DONOR EGGS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pam Duffield         Nurse Coordinator

In making the decision as to whether receiving donor eggs is the correct option for you and your partner there are many questions you may need to ask.

This information brochure is designed to answer some of these questions. Once you have read through it, you are encouraged to set up an appointment with myself or Sister Krina just to clarify any concerns you may still have and also to put your name on our waiting list.

LEGISLATION GOVERNING EGG DONATION

At this present time there are two laws which are relevant to donor eggs:

1. The Human Tissue Act.

This law states that it is illegal to buy or sell any type of human tissue. Therefore it is illegal for us to encourage egg donors to donate eggs at our clinic for any financial gain. It must be done as a purely voluntary act. We are however entitled to give the donor a gratuity that compensates for travel expenses, time away from the work place, and discomfort from the injections and procedure.

This amount is set at a maximum of R6000-00; we generally try and share the donor between 2 couples in which case, each couple will pay R3000-00. The money is paid to the donor in cash after the eggs have been removed. It is the recipient’s responsibility to ensure that the money is handed in to the ladies at the accounts department on the day of egg collection; a thank you card with an anonymous message from you is always appreciated by the donor.

The Human tissue act also requires the donor and recipient to remain anonymous to each other.

2. The Children’s Act

This law states that the birth mother is the legal mother of the child. This implies that once the donor has donated her eggs, she no longer has any legal rights or responsibilities toward the child born from the eggs. The reverse applies in the case of a surrogate carrying a child.

Both recipient and donor will be required to sign a consent form acknowledging that they have been informed and understand the legal aspects of egg donation.

DONOR SELECTION AND SCREENING

Encouraging suitable donors to donate is not as easy as one would imagine. Factors which contribute to difficulties in recruiting donors:

1.  Lack of education regarding fertility and how eggs are produced.

2. Suspicion about the procedure, coupled with fear of loosing all eggs and being rendered infertile.

3. Fear of needles and hospitals.

4. The perception that donating an egg is like giving away a baby.

5. Getting time off work to come in for scans and procedures.

6. Transport to and from the clinic.

7. Disapproval from friends family and spouse.

8. Concerns about side effects of medication.

We look for young women between the ages of 21 years and 34 years who have had at least one child. This is the ideal; however we are not rigid about these parameters - it very much depends on the circumstances surrounding the donor. For example, a couple may want to use a sibling who is 36. In this case with the correct counseling we will consider the matter.

The donor will see myself or Sister Krina for an initial consultation. At this time we will carefully go through the donor’s history: medical, gynaecological, surgical, as well as questions about any hereditary diseases or disorders in the family history.

The donor will also fill in a questionnaire about her phenotype (eye colour, hair colour, height etc), education, hobbies and interests as well as a history of any familial illnesses.

This will be shown to the recipient so that they have some sense of what the donor is like. Once we are satisfied that the donor is a suitable candidate, she will be sent for blood tests, which involve shormone screening and STD screening.

If the blood tests are normal then she will be examined and scanned by one of the doctors to ensure she is fit and healthy and will be able to undergo the procedure. She will also have vaginal swabs done to establish that she has no infection which may interfere with the successful retrieval of the eggs. Please note that the recipients will be responsible for the costs of the screening and this will be billed to their account on the day of egg collection.

Many recipients are concerned about the intellect of the donor. Most donors are of average intellect, this stands to reason as they would not be able to carry out instructions on the program otherwise. We know that there is always a debate over “nature vs. nurture”. If you have major concerns about this you need to spend time with one of us, or preferably one of our psychologists to examine your thoughts and feelings around egg donation. In fact, it is a good idea to go for at least one appointment before embarking on the program.

Most recipients want to know “how do you match us up to a donor?”. You must let us know what will be acceptable to you (for example only dark eyes or only blue eyes) and when it is your turn we will tell you what we have available. However it is important for you to understand that the more specific your requirements are, the longer you may be on our waiting list.

Another common question is “how long must I wait?". The demand for egg donors in S.A. far exceeds the supply. As we have to rely on voluntary donors, we cannot really determine how many donors we will get each month. So it would be fair to say that you could possibly wait for up to 6 months.

What is the success rate? If you have a young donor the success rate is 65%. However one has to take into consideration as to what other fertility problems there may be as these may have an impact on the success rate.

Once the initial screening of the donor is complete, and the recipient couple has carried out any of the tests that may also be required, we will then be ready to commence the IVF program.

The first task will be to synchronize the cycles of the donor and recipient/s. This is done by giving the donor and the recipients low dose oral contraceptive tablets and then manipulating the cycles until the periods coincide, although it sounds difficult, it is a relatively easy exercise. If the periods are very close together it may not be necessary to use the oral contraceptive tablet.

The donor will be given a series of injections to stimulate the growth of the eggs. The recipient will also be given medication to thicken the lining of the uterus in readiness to receive the fertilized eggs.

Once the eggs are mature, the donor will have a simple procedure which is done under sedation to retrieve the eggs. The eggs will then be fertilized with the partners/donor sperm. Once the embryos are at an appropriate stage of development, they will be transferred into the recipient’s uterus. This is a simple procedure and does not require any sedation. Approximately 2 weeks later the blood test will be done.

If you wish to join the donor waiting list you will need to make an appointment with Sister Krina or Sister Pam to do so.

If you are not already a patient at Medfem you will need to make an appointment for an initial consultation with one of our doctors first and then he will refer you to one of the sisters.  

You can also contact Jenny at +27844658353 or baby2mom@telkomsa.net.
Jenny works exclusively with Medfem Clinic too source egg donors see http://www.baby2mom.co.za for more information
Once she has found a donor they are extensively and professional assessed by Medfem Fertility Clinic. If they are psychological and physically fit to be a donor they are allocated to a recipient for further therapy.