egg donation It is an assisted heterologous fertilization technique in which the eggs from a donor external to the couple and the couple's sperm are used. The eggs are fertilized in vitro and the resulting embryo is implanted in the uterus of the woman who wants to have a baby. It is a procedure that does not involve great risks if you go to a qualified center with proven experience.
However, it can have side effects for both the donor and the recipient. For this reason it is important to have clear ideas about possible adverse events before undergoing egg donation.
Egg donation, what is it?
The potential donor undergoes medical check-ups to verify her state of health. You must also be between the ages of 20 and 35, free of infectious or hereditary diseases (for this you must have known parents), as well as a history of drug and alcohol abuse. If the history and other factors are in order, the woman undergoes ovarian stimulation with the help of some medicines and monitored by ultrasound for about 2 weeks. At the right time, the necessary ova are taken and will be frozen or treated fresh. That is, they will undergo in vitro fertilization (after thawing) with the sperm of the man belonging to the infertile couple. Sampling is done by aspirating the follicles that have developed inside the stimulated ovaries. It is performed with a transvaginal ultrasound probe equipped with a very fine needle that passes through the vaginal wall to reach the ovary. This sampling is performed under sedation.
Meanwhile, the receiving woman must undergo a hormone therapy for about 20-30 days to prepare the endometrium to receive the embryo. She will also be monitored via ultrasound checkups. At the right time, the embryos will be implanted between 2 and 5 days after the fertilization of the oocytes. The procedure is simple and painless, comparable to a gynecological visit: through a catheter that is passed through the cervical canal of the uterus, the embryos are deposited inside the uterine cavity, under ultrasound guidance. After a couple of weeks, a pregnancy test is performed to confirm the success of the procedure.
What risks does the woman who donates the eggs run?
The most frequent risks for the donor woman occur after the pharmacological therapy necessary to stimulate the ovaries and may be the following:
- slight weight gain
- mood swings
- ovarian hyperstimulation
The latter undoubtedly represents the main risk since it can lead, although in rare cases, to very serious complications, including ovarian rupture. The danger is reduced with the use of adequate pharmacological protocols, with constant ultrasound monitoring under the supervision and guidance of specialized medical personnel.
technique is not everything
The withdrawal procedure, if executed well, does not involve major problems. However, an infection at the injection site cannot be ruled out for sample collection, for which antibiotic therapy will have to be carried out, or the continuation of a light bleeding. In addition, there is the possibility that some oocytes may escape from the collection, so the donor is advised to refrain from unprotected intercourse during the treatment cycle or immediately after if she does not want to become pregnant.
Finally, some minor discomfort may remain after the procedure, such as slight ovarian pain or with a irregular cycle they are leaving in no time.
To date, no correlation has been demonstrated between the egg donation and the development of cancer or other pathologies in the long term.
What risks does the woman who receives the ovules run?
The donation ovules for the recipient woman is simpler and safer in the procedure phase, but it can have some side effects in the continuation of the pregnancy. The biggest risks are preeclampsia (hypertension plus proteinuria) and hypertension of pregnancy, both dangerous for the woman and for the continuation of the pregnancy. These conditions can also lead to premature labor and the birth of a low birth weight baby.
Scientific studies have highlighted and confirmed these egg donation side effects , but the reasons are still unclear. Since women over the age of 40 undergo this procedure, the main cause is believed to be this: the risks of hypertension in pregnancy and gestosis increase with age. It is not excluded that the increase in blood pressure values in these contexts is due to genetic factors, or rather to the adaptation of the embryonic immune system in contact with the genes of the recipient woman.
Even so, it has been shown that strict and careful selection based on recipient health criteria significantly reduces the incidence of these risks.