The Surprising Reasons Egg Donation Might be Right for You!
Most of us don't hesitate when it comes to donating shoes, clothes, furniture—even blood. But when someone mentions egg donation, we're a bit more cautious.
Until the person who needs those eggs is a sister, a friend, or a co-worker. And considering that between 15 and 20 percent of American couples struggle with infertility, chances are someday it will be someone close to you.
Chicagoan Beth Grisa, 32, never considered egg donation—until her best friend from childhood told her that she and her husband were unable to conceive with her own eggs.
"I immediately thought of how I could help," says Grisa, project director at the Institute for Juvenile Research. "My friend suggested that I donate anonymously, saying that if someone as 'cool' as me would donate to someone, then maybe someone like me would then donate anonymously for her. I am extremely excited to say that currently she is two months pregnant with twins; the eggs were from an anonymous donor that she and her husband chose."
Grisa, meanwhile, donated eggs through the Chicago office of ConceiveAbilities (www.ConceiveAbilities.com), a process she says was surprisingly positive—"I didn't expect to be so pampered!" she says-if extensive (see "Why Choosing the Right Agency Matters" for more on the donor process).
"The flipside is getting to know your body better," she says. "Seeing ultrasounds of my body was fascinating. Learning about my cycle, my potential for making children of my own someday and how I react to hormones was really interesting. Donating eggs definitely reminds me of marathon running, and it is empowering to know that my resilience can take me to the finish line!"
Somewhere a family is even more pleased (the process was completely anonymous); despite the estimated ten thousand cases of egg donation in the United States every year, there is currently a tremendous need for donor eggs nationwide.
And to use the above analogy, if a new(ish) pair of shoes makes a recipient happy, consider the joy you could create by helping an otherwise childless couple start a family.
That's why most women who donate eggs say they do so not only for the financial rewards (donors receive $7,000 at agencies like ConceiveAbilities), but out of kindness and compassion. In fact, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (www.asrm.org), most donors "reported that helping childless persons remained a significant factor in their decisions to donate."
"I feel like I am part of a process that is based on love," Grisa says. "Watching my friend who is now pregnant begin to realize that her body is not rejecting her and is, in fact, embracing her pregnancy is amazing. I can only think that other couples are like my friends, and the realization of having been one who was able to help is indescribable."
Most women don't realize just how good they'll feel about themselves until they donate, says Serena Chen, M.D., director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrine and Infertility at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. In fact, she says "the vast majority" ask to donate again.
"The most common thing is that the egg donor comes away with a real sense of satisfaction and a feeling that she's really contributed something to the world," she says. "These are special young women with strong convictions—and donating is something they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives."
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