If you are a woman and you know you are fertile - for example, if you've had children already - you may want to consider donating your eggs to infertile women so they can also have children. You can also donate your eggs to researchers so they can use them to find treatments and cures for diseases.
In order to donate eggs, you must meet several qualifications. You need to be between 21 and 35 years of age; you should be in good health; you can't have traveled too extensively, in case you've picked up diseases that may have compromised your health; your immediate family's health history must be clear of cancer, diabetes, and genetic disorders; it's better if you don't suffer from mental illness; and you will be a most desirable egg donor if you scored high on your SATs.
If you meet all these criteria, you'll then go through an extensive application and testing process with the company that'll be storing your eggs. You'll want to make sure the company is a reputable one, since there are some health risks associated with donating eggs. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or OHSS, can result: this is a condition in which the ovaries swell and the body retains fluid. It's usually mild, but if it's serious, you may have to be hospitalized, and one or both of your ovaries may need removal.
You'll be placed on fertility drugs to stimulate your body to produce more eggs than the usual one or two it would produce during a traditional monthly cycle. These drugs are what put you at risk for OHSS. You may experience classic symptoms of PMS - irritability, nausea and bloating - while on these drugs.
When the eggs are ready, the doctor will remove them from your body through a procedure called transvaginal ovarian aspiration. An ultrasound probe will be inserted into your vagina, and a tiny needle attached to it will extract each egg from its follicle. It's a surgical procedure, so expect to need to rest afterward.
Once you've donated your eggs, you don't have any say in what happens to them or how their recipient uses them: this is where it's important to choose a reputable company, so that you have a good idea of who will be using your eggs, and how, before you donate them.
