Egg donation

[Amandine.K]

Hi,

One of my friends back in France has fertility problem and had to go through egg donation to conceive her baby due in August. I promised that once I stop breastfeeding my baby, I will do an egg donation to support all these couples enable to conceive and to show support to my friend. But, I have no idea where to look or who to get in touch with. Any idea?

Kiitos!

[Jukka Aho]

I will do an egg donation to support all these couples enable to conceive and to show support to my friend. But, I have no idea where to look or who to get in touch with. Any idea?

Some pointers found by quick googling:

• A list of clinics that perform in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Finland
• Family Federation: Donated Eggs and Sperm Bank
• Fertinova: Egg Donation

[AlexInHelsinki]

You have to pay to donate your eggs? Isn't it usually the other way around?

[Rip]

You have to pay to donate your eggs?

Where did you get that idea from?

(from Väestöliitto)

The donor will be reimbursed for her expenses.

[biscayne]

Hi Amadine K,

I work in the area of Medical Genetics. It's really nice of you to consider egg donation, but you should be aware that it is rather a painful proceedure to harvest the eggs, and you have to take hormonal therapy before they can be harvested, and this has difficult side-effects for a lot of women. You are still breast-feeding, so I am assuming that your baby is under 1 year. It might be a lot "on your plate" to be taking care of a soon-to-be toddler and coping with hormone injections and egg harvesting.................. The other thing is, the cut off age for donation is 35, and they really want women in their 20s to be donating as this would be the optimal age for healthy eggs. I am sure you are likely to be under 35, but just letting you know, in case. It's a wonderful "gift", but it is quite an involved proceedure.

[Amandine.K]

I know about the hormonal treatment and the pain you can experience with it and with the harvesting. I am not breastfeeding anymore. I didn't want to donate egg and breastfeed, actually I don't even think it's possible.

I'm going back to work in August so I'd rather do it before as then with work and the kids it'll be too demanding.

Anyway thanks everybody for the tip, I'm going to call one of the clinics to know.

[AlexInHelsinki]

You have to pay to donate your eggs?

Where did you get that idea from?

(from Väestöliitto)

The donor will be reimbursed for her expenses.

Under "Charges:"

Egg donation (package price) 6.814,50

[Amandine.K]

That's what you pay if you are receiving an egg donation, not if you donate yourself

[AlexInHelsinki]

That's what I assumed they meant, but they sure put it in a funny way. They should add "receiving an" in there.

And DO they pay the donor? 'Cause if you're not getting paid, they shouldn't really charge the people who are receiving the egg for that part, should they? Otherwise they're just making money off your donated eggs.

What a weird concept. The commercialization of human eggs.

It would be really nice if you could just donate without money being involved on either end, as it seems in your case cash isn't your motivation.

Weird.

Could you say that it's human trafficking to charge for eggs?

Weird weird weird. I have to stop thinking about this now. I'm all weirded out.

[Upphew]

That's what I assumed they meant, but they sure put it in a funny way. They should add "receiving an" in there.

And DO they pay the donor? 'Cause if you're not getting paid, they shouldn't really charge the people who are receiving the egg for that part, should they? Otherwise they're just making money off your donated eggs.

What a weird concept. The commercialization of human eggs.

It would be really nice if you could just donate without money being involved on either end, as it seems in your case cash isn't your motivation.

Weird.

Could you say that it's human trafficking to charge for eggs?

Weird weird weird. I have to stop thinking about this now. I'm all weirded out.

Would you, as a doctor, do it for free when someone wants to donate an egg and someone else wants to use it? Or did you mean diy egg donation and fertilization?

[Amandine.K]

I have no idea if you get money to donate egg. It's not my motivation so I didn't ask at all. I know in the States it's a real business. Depending on your looks, your academic achievements etc you get more $$$ which is very sick I think.

Re: paying to receive the donation it doesn't chock me. As a donor I won't have to pay anything but still the hormonal treatments, the gynecological visits, the harvesting... All that cost unfortunately. Then you have to count the same for the woman on the receiving end as she too will have to undergo hormonal treatments and ivf procedures.

I called one of the clinic yesterday, spoke to a really nice nurse who asked me all kind of questions. They never had a "foreign" donor so she wasn't sure my donation could be accepted. Which sucks as there is a big shortage...

Questions asked were:
- my age (you have to be less than 35)
- if I had children
- if I got pregnant easily
- any health problem
- my mother's health
- my reasons for donating
- if my cycles are regular
- if my husband was aware and ok with the donation

She is supposed to call me within the next few days to let me know if I can do it or not. We'll take it from there after that. Fingers crossed it'll be ok, even if I'm a "foreigner"...