Egg donation
In egg donation, several eggs are retrieved from a woman at the same time after her ovulation. This is done either by using a drug that triggers ovulation of several eggs, after which the eggs can be retrieved vaginally. If this is not possible, the eggs are retrieved surgically from the ovary.
This usually requires an operation under general anaesthetic. Egg donation is used when a woman no longer has her own eggs and still wants to become pregnant. Egg donation is also used for so-called surrogate mothers, i.e. women who are carrying another woman’s child because the actual mother is not able to do so.
Egg donation is prohibited in Germany and some other EU countries. This is the reason why some couples who wish to have children decide to have this procedure performed in another country. Countries in the EU that have established egg donation as legal are, for example, the Netherlands, France and some others.
It has been reported that egg donors in the USA, who are studying at an elite university and have the appropriate appearance characteristics, earn five-figure sums for their eggs. The complications of egg donation should not be underestimated. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome can occur after the ovarian stimulation with medication; this is accompanied by pain and nausea. Furthermore, fluid may accumulate in the abdominal cavity (ascites), which must be aspirated. In the worst case, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome can lead to death.
