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Risks of Becoming an Egg Donor

The $2,500 fee recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine for women donating eggs to couples with fertility issues can be a tempting fee for women near the Society's recommended age of 21, most of whom have college and credit card debt looming over them. While egg donation can be a lucrative and worthwhile process for many young women, it's important to keep the risk of potential side effects in mind as you make your decision about donation.

  1. Risks of Cycle Interruption

    • In many cases, egg donors will have their regular menstrual cycles intentionally interrupted so that doctors can precisely track their cycles. Usually, this requires the donor to take a medication for one to two weeks to stop her cycle. This medication can cause menopause-like symptoms, including hot flashes, vaginal dryness, insomnia and breast tenderness.

    Risks of Stimulating Egg Production

    • In a normal cycle, your body produces and sheds one egg at a time. If you're serving as an egg donor, however, you'll take medication to produce extra eggs during your cycle so that doctors can harvest more than one egg. The medicine must be taken intravenously or intramuscularly. This medication can have several side effects, including aggravated menstrual symptoms mood swings, swollen breasts and ovaries and fluid retention. More seriously, in some cases, these injections can stimulate too much egg production, causing a condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or OHSS. Symptoms of OHSS can range from abdominal pressure to shock, and in some rare cases, OHSS can necessitate the removal of one or both ovaries or lead to the death of the donor.

    Risks of Fertility Drugs

    • It is unclear what the long-term risks of fertility drugs might be. Most have not been around long enough for conclusive studies to be done. A 2009 study conducted by the Danish Cancer Society shows that the risk of ovarian cancer does not significantly increase with use of fertility drugs, though some earlier studies had indicated that it might.

    Risks of Egg Retrieval

    • When the eggs are ready, they are removed from your uterus through a combination of needle and suction, a 30-minute procedure that most donors need a few days to recover from. There may be bleeding after this removal. In a few rare cases, the needle may puncture a blood vessel or organ, causing severe bleeding that requires surgical intervention.

    Other Risks

    • If you experience complications, including bleeding or ovary damage, during the donation process, it can affect your ability to conceive in the future.

      There are also emotional and professional risks of egg donation. Because of the time required for injections, ultrasounds, office visits and other donor duties, it can be hard to maintain a normal schedule at work or school, which can lead to performance problems. If you are in a relationship, the fact that you must abstain from sexual activity during your cycle might put a strain on your relationship.

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