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5 Things You Need to Consider Before Donating Your Eggs

Fertility is something every woman thinks about.

You’ve probably thought about and used some form of contraceptive in your life. You may have also daydreamed about motherhood.

What about helping an infertile woman become a mother?

Donating your eggs can help create a family for someone who wants to take that next step. It can also help you generate a significant amount of income.

However, there are important factors to consider.

Here are five things to know before becoming an egg donor.

1. Understand Your Donation Options

There are three routes you can take to donate – an agency, a clinic, or a directed egg donation.

An agency pays based on the area’s cost of living. This includes a donor’s wages and any expenses incurred related to the donation process.

Women can sometimes get more for their donation when working directly with a clinic. There are fertility clinics in every state, and some areas have multiple facilities to choose from.

A directed egg donation is when you’re donating your eggs to make childbearing possible for a close friend or family member. This situation does not require a matchmaking process, but still uses regular screenings.

2. Preparing for the Procedure

Donating eggs is not like donating blood, there is an extensive amount of questioning and preparation.

A donor can expect to undergo psychological testing and genetic counseling.

There is also an extensive level of blood work, a urine exam, and a discussion on family medical history. Even your BMI and travel history get taken into account.

These precautions ensure the health of the future baby, the mother, and you as the donor.

During your screening, you should also meet with a counselor to talk about the possible side effects you can experience. These include, but are not limited to, pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

3. Syncing Your Cycle

If accepted as a donor, you can’t just donate right away.

It takes a few weeks to sync your cycle with the mother. The most common form of accomplishing this is through the use of contraceptives.

Once your bodies are synced, you start to self-inject hormones into your system. This boosts your egg production, which you then follow with a “trigger shot” sometime after.

The trigger shot prepares eggs for extraction. This happens about 48 hours later, with a surgical procedure.

Doctors insert an ultra-sound guided needle through your vaginal wall to suction the eggs away from the ovaries.

4. Refrain from Personal Activities

The cycles before and after your donation cycle are not to be undervalued.

Many clinics warn donors to refrain from sexual activities until at least one more cycle after donating.

This is because a woman who just boosted her egg production is still highly fertile. You have a higher risk of getting pregnant during this time.

5. Donation Can’t Pay All Your Bills

Over the years, the rise of fertility solutions like egg donations have steadily increased. In fact, about 10,000 babies born in 2013 were conceived with donated eggs.

However, not every donation story leads to a big paycheck.

When looking at the money offered for donating your eggs, remember this is a taxable income. You can negotiate for more money, or factor in all your costs before agreeing to a contract.

There are also personal rights to consider, like being a known donor or anonymous.

Known donors can contact the family as the child grows up, but there are many emotions involved. Some families change their mind and keep the truth of conception a secret. Others are very open and enjoy their extended families with the donor.

Start the Process of Donating Your Eggs

If you’re considering donating your eggs, you owe it to yourself to work with the right clinic.

Kofinas Fertility Group is proud to offer exceptional treatment to donors and families.

Contact us today to talk about the screening process and further details.

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