The Truth About Donors Eggs 5 Myths Debunked
If you’ve been thinking of becoming an egg donor or using donated eggs to have a child, you’ve probably come across a lot of conflicting information.
It is important to understand the process and to know what to expect when it comes to such important decisions.
Let’s remove some popular misconceptions so you can be armed with the right information.
Myth 1: It is very painful and uncomfortable to donate eggs.
During the preparation period before the egg donation takes place, the donor must inject the follicle stimulating hormone.
There are several side effects, including headaches, stomach aches, and symptoms like cold. The majority of the time, this effect is mild and short-lived.
Regarding the actual procedure where eggs are taken, no surgical incisions, rarely take longer than 15 minutes, and the donor is slightly sedated.
Like hormones, women report only mild side effects. If you get over-the-counter pain medication at the pharmacy, you should feel fine.
Here’s the point: there are some mild side effects you can experience as a donor, but most women report little pain.
Myth 2: Donating eggs will hurt my fertility. The Truth About Donors Eggs 5 Myths Debunked
There are some common misconceptions that contribute to this myth.
One is that donating eggs will spend your egg supply.
Women are born with hundreds of thousands of eggs. During the donation procedure, the number of harvested eggs is the amount produced naturally during ovulation.
What does this mean? That is, you will only donate the numbers that will be lost that month alone.
Another misconception is that the hormones you drink can hurt your fertility.
This is also wrong: the hormones you consume as donors are similar to your natural hormones, and will not cause infertility.
Myth 3: Donating eggs is very detrimental to my health.
There are claims that donating eggs can cause breast or ovarian cancer.
But according to a recent study, there is no conclusive evidence that egg donations cause cancer. The Truth About Donors Eggs 5 Myths Debunked
Myth 4: Anyone can be an egg donor, even someone who is uneducated or ill.
Donors go through the screening process to become donors and ensure donated eggs are of good quality.
Some common requirements for donors are:
Must have a high school diploma or equivalent
Have a body mass index lower than 29
Being in your 20s
Have good physical and mental health
It is non-smokers who do not use drugs
Depending on the clinic, there may be other requirements related to family and family history of cancer, heart disease, and psychiatric conditions.
Myth 5: The egg donor only wants money.
Although there is a financial component to being an egg donor, money is not the only motivator.
Many people consider donating eggs so they can help the infertile to start a family. It can be very satisfying to help someone in need of having a child.