Egg Donation

Egg Donation

In any year, one million couples in the UK are trying to start a family. Some of these are unable to conceive after 12 months of regular sexual intercourse without contraception. They are called `subfertile', rather than infertile, and investigations need to be carried out to find the cause of their problem. Subfertility is the commonest problem among people under 40 years of age, who are referred to hospital specialists.

However, almost half of British men believe that a woman needs an orgasm to get pregnant. Over half of British women and three quarters of men, when asked, did not know that a women is at her most fertile in the middle of her menstrual cycle, when she is ovulating.

Home ovulation testing kits, (e.g `Clearplan One Step') which can be bought over the counter at your local pharmacy, can accurately predict when a woman is at her most fertile, and can, therefore, provide an invaluable role in the treatment of subfertility.

Some couples are subfertile because the woman is unable to produce eggs. This may be because the ovaries have never developed, as in a condition called Turner's Syndrome, or because the ovaries stop producing eggs, as occurs in a premature or early menopause.

For couples such as these, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or the `test tube baby' technique, is an option. It uses eggs donated by another woman to be mixed and therefore fertilised by the sperm of the patient's husband. The fertilised, donated egg is then put back into the woman's womb where the it grows and develops into a baby.

Women who want to help subfertile women by donating their eggs have to be:
*Someone who has a regular menstrual cycle and therefore ovulates regularly
*Undergoing sterilisation.
*Women already undergoing infertility treatment, but are themselves ovulating. In other words, their male partner is infertile. These women are ovulating and have more eggs than they themselves need.

Ideal egg donors should be healthy, under 35 years of age, completed their own family, and have no inherited medical disorders in the family. All women who donate eggs will be tested for Hepatitis A, AIDS and cystic fibrosis. If you decide to donate your eggs to help a subfertile woman become pregnant, you will not be told her identity and neither will she be told yours

The procedure for egg donation is carried out as follows:
You will probably be given a drug such as clomiphene to stimulate your ovaries, two weeks prior to egg recovery, to produce several eggs. Therefore,it is essential you use contraception at this time as you are more fertile than normal. Hormone levels in the blood may also be measured to check how your eggs are developing.
The eggs will be collected, either using an ultrasound scan which shows on a video screen where the `ripe' eggs are, or using a laparoscope, which is like a fine telescope, to look directly at the ovaries where the eggs are produced. Laparoscopy requires a general anaesthetic, because a small cut is made just below the navel, whereas ultrasound may just involve the use of a mild sedative, as a very fine needle is passed through the vagina or bladder to remove the eggs.

Professor Winston, Head of Fertility Studies at the Hammersmith Hospital, London, insists the best way round the problem of subfertility is to have more sex! The passion of the moment may cause ovulation to occur!!

Further information on egg donation can be obtained from the following organisations: NEEDS (National Egg and Embryo Society), St. Mary's Hospital, Whitworth Park, Manchester M13 0JH. This has the largest `test tube baby' unit in the country, run by Dr. Brian Lieberman.
The National Association for the Childless, 318 Summer lane, Birmingham, B19 3RL. Tel. 021 359 4887.
The Interim Licensing Authority, Clements House, 14 18 Gresham St, London EC5 7JE. Tel. 071 600 2705. They provide a list of all clinics dealing with infertility problems.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : This content is from the Dr Chris Steele personal archive and is provided for convenience only. Information contained here may no longer agree with the most up to date medical advice. Please check with a medical professional before taking any action.

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