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Egg Donation and Surrogacy

What is egg donation?

A fertile woman giving another woman her egg or oocyte to aid in her conception is known as egg donation. It is included in assisted reproductive technology, or ART. Typically, the process involves a doctor taking an egg or eggs from the donor, fertilizing them in a lab, and then putting the developing embryos into the recipient's uterus. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one implantation technique doctors use to accomplish this. It takes the eggs out of the woman's ovaries and fertilizes them with sperm. "Embryo" refers to this fertilized egg. The embryo can be implanted into a woman's uterus or preserved later.

Sometimes, the facility's doctors will freeze all or part of the embryos for use at a later time or for implantation in other women. Donating eggs often helps women who are unable to utilize their own for a variety of reasons, including elderly age, ovarian failure, or preventing congenital disabilities in the baby.

How is the receiver ready to receive the transfer of embryos?

The person's uterus is stimulated in synchronization with the donor's, and IVF embryos are deposited there. The patient's ovaries and menstrual cycle are suppressed with medicine, and then progesterone and estrogen are administered to encourage the growth of the uterine lining. The procedure is the same for frozen embryo transfer. However, timing coordination is unnecessary. Frozen or fresh embryos are transplanted three to five days after conception. Hormonal therapy is maintained up to the pregnancy test, and if it comes back positive, it is continued until the early stages of the first trimester.

Criteria for becoming an egg donor:

  1. Donors’ ought to be between the ages of 21 and 34. For patients under 31, specific medical centers have been cut off.
  2. Donors should have a healthy BMI and not be underweight or overweight.
  3. The ovaries and ovarian reserve of egg donors should be in good reproductive health.
  4. It is not suitable for donors to use birth control, especially IUDs.
  5. Consistent menstrual periods and normal hormone levels are regular.
  6. Donors shouldn't smoke or have a drug or alcohol addiction in the past.
  7. Shouldn't have had a sexually transmitted infection in the previous year.

Egg donor screening:

Screening egg donors is essential to preventing infectious infections, reducing the spread of genetic disorders or defects, guaranteeing the psychological and emotional stability of the donors, and preserving their health and commitment throughout the donation procedure.

  1. To remove any hereditary illnesses that could affect the offspring, such as a family history of cancer, heart disease, mental illness, etc., or genetic abnormalities like being a genetic carrier for cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, etc., the donor should have a comprehensive medical and family history as well as genetic screening.
  2. Both the donor and the person who receives the egg may have emotional difficulties while donating it. Reputable egg donor programs require comprehensive psychological testing to guarantee the health of the offspring and ensure that the donor is making an educated choice before the donation procedure.
  3. Some organizations carry out tests for Fragile X syndrome and chromosomal analysis, but additional genetic testing must be carried out based on the donor's medical history and ethnic background.

Legal aspects of an egg donor:

The legal status of egg donation varies by country. In keeping with its cultural, ethical, and religious beliefs, the United Arab Emirates has put in place a regulatory framework to control assisted reproductive procedures, including the donation of eggs and sperm.

  1. To protect recipients' privacy and prevent the child born from the donation from locating their biological parents, UAE legislation requires that egg donors remain anonymous.
  2. The UAE's legislative framework forbids paying donors money in exchange for their efforts, encouraging generosity and the desire to fulfill the wishes of others by enabling them to become parents.
  3. The legal system in the United Arab Emirates strikes a balance between advancing reproductive technology and norms and values, upholding moral principles, and honoring religious and cultural beliefs while encouraging contemporary reproductive technologies.

Risks of egg donation:

Like IVF, egg donation is a low-risk technique with a comparable level of risk. While there is little chance of significant issues, anesthetic usage during egg retrieval is uncommon. In rare instances, bleeding may occur for certain women, and blood vessel, colon, or bladder injury may also result. Antibiotics may be recommended to prevent infection if it arises during egg removal. Some medicines can produce mild, moderate, or severe overdose symptoms (OHSS). Always receive medical advice. Extreme instances may necessitate hospitalization, with symptoms including difficulty breathing, fast weight gain, stomach discomfort, and vomiting.

What is surrogacy?

An arrangement known as surrogacy occurs when a woman (the surrogate) consents to bear and give birth to a child on behalf of an individual or pair- the intended parent. Surrogacy is a complicated process. Due to various circumstances, many couples internationally need surrogacy services. This arrangement has complex social, ethical, moral, and legal considerations, even if it appears advantageous for all parties involved.

To whom can surrogacy be done?

  1. A woman who has undergone a hysterectomy or who is missing a portion of her uterus, ovaries, or other genital tract is unable to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term.
  2. Pregnancy is risky for a woman due to a medical issue.
  3. A male couple of the same sex wants to have a child using the sperm of one or both partners.
  4. An unmarried man wants to use his sperm to conceive.
  5. The male spouse of a lady who passes away and has frozen embryos in storage wants to use the embryos to have a child.

Types of surrogacies:

  1. Traditional surrogacy: Using either intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization, the surrogate's egg is utilized to generate the embryo of the child she will bear.
  2. Gestational surrogacy: Using either donated egg or sperm or their egg and sperm, the intended parents develop an embryo.

Commercial vs altruistic surrogacy:

Surrogacy can be either commercial or charitable, depending on whether the surrogate is paid for the pregnancy. If the surrogate receives payment for the surrogacy agreement, it is considered commercial; receiving no payment other than reimbursement for her prenatal care, medical costs, and other connected expenditures is considered altruistic.

Legal aspects of surrogacy:

To safeguard their rights, the intended parent and surrogate must draft a formal contract and hire separate attorneys for each side. Once the contracts are signed, the medical procedure may start once all parties have examined and agreed on the conditions.

Ethical aspects of surrogacy:

Surrogacy has been a subject of numerous ethical debates, with concerns about exploitation, commodification, and coercion when women are paid to be pregnant and deliver babies. This is particularly concerning in cases where there are significant wealth and power differences between intended parents and surrogates. However, the right of women to enter into contracts and make decisions about their bodies is a counter-argument. Womb commodification is another major issue, as it allows the rich to exploit poor women's willingness to perform jobs as long as they earn a wage.

Another ethical concern is the motherhood status of the women involved, including the relationship between genetic, gestational, and social mothers and whether a child born via surrogacy should have the right to know the identity of all involved parties.

Religious aspects of surrogacy:

Religious perspectives on ART and surrogacy vary around the globe. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, for instance, forbids the sinful practice of sperm or ovum donation as a means of separating a husband and wife. Islam considers this to be a very unethical practice as well. Nowadays, complete gestational surrogacy—which includes using IVF and the gametes of both parents—is the only kind of surrogacy that Jewish religious institutions accept. While traditional surrogacy was the sole option in the past, the emergence of IVF and gestational surrogacy has called into doubt the applicability of these concepts.

The psychological impact of surrogacy:

Because surrogacy is generally the final option for treating infertility, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary because of its psychological complexity. Understanding intended parents' and gestational carriers' connections is essential to surrogacy success. Intended parents and the surrogate usually maintain a personal bond throughout the pregnancy, in contrast to donor egg programs. Surrogates, intended parents, and children often coexist together despite psychological problems.

Egg donation vs. Surrogacy:

Two distinct methods of third-party reproduction are egg donation and surrogacy. Egg donation helps intended parents fulfill their ambition of starting a family by contributing the genetic material needed to conceive a child. In contrast, gestational surrogacy helps intended parents envision carrying and delivering a pregnancy. Unlike gestational surrogates, egg donors have a genetic relationship with the offspring that results from their donation.

Why MMC IVF?

Throughout the world, MMC IVF has assisted thousands of people and couples in overcoming the social, psychological, and physical obstacles associated with infertility and other reproductive issues. With the highly personalized attention you deserve, we deliver the cutting-edge clinical therapy you require. We stand out as a destination for fertility tourism because of our excellent success rates, individualized care, and affordable treatment options.