit the best IVF centre in Punjab.
Stage One: Look for an Egg donor
The donor is selected from a pre-scanned pool of egg-donors at the clinic or where the egg recipient is getting the treatment. Your friend or family member can also become a donor, but they need to undergo rigorous screening. It is important to follow the legal procedures.
Stage Two: Suppression and Ovarian Stimulation
Before the procedure starts, the donors need to take medications to ensure that the recipient and donor menstrual cycle is synchronized. Medications can leave side-effects like tiredness, flushes, head, or muscle aches.
Fertility injections or drugs are given to stimulate the ovaries to produce several eggs which are called hyper-stimulation. Donors have a high risk of pregnancy before egg retrieval so intercourse needs to be avoided. On the other hand, the recipient needs to take estrogen and progesterone to help the implants egg the best environment.
Stage Three: Triggering Ovulation and Egg Retrieval
When ultrasound shows that donor eggs are developed they need to take trigger shots of hCG which is a hormone produced in the placenta after egg implantation.
After 2 days, a short procedure is performed with mild sedatives or painkillers. From the vagina, eggs are retrieved which is then fertilized in the laboratory. Once the procedure is done, the donor can go back to her home. In some cases, women might need to rest for a few days and others can return to work the next day.
What are the risks and side effects of egg donation?
Well, the risk involved with egg donation is minimally less. Egg donors have the same risk as women who use their eggs for IVF treatment. Apart from the minor risk attached to the use of anesthetic during the egg retrieval process. There is a slight possibility of bleeding when the needle is inserted in the ovaries which are rare.
One of the major risks is Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome due to fertility medications for increasing ovulation. The issue can be moderate to severe. If the issue is severe then hospitalization is needed.
In some cases, there are psychological risks for the donor. However, reputable egg donor programs include proper psychological screening before selection. No doubt, egg donation is an emotional business that can affect the donor after the process. At times, the person can regret her decision and feel anxious for the future child which will come to the world. But, there is a feeling of satisfaction, personal fulfillment, and pride in helping other women to conceive and start her own family.
