Egg Donation: Most Donors Satisfied

(WebMD)  Most women who donate their eggs at fertility clinics look back at their egg donation experience with satisfaction -- but others express physical and psychological concerns, according to a new study.

Nancy Kenney, Ph.D., of the University of Washington and Michelle McGowan, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University studied 80 egg donors from around the U.S., reporting their results in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

The women completed questionnaires about their expectations and experiences the first time they donated eggs. At least two years had passed since that donation. The reason for the delay was to give the women time for long-term perspective.

All of the women had been paid for donating their eggs. They reported payments ranging from about $1,100 to $7,300. For some women, money was their sole motivation, but others said they did it purely (or at least partly) out of altruism.

Emotional, Physical Feedback

Two-thirds of the women reported only positive feelings about having donated their eggs. Another 14 percent had negative feelings, 12% had mixed feelings, and the remaining women had neutral feelings or didn't answer that question.

The positive feelings included happiness and pride at having helped someone else. The negative feelings included frustration that the donation process was anonymous (so they could never know what happened to their eggs) and feeling underpaid for their donation.

Sixteen percent of the women reported physical problems -- including ovarian cysts, fertility problems, and weight gain -- that they linked to donating eggs. But here's no proof that egg donation caused any of those problems, Kenney and McGowan note.

Pain and bloating at the time of the donation were the most common physical problems that the women reported; most cases were mild. But 20 percent of the women said they didn't remember being told about any physical risks, such as ovarian hyperstimulation, before donating their eggs.

From a psychological standpoint, seven women said they were still curious to know about any children that may have resulted from their donation. And two donors "had developed ongoing concerns that a child that they bear and raise might, by chance, meet and develop a relationship with her donor offspring," write Kenney and McGowan.

It's not clear if the women who chose to complete the survey were representative of other egg donors. The researchers recommend longer follow-up with egg donors to see how they fare physically and psychologically.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved

[baby2mom]

Well it is a free world and people wanting egg donors can be very particular about their exact egg donation requirements.

Having said this, egg donors in South Africa are given a fixed amount to compensate for the inconvenience of proceeding through the egg donation treatment. This is regardless of any qualifications.

baby2mom Egg Donation and Surrogacy Agency
http://www.baby2mom.co.za

[notopennshut]

It is laughable to hear these young women say that they are doing it for the satisfaction of "seeing" others happy!! Since when? If they are donating it free of charge, that is another story. All of them are in it for the money. If there is no monetary gain, how many of them would be willing to do it? I bet you that you would probably find less than a handful throughout the nation.9except for family members) If they were really honest about making others happy, they would all voluntarily donate their eggs for free to an "egg bank". Let''s report the truth for what it really is.

[whitemale08]

Another example of British parasitical behaviour.

Read this story of how British women pay Indian women a couple 100 worthless British pounds to carry their larvae like children.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-500601/Wombs-rent-Childless-British-couples-pay-Indian-women-carry-babies.html

[brannigon]

Man, what a sick world!