For Donors: Medical Conditions and Egg Donation

Are you considering egg donation? As a donor looking to donate your eggs to a couple, there is nothing more rewarding than helping a couple have a baby. However, before any woman can fully donate, a complete medical and physical history must be completed on her. This is to ensure that the eggs given to the recipient are viable and that she is at an optimal level of health.

The Donor's Family History

The first thing the physician will start off with, after educating and counseling the egg donor, is her family history. This process involves the donor finding out beforehand any conditions that run in her family. This is because the donor mother will be providing her eggs, and therefore her genes, to the recipient couple. Just because the donor does not have a particular medical condition, this does not mean that she is not a genetic carrier for a particular disease.

Therefore, it will be necessary to find out any conditions or diseases that might result from using the donor's eggs. Conditions such as Down Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis and Sickle Cell Anemia are some of the most popular ones questioned, and these would restrict a donor from donating. But, these are only a few of the many genetic conditions that are noteworthy in egg donation.

The Donor's Past Medical History & Physical Examination

After the family history is examined, the physician will then conduct a thorough physical examination. One component of the physical examination is donor's past medical history obtained from any medical tests previous completed. During the physical examination, the physician will be looking for certain conditions, such as sexually transmitted diseases, diabetes, heart conditions or any signs of mental illness. During this time, the physician will also take a sample of the donor's body fluids, such as blood, urine and vaginal mucus. These will be tested for any infections or abnormalities that might affect the donor's eggs being used for conception.

As stated before, the physical examination does not only test the presence of diseases, but it is also used as a time to review the donor's hormone cycle. The physician will need to assess whether the ovaries of the donor are able to respond to stimulation to release eggs. Thereby in doing so, an assessment is made of her reproductive cycle and the donor's ability to respond to hormones and medication. The physician will need to determine if using this particular donor will result in the most efficient process of egg donation, and hence maximize the chances of the recipient couple becoming pregnant.

After the Physical Examination

After the physical examination is completed, the donor is then given the necessary hormones and medication to stimulate release of her eggs. This process can take a few weeks, and during this time, the physician will also monitor her to ensure there are no adverse reactions to the medicine, and that the woman’s reproductive cycle is functioning normally. When the time is right, the eggs are collected by surgery under sedation.

Since the process is very thorough for screening donors for any medical conditions, this ensures that all the necessary precautions are in place for the recipient couple to give birth to a healthy baby.

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