Some people seem to think ejaculating in a cup is equivalent to donating human eggs so here goes:
There are several risks and side effects that may be associated with providing donor eggs:
Fertility Drugs - moderate weight gain, mood changes, stomach pressure, headaches, allergic reaction, Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) of the ovaries (5% chance in any cycle). Hyperstimulation could lead to enlarged ovaries and an increased susceptibility to develop blood clots necessitating hospitalization. In very rare cases it may also lead to the development of fluid in the abdomen or lungs, kidney failure, or stroke. In extremely rare cases, an enlarged hyperstimulated ovary will rupture. This may necessitate general anesthesia and major surgery, with all the inherited risks. Loss of one or both ovaries is possible. The risk of hyperstimulation is minimized if the follicles are aspirated as is planned to occur at the donor egg retrieval. The risk increases if, after taking the fertility medications to stimulate the ovaries, you choose not to undergo the egg retrieval. There also exists an unlikely possibility of a lasting effect on your pelvic organs, including pain, irregular menstrual function, or impairment of future fertility. Finally, an association between fertility drugs and ovarian cancer has been suggested but not proven.
Antibiotics - possible allergic reaction which, in rare cases, may be severe.
Ultrasound guided egg retrieval - mild to moderate discomfort after the procedure. Potentially serious complications include bleeding, infection, and injury to the bowel or blood vessels. In extremely rare circumstances, surgery may be necessary to repair damage to internal organs or to control significant internal bleeding (i.e., hemorrhage). Anesthesia will be necessary for the egg retrieval. (The risks associated with anesthesia will be explained during a consultation with an anesthesiologist.) There may be additional risks of donating eggs, which at the present time have not yet been identified.
Torsion - twisting of an enlarged ovary resulting in sudden onset of severe abdominal pain. Onset during exercise or other agitating movement is common.
Psychological Distress - sometimes associated with assisted reproductive technology procedures.
Inconvenience - monitoring procedures during the period of stimulation, and the time needed to perform the egg retrieval itself will result in a certain amount of inconvenience and lost time.
Potential Long Term Risks - no definitive studies have demonstrated any link between egg donation and infertility, cancer, or any other significant long-term health problems. Since egg donation is a relatively new procedure, we hope to learn more about the long-term effects of donor eggs in the future when additional research becomes available.
From Egg Bank America
Once the women are approved as donors and are selected by an aspiring parent, the donors take medication to synchronize their menstrual cycle with the recipient's, and they have to inject themselves with drugs in the stomach or thigh numerous times per day for 10 days to accelerate egg production. The women, who are encouraged to abstain from any physical activity that might irritate their ovaries, also have to visit a doctor every one to three days for ultrasounds and bloodwork.
Once the injections are complete, the clinic schedules the extraction, during which a doctor uses "thick needles" to puncture the donor's vaginal walls and drain the follicles.
The process is not without risk of complications, Martineau writes. "Some women suffer a reaction to the fertility injections known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which in extreme cases can be fatal," she writes.
But most potential donors are unaware of the complexity of the process or of the risks it poses, according to Martineau.
In four out of the six procedures, Griffin said, her ovaries swelled and she experienced weight gain, severe nausea, abdominal pain, and trouble urinating. One time, Griffin was hospitalized so that doctors could drain fluid from her abdomen.
After the hospitalization, Griffin couldn't stand for three weeks and had to recover for two months. While Griffin said the clinic discussed potential side effects, she did not expect to be in so much discomfort. "I had no idea what was going on," she said.
The lucrative (and potentially dangerous) world of human egg donation
Egg donors have reported long-term effects including aggressive breast cancer, loss of fertility, and fatal colon cancer, sometimes occurring just a few years after donation. Without any family history of these illnesses, they suspect their egg donation as the cause. However, without scientific research, no one can confirm or deny a causal association between the medical procedure of egg donation and any reported long-term effect.
Egg Donation Risk and Reward
