Everything you need to know about egg donation
What is egg donation?
Egg donation is the process by which a woman voluntarily, altruistically and benevolently donates eggs for the purposes of medically assisted reproduction. Egg donation is carried out with the aim of helping infertile couples to have a child through medically assisted reproduction techniques.
All treatments are carried out according to the strictest quality and safety standards, complying with the requirements defined by the National Council for Medically Assisted Procreation.
Many women are willing to donate eggs, however, lack of information and fear prevent them from taking the first step. Therefore, read the following article carefully and clarify any doubts you have regarding this procedure.
Why do we donate eggs?
Infertility is a problem that affects one in seven couples of childbearing age, which corresponds to around 15% of couples worldwide. It is estimated that around 50 million couples worldwide have problems getting pregnant, and in Portugal alone, around 300 thousand couples have this problem.
Dealing with infertility is difficult for any couple. For many couples, the desire to have a child is a lifelong dream, but when combined with infertility, it can cause considerable emotional stress.
Some assisted reproduction techniques are only possible with eggs donated voluntarily and altruistically by fertile women. Being an egg donor allows us to help a group of couples suffering from infertility, making their lifelong dream of becoming parents possible. This is undoubtedly the main reason why people donate eggs.
How can I become an egg donor?
To be an egg donor, you must meet the following requirements:
Be between 18 and 34 years old;
Be healthy, with no history of sexually transmitted diseases, genetic diseases or others;
Not having donated oocytes more than four times;
If you have already donated, more than 3 months have passed.
Where can I donate eggs?
At CETI you can donate eggs. From the moment you enter a donation program, you will undergo a clinical evaluation to determine whether you are fit to donate and will receive ongoing monitoring by a doctor.
In 2012, CETI launched a program to recruit and select egg donors. The selection of the donor is a highly selective, careful and rigorous process, which takes into account the phenotypic characteristics of the recipient (eye color, hair color/type, height, weight and blood group) in order to be as similar as possible.
If I donate eggs, do I receive a reward?
Donation is a voluntary and altruistic process, however, Portuguese law provides for the granting of monetary compensation for any inconvenience directly or indirectly associated with the donation.
Article 18 of Law no. 32/2006 makes it clear that the purchase or sale of oocytes, semen or embryos or any biological material resulting from the application of ART techniques is prohibited. Portuguese law determines that oocyte donation is a voluntary process, of a benevolent nature, in which donors receive financial compensation intended to reimburse expenses incurred or losses directly and immediately resulting from the donation, defined in accordance with the terms established by the National Council for Medically Assisted Reproduction, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 22 of Law 12/2009, of March 26, and in Order no. 3192/2017 published in the Official Gazette, Series II of 2017-04-17, with a maximum limit corresponding to twice the value of the Social Support Index, currently €857.80.
It should be noted that, in the case of female donors who begin the donation process and who, for some reason beyond their control, are unable to complete it, partial compensation corresponding to 40% of the aforementioned amount is granted.
Can egg donation affect my fertility in the future?
Egg donation does not affect fertility. Donating eggs does not mean that the ovarian reserve is depleted; the eggs that we use are those that would otherwise be lost.
A woman loses eggs that die over time, even before puberty and later in her fertile years, including women who use contraceptives or are pregnant.
Therefore, donation consists precisely of using these oocytes that would naturally be wasted.
How does the egg donation process begin?
After registering for the egg donation program at CETI, in person, by phone or via email, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment at CETI.
When you go to CETI, you will have a consultation with the doctor who will tell you how the program and the egg donation process works, about your eligibility for the program and the risks and implications of this procedure.
Once your doctor understands your motivations for donating eggs, he or she will ask you to fill out a form about your medical history and family history of illnesses, as well as information about your lifestyle.
Once we have the results of your tests, we will contact you. If you are eligible to participate in the egg donation program, you will be enrolled.
What does the egg donation procedure consist of?
After a careful analysis carried out by CETI in choosing a donor, you will be contacted to inform you that we will begin the donation program. After this phone call, you will have to inform us of the first day of your period, so that we can schedule an endovaginal ultrasound at CETI. This ultrasound will give us information about the state of your ovaries and guide us regarding the start of hormonal treatment.
At this stage, the recipient woman begins treatment to prepare the endometrium and, later, receive the embryos. The preparation of the endometrium is synchronized with the ovarian stimulation of the donor, which will last approximately 14 days. During this period, it is important that the recipient be able to travel to CETI for 4 to 5 more ultrasound appointments.
The procedure ends with the puncture of the oocytes, which lasts approximately 30 minutes and is performed under sedation. This simple procedure is not usually painful, and you can return home after a short recovery period.
If you need any further clarification, please contact the CETI team of professionals via the website www.ceti.pt , by email international@ceti.pt or by telephone +351 226 076 530