My kids will be out there. Won’t that be strange for me?
Unfertilised eggs are discarded by your body with your normal menstrual cycle. And to make a child, you also need an entire swagbag of goodies: sperm; a healthy womb, a mother.
I’m a virgin. Can I donate?
Yes, you can. You will have an internal examination and when the eggs are retrieved, your hymen may be ruptured.
Can I have sex during egg donation?
Not in the clinic. But, yes, it’s fine at most other times.
So fertility medicine does exactly what?
It helps your body to rescue many of the immature eggs (usually around ten) that would otherwise have been lost during your normal menstrual cycle.
OK, you have my eggs. What about those you don’t need?
Our clinics will fertilise all the eggs that you donate with the father’s sperm. Some won’t take, but some will become embryos which are allowed to grow for a few days.
I use birth control (or I am sterilised). Can I still be an egg donor?
You can still use the Pill while you are waiting for a recipient to choose your eggs, but – once chosen and the donation process is underway – you’ll have to use non-chemical contraception. Or (oh no!) abstain for a month.
I’m breastfeeding. Can I donate?
No, not yet. Sorry. Finish breastfeeding and we’ll happily take you on!
Don’t I need ALL my eggs so I can fall pregnant?
You’re born with about two million eggs. By puberty, only 300,000 immature eggs are left: every month, a group of eggs grow and develop so your body ovulates once each cycle.
And long-term? Any chance of me damaging my ability to have children?
Egg donation doesn’t cause infertility. Fertility medication has no proven long-term effects at all.
Does it take a lot of time to donate?
Not too bad, but it does take some commitment from you.