Can I donate eggs if I just had a baby and I'm breast feeding?
You may not donate while you are breast feeding. It is also necessary for you to have at least three regular menstrual cycles prior to participating in an egg donation cycle. You may start the application process with Heartfelt Egg Donation.
To become an egg donor with Heartfelt Egg Donation, LLC please visit the Donor section of our website for more information.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Series: Egg Donor Frequently Asked Questions - #3
Can I donate eggs if I've had a tubal ligation?
Yes, you may be an egg donor if you have had a tubal ligation. Your eggs will be retrieved prior to being released in the fallopian tubes.
Yes, you may be an egg donor if you have had a tubal ligation. Your eggs will be retrieved prior to being released in the fallopian tubes.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Series: Egg Donor Frequently Asked Questions - #2
Are there any forms of birth control that will prevent me from being accepted as an egg donor with Heartfelt Egg Donation, llc?
Yes, you will not be considered or accepted into our program as an egg donor if you are currently using Depo-Provera, Norplant or a Hormonal IUD, such as Mirena. You will be required to have at least three regular menstrual cycles after you discontinue using these methods of birth control. These forms of birth control do not allow your menstrual cycles to be adjusted or synchronized and this is a very important part of the egg donation treatment cycle. Although some physician's and fertility centers will allow donation with a Mirena IUD, we cannot guarantee matching you with prospective parents who are working with a physician who accepts this practice; therefore, we will not be able to accept you into our program. If you have a Non-Hormonal IUD or are using birth control pills this will not affect your ability to donate.
Yes, you will not be considered or accepted into our program as an egg donor if you are currently using Depo-Provera, Norplant or a Hormonal IUD, such as Mirena. You will be required to have at least three regular menstrual cycles after you discontinue using these methods of birth control. These forms of birth control do not allow your menstrual cycles to be adjusted or synchronized and this is a very important part of the egg donation treatment cycle. Although some physician's and fertility centers will allow donation with a Mirena IUD, we cannot guarantee matching you with prospective parents who are working with a physician who accepts this practice; therefore, we will not be able to accept you into our program. If you have a Non-Hormonal IUD or are using birth control pills this will not affect your ability to donate.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Is Disclosure about Donor Parentage Wise? A Guest Blog by David Kreiner, MD., F.A.C.O.G
A blog by David Kreiner, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., East Coast Fertility, originally posted October 4, 2010 - reposted with permission.
I received this letter from a former donor egg recipient. It made me think about what it might be like, years after the actual procedure for a child who grows up wondering about his/her donor parent.
It is not uncommon for potential donor egg recipients to say to me ”I’m not going to tell my child about the donor. I’m going to carry him. I’m the mom.” We have always recommended that parents disclose that they had utilized donation to their child, since it is thought that honesty is better than trying to shoulder "the big lie," which ultimately would be found out and lead to much larger problems.
If you are planning to build a family with a sperm or egg donor, you may be thinking about these very issues. Many patients believe that disclosing their child’s donor origins will damage the parent-child bond that is so precious to them. They fear that a genetic connection to a donor could trump their relationship with their child. Most commonly, my patients plan to tell their child about the donor but want the donor’s identity to remain anonymous. They worry that an identified donor could disrupt the integrity of their family by inserting herself or himself into it.
Professionals in the field of infertility tell us that patients who need help to have a child often feel vulnerable and may view donors as threatening.
However, the heterosexual couples seek assistance only after failed attempts to have a child on their own and sometimes even after multiple IVF attempts using the woman’s own eggs. These couples typically experience incredible loss, frequently feel inadequate and often become clinically depressed. Assisted reproduction with outside help with their family building was not something they ever imagined. Many feel a sense of shame that may add additional motivation to keep the donor parentage a secret from their child. We are told by those professionals in the field who study this that many former donor recipients turned parents fear their child will see the donor as the “real” mom or dad and believe they are preventing potential problems by keeping the secret from their child.
Interestingly, many individuals who are the result of gamete donation report feeling like they don’t fit in with their families. I have heard that when they ultimately are informed of their donor origin that it often makes sense to them and not infrequently is received by the child with a degree of relief to explain their uniqueness from their family. Sometimes donor conceived individuals inadvertently learn about their origins under less than ideal circumstances, such as from a family friend or relative. Nondisclosure, in these cases, usually undermines trust and honesty within a family and may lead to psychological harm.
Professionals studying donation tell us that when children have been told about their donor origins, they are typically accepting of the recipient moms and dads. In fact, it appears that when children learn of their donor origins at a young age, they are more likely to have a more positive experience. Their donor conception is integrated from the beginning into their life story. It becomes who they are at an early stage when they develop their own identity and sense of self. Individuals told later in life are more likely to have more negative feelings about their donor conception than those told earlier. They may become angry about being deceived and often feel betrayed by the very people they thought were the most trustworthy in their lives, their moms and dads. Hence, disclosure at an early age is recommended by professionals studying this issue.
I will address the question of disclosing the identity of the donor in my next blog.
I received this letter from a former donor egg recipient. It made me think about what it might be like, years after the actual procedure for a child who grows up wondering about his/her donor parent.
 |
| Dr. David Kreiner, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. |
- Dear Dr. Kreiner, I want to thank you and your wonderfully caring staff for all you did to help me have my daughter, Jessica. There was not a moment that I did not feel supported during the process, and for this I sing your praises constantly. My daughter is truly a blessing. and I will always cherish that you helped bring her into this world for me. We informed Jessica about her genetic parentage a few years ago with the help of a psychologist, who saw my husband and I first. and then with Jessica for two or three more visits. I thought it went well. Jess seemed to understand that we loved her and that Russ and I were truly her father and mother, and I cannot say that our relationship had changed in any significant way since then. However, Jessica is now 14 years old and has recently been asking me about what I know about her genetic mom, which is how she referred to her. I took offense to her use of the term ”mom” and immediately corrected her, saying “you mean donor, honey”. This started a huge argument and has created a tense rift that still exists. I know that she has been doing research to identify her donor, including calling your program. I don’t know what to do. Did we make a mistake by telling her? Should we seek out the donor and ask if she is willing to reveal herself to my daughter? Is it even legal or moral for us to ask? Should we tell my daughter that it is not possible to identify her and just leave it like that? I am afraid not to try, as it seems to be so important to her, and if I appear to be resisting she will get angry with me again. What should we do Dr. Kreiner? Still thankful but with some remorse, Former donor egg recipient
An Important Question
I have been involved in these donor egg cases since 1985, and this type of question is rare for me to receive. But now I wonder if that is because patients do not feel close enough to me to discuss these problems years after my services have been performed.It is not uncommon for potential donor egg recipients to say to me ”I’m not going to tell my child about the donor. I’m going to carry him. I’m the mom.” We have always recommended that parents disclose that they had utilized donation to their child, since it is thought that honesty is better than trying to shoulder "the big lie," which ultimately would be found out and lead to much larger problems.
If you are planning to build a family with a sperm or egg donor, you may be thinking about these very issues. Many patients believe that disclosing their child’s donor origins will damage the parent-child bond that is so precious to them. They fear that a genetic connection to a donor could trump their relationship with their child. Most commonly, my patients plan to tell their child about the donor but want the donor’s identity to remain anonymous. They worry that an identified donor could disrupt the integrity of their family by inserting herself or himself into it.
Professionals in the field of infertility tell us that patients who need help to have a child often feel vulnerable and may view donors as threatening.
To Disclose or Not, That is The First Question
Unlike heterosexual couples, same sex couples and single individuals understand that from the moment they decide to build their family that they require assisted reproduction. These families openly disclose their children’s donor origins because it is the only way to explain their conception and birth. Inevitably, the children look at other families around them and wonder if they have a mommy or a daddy. It does not appear that disclosure in these cases has a negative impact on the families.However, the heterosexual couples seek assistance only after failed attempts to have a child on their own and sometimes even after multiple IVF attempts using the woman’s own eggs. These couples typically experience incredible loss, frequently feel inadequate and often become clinically depressed. Assisted reproduction with outside help with their family building was not something they ever imagined. Many feel a sense of shame that may add additional motivation to keep the donor parentage a secret from their child. We are told by those professionals in the field who study this that many former donor recipients turned parents fear their child will see the donor as the “real” mom or dad and believe they are preventing potential problems by keeping the secret from their child.
Interestingly, many individuals who are the result of gamete donation report feeling like they don’t fit in with their families. I have heard that when they ultimately are informed of their donor origin that it often makes sense to them and not infrequently is received by the child with a degree of relief to explain their uniqueness from their family. Sometimes donor conceived individuals inadvertently learn about their origins under less than ideal circumstances, such as from a family friend or relative. Nondisclosure, in these cases, usually undermines trust and honesty within a family and may lead to psychological harm.
Professionals studying donation tell us that when children have been told about their donor origins, they are typically accepting of the recipient moms and dads. In fact, it appears that when children learn of their donor origins at a young age, they are more likely to have a more positive experience. Their donor conception is integrated from the beginning into their life story. It becomes who they are at an early stage when they develop their own identity and sense of self. Individuals told later in life are more likely to have more negative feelings about their donor conception than those told earlier. They may become angry about being deceived and often feel betrayed by the very people they thought were the most trustworthy in their lives, their moms and dads. Hence, disclosure at an early age is recommended by professionals studying this issue.
I will address the question of disclosing the identity of the donor in my next blog.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Series: Egg Donor Frequently Asked Questions - #1 How do I become an egg donor with Heartfelt Egg Donation, LLC?
Today our blog features the first in our series of Frequently Asked Questions by Egg Donors.
How do I become an egg donor with Heartfelt Egg Donation, LLC?
1. Please review the Donor section of our Web site to be familiar with our Donor Criteria. We search for egg donors candidates with the following characteristics:
3. Return the Confidential Donor Information and Consent Form, Donor Profile and FDA Addendum along with a copy of your driver's license, educational transcripts and at least five photographs of you at various stages in your life. This information will be used to review your background. Please provide photos that show you positively. We ask you to provide as many photos as possible so that prospective parents can make an accurate assessment of your appearance and features. You may mail, fax or email your application to:
We prefer that you email your digital photos to us although you may mail them with your application. If you would like to have them returned, you must provide a self addressed stamped envelope, otherwise we will not be able to return them.
4. Upon receipt of your application and all the required components, we will schedule an interview with you to get to know you better and to discuss your motivations for wanting to donate.
How do I become an egg donor with Heartfelt Egg Donation, LLC?
1. Please review the Donor section of our Web site to be familiar with our Donor Criteria. We search for egg donors candidates with the following characteristics:
- Ethical, honest and caring.
- Responsible and committed to helping those who require an egg donor.
- Between the age of 20 and 31.
- In good health and live a healthy lifestyle.
- Have a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index).
- Non-smokers and do not use illegal drugs.
- Not currently on the Depo Provera shot, Norplant or using a hormonal IUD such as Mirena.
- May be willing to speak with and/or meet Intended Parents.
- Able to provide health history and genetic background.
- Willing to undergo medical and psychological screening.
- Willing to be available for 6-8 weeks, attend approximately 10 doctor appointments.
- Willing to perform self-administered injections for a period of approximately two weeks.
- Willing to undergo a procedure via sedation to retrieve eggs.
- May be willing to travel.
3. Return the Confidential Donor Information and Consent Form, Donor Profile and FDA Addendum along with a copy of your driver's license, educational transcripts and at least five photographs of you at various stages in your life. This information will be used to review your background. Please provide photos that show you positively. We ask you to provide as many photos as possible so that prospective parents can make an accurate assessment of your appearance and features. You may mail, fax or email your application to:
Heartfelt Egg Donation, LLC
1344 Disc Drive, #402
Sparks, Nevada 89436
Fax: 775-354-0533
We prefer that you email your digital photos to us although you may mail them with your application. If you would like to have them returned, you must provide a self addressed stamped envelope, otherwise we will not be able to return them.
4. Upon receipt of your application and all the required components, we will schedule an interview with you to get to know you better and to discuss your motivations for wanting to donate.
Monday, October 4, 2010
In-vitro pioneer wins Nobel Prize
British physiologist Robert Edwards, whose work led to the birth of the first ''test-tube baby'' in 1978, is awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine and physiology. (01:44)
'You Asked, We Answered': Questions About Egg Donation
This is a wonderful Q&A session from ABC World News with Diane Sawyer originally posted on their website January 15, 2008. I felt it was worth repeating as the questions are very common and the most asked of women considering becoming an Egg Donor.
Last week "World News With Charles Gibson" aired a report on egg donation and invited viewers to ask questions. Our expert contributor, Dr. Rick Paulson, has answered some of your questions below. Paulson is chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Southern California and co-author of "Rewinding Your Biological Clock: Motherhood Late in Life: Options, Issues, and Emotions."
Question: How do I find out where I can donate my eggs in my area? Is there a Web site where safe or approved sites or facilities that perform the extraction are listed by ZIP code?
Tara in Emmaus, Pa.
Paulson: I would recommend two Web sites: The first is the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM,), where you can find specialists, a listing of the programs in your area, etc. The other Web site you may want to check out is the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (SOCREI). I would suggest that you choose a physician who is board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, and these are listed on that Web site.
Question: Where do we go for information on donating our eggs? Whom do we contact? Who pays for the medication that we take before we donate our eggs? Who is actually paying us for our eggs? Where is the list of agencies in our own city/state that want to buy our eggs? How much can we get paid for our eggs?
Seleta in Charlotte, N.C.
Paulson: It's very nice that you want to donate; an infertile couple will be very grateful! We don't consider it "buying" or "selling" eggs, but rather that you donate, and are reimbursed for your time and trouble! There is no cost to you, and a typical payment ranges from $2,500 to $,5000. The recipient couple pays for the medications and the medical treatment. You should start with the Web sites of the professional organizations that deal with infertility and egg donation, like those mentioned above (or click here for ASRM Web site, or here for SOCREI,) to find a doctor and practice near you. That practice can then either match you to a recipient couple directly, or it can direct you to an agency it likes to work with.
Question: What are the cancer or other health risks, short and long term, associated with the many drugs used to stimulate the ovaries?
Linda in Dix Hills, N.Y.
Paulson: Every medical procedure is associated with some degree of risk. Some risks are known, and others may not be known. As of now, egg donation is about 20 years old. We know that some 1 percent of donors experience ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (where the ovaries get very swollen and the donor becomes bloated and uncomfortable) to the point where it interferes with her life to an appreciable degree for about two weeks. The egg retrieval is associated with a very rare but possible risk of bleeding and infection (much less than 1 percent).
There were several studies that seemed to link ovarian stimulation to ovarian cancer, but they have been disproved, at least for now. So at the present time, there is no proven reason for limiting the number of donations. However, because we know we don't know everything, most programs recommend limiting the number of donations to five or six. But this is an arbitrary rule, and is not based on a risk of cancer. And yes, having babies decreases the risk of ovarian cancer by quite a bit (30 percent for the first pregnancy, more with additional pregnancies).
Question: Does undergoing fertility treatments and all the medication one takes over years of trying to conceive increase the risk of ovarain cancer? Are any of the drugs more likely to cause ovarain cancer? How and where would one get more info, and what should one ask a doctor for? Thanks for giving your time to a looming question long after treatment.
Maria in Ill.
Paulson: See links to Web site above for additional information on these issues.
Question: I was an egg donor at the age of 20, and now that I am 27 and trying to have a baby, I can't. I have had four miscarriages. Have there been any kind of studies on women who donated their eggs and having subsequent problems of getting pregnant themselves?
Barbara in Melbourne, Fla.
Paulson: What bad luck! It would be very interesting to know if the recipient of your eggs actually had a baby when you donated. As far as we know, there is no effect of egg donation on subsequent fertility, or on the risk of a subsequent miscarriage. Remember that there are many reasons for miscarriages, and they may include factors such as your male partner. Also, your uterus was not a factor in being an egg donor but may be a factor in miscarriages. I would suggest that you see a reproductive endocrinology specialist to evaluate your situation. With a complete work-up, chances should be on your side that you will eventually be successful.
____________________________________________
Question: How do I find out where I can donate my eggs in my area? Is there a Web site where safe or approved sites or facilities that perform the extraction are listed by ZIP code?
Tara in Emmaus, Pa.
Paulson: I would recommend two Web sites: The first is the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM,), where you can find specialists, a listing of the programs in your area, etc. The other Web site you may want to check out is the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (SOCREI). I would suggest that you choose a physician who is board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, and these are listed on that Web site.
Question: Where do we go for information on donating our eggs? Whom do we contact? Who pays for the medication that we take before we donate our eggs? Who is actually paying us for our eggs? Where is the list of agencies in our own city/state that want to buy our eggs? How much can we get paid for our eggs?
Seleta in Charlotte, N.C.
Paulson: It's very nice that you want to donate; an infertile couple will be very grateful! We don't consider it "buying" or "selling" eggs, but rather that you donate, and are reimbursed for your time and trouble! There is no cost to you, and a typical payment ranges from $2,500 to $,5000. The recipient couple pays for the medications and the medical treatment. You should start with the Web sites of the professional organizations that deal with infertility and egg donation, like those mentioned above (or click here for ASRM Web site, or here for SOCREI,) to find a doctor and practice near you. That practice can then either match you to a recipient couple directly, or it can direct you to an agency it likes to work with.
Question: What are the cancer or other health risks, short and long term, associated with the many drugs used to stimulate the ovaries?
Linda in Dix Hills, N.Y.
Paulson: Every medical procedure is associated with some degree of risk. Some risks are known, and others may not be known. As of now, egg donation is about 20 years old. We know that some 1 percent of donors experience ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (where the ovaries get very swollen and the donor becomes bloated and uncomfortable) to the point where it interferes with her life to an appreciable degree for about two weeks. The egg retrieval is associated with a very rare but possible risk of bleeding and infection (much less than 1 percent).
There were several studies that seemed to link ovarian stimulation to ovarian cancer, but they have been disproved, at least for now. So at the present time, there is no proven reason for limiting the number of donations. However, because we know we don't know everything, most programs recommend limiting the number of donations to five or six. But this is an arbitrary rule, and is not based on a risk of cancer. And yes, having babies decreases the risk of ovarian cancer by quite a bit (30 percent for the first pregnancy, more with additional pregnancies).
Question: Does undergoing fertility treatments and all the medication one takes over years of trying to conceive increase the risk of ovarain cancer? Are any of the drugs more likely to cause ovarain cancer? How and where would one get more info, and what should one ask a doctor for? Thanks for giving your time to a looming question long after treatment.
Maria in Ill.
Paulson: See links to Web site above for additional information on these issues.
Question: I was an egg donor at the age of 20, and now that I am 27 and trying to have a baby, I can't. I have had four miscarriages. Have there been any kind of studies on women who donated their eggs and having subsequent problems of getting pregnant themselves?
Barbara in Melbourne, Fla.
Paulson: What bad luck! It would be very interesting to know if the recipient of your eggs actually had a baby when you donated. As far as we know, there is no effect of egg donation on subsequent fertility, or on the risk of a subsequent miscarriage. Remember that there are many reasons for miscarriages, and they may include factors such as your male partner. Also, your uterus was not a factor in being an egg donor but may be a factor in miscarriages. I would suggest that you see a reproductive endocrinology specialist to evaluate your situation. With a complete work-up, chances should be on your side that you will eventually be successful.
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