When you first start thinking about being an egg donor, it’s totally normal to have a lot of questions. Egg donation isn’t something that’s talked about a lot, and when it does show up in the media or in pop culture, the details are sometimes pretty sketchy. As a result, there are quite a few myths and mysteries around this topic. We’re here to help clear things up.
One of the most common questions we get is “How many eggs do you take?” Some potential donors are even under the impression that they might be signing up to give away ALL their eggs. Some think they’re only donating one. (Remember how Rebecca on My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend kept talking about donating “an egg”? That’s… not really how it works.) In reality, the exact number of eggs that are retrieved during a cycle is usually somewhere between 10 and 20.
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Ovaries, follicles, and eggs: the facts.
The most important thing to know is that you don’t lose any more eggs in the egg donation process than you would in a natural cycle. Your ovarian reserve and future fertility are unaffected. We’ve written another post for you with all the scientific info behind this if you want to check it out in detail:
Future Fertility: If I Donate My Eggs, Can I Still Have Kids?
TL;DR:
Every cycle, your ovary starts to mature 10 to 20 eggs in follicles, but usually only one of those eggs makes it all the way to ovulation. The rest are absorbed back into your body and disappear. If you’re donating your eggs, the fertility medications you’ll take will help your body mature most or all of those eggs. Then, instead of you ovulating and releasing an egg into your fallopian tubes, the doctor will retrieve the eggs while you’re under sedation, so that you can donate them to the waiting family. That’s the only difference. At the end of the cycle, you still have the same amount of eggs in reserve that you would have had even if you hadn’t donated.
You’re unique, and so are your eggs!
Every woman’s body is different, which is why no one can predict exactly how many eggs you’ll donate in your cycle. Egg donation isn’t a one-size fits all process. When you donate your eggs, the final number will depend on how many follicles your ovaries naturally produce each month, as well as how your body responded to the stimulation of the fertility medication. Several of the tests you take at the beginning of the donation process are used to help the doctor determine the right dose, so that you can donate as many mature eggs as possible from the developing follicles. The careful monitoring you receive during the stimulation cycle is used to keep an eye on your follicles and eggs to see how they’re maturing and decide when it’s time to retrieve them.
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You can even donate more than once
Because donating your eggs doesn’t diminish your ovarian reserve, it’s completely safe to donate more than one time. In fact, you can donate up to six times! There are a couple of reasons that the number of donations is capped at six:
Egg donation is a very safe process, and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine has found that there is no reason to believe that it can cause long-term negative health effects. That’s great news, but we also know that donating your eggs is a big commitment, both physically and mentally. After six rounds of fertility medication and egg retrieval procedures, your body deserves a rest.
- Limiting the number of related donor-conceived babies
Depending on how many viable embryos result from an egg donation, a family could end up having several children using the same eggs. When you multiply that by several families, the number of babies who share the same donor’s DNA can rise quickly. Limiting the number of donations to six helps minimize the chances that these children might run into each other in the future.
There’s a lot to think about when you’re considering egg donation, but there’s no reason to stress out about the number of eggs you’ll be giving away. If you have any worries or concerns, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask about it. There’s seriously no such thing as a dumb question when it comes to donating your eggs. We know it’s a big topic, and we know that it’s not always easy to find accurate information. That’s why we’re working to break the silence around egg donation, and bust the myths people have about what it’s like. When you’re weighing up a big act of generosity like this, the more knowledge you have, the better. It’s your body, and you deserve to know all the facts!
FAQs
So, taking even up to 24 eggs per donation cycle for several cycles will leave many to spare for the future. However, there are some short-term risks to be aware of during the donation cycle.
How many times can you donate eggs before you run out? ›
For your safety, ovum donors can donate no more than six times.
Why can you only donate eggs 6 times? ›
Once she has completed six cycles, she is not eligible to donate at another facility or for another recipient. There are two main reasons for this limitation on egg donors. One is health risks to the donor and the other is inadvertent consanguinity.
What disqualifies you for egg donation? ›
A list of disqualifications for egg donors
- Younger than 20 or older than 29.
- BMI over 26.
- Cigarette or recreational drug use.
- Untreated sexually transmitted infections.
- Infertility or inheritable genetic disorders.
- Unknown medical history of biological parent, siblings or both sets of grandparents.
Potentially serious complications include bleeding, infection, and injury to the bowel or blood vessels. In extremely rare circ*mstances, surgery may be necessary to repair damage to internal organs or to control significant internal bleeding (i.e., hemorrhage). Anesthesia will be necessary for the egg retrieval.
Is donating eggs worth it? ›
The pros of becoming an egg donor are many, including helping someone welcome a child into their family who otherwise might not have had this opportunity. In addition, you are generously compensated for your time and effort and get to travel all expenses paid!
What rules you out of being an egg donor? ›
Donors should not be underweight or overweight, with a healthy BMI. Egg donors should have a healthy reproductive organ with both ovaries and healthy ovarian reserve. Healthy hormone levels with regular menstrual cycles are standard. Donors should not smoke, have a history of alcoholism or drug use.
When you donate eggs, does the baby have your DNA? ›
One of the things that those considering using donor eggs may wonder about is whether any child born from those eggs will have their DNA. Every embryo will contain DNA from both the egg and the sperm in equal amounts, so any embryo made from the donor egg will contain the egg donor's DNA.
Can you still have kids after donating eggs? ›
Yes, you can still get pregnant after donating your eggs. Although there are a few side effects that can occur in very rare instances, the egg retrieval process will not impact your future fertility, and most women who have donated their eggs go on to have healthy pregnancies.
How many eggs do you lose per period? ›
You ovulate one egg, and the rest of the growing cohort or group die. This cycle continues until menopause when there are no eggs left. The number of eggs that die each month decreases after puberty, though. After starting the menstrual cycle, a person loses about 1,000 immature eggs every month, according to Dr.
Beyond 30, their fertility decreases. Also, these treatments cost a lot of money. So, clients need assurance that the eggs are healthy and the donor does not have any fertility issues. Due to these reasons, it sometimes takes a few months for potential parents to pick an older donor.
How common is egg donation? ›
The total number of babies born via egg donation in 2019 was 1,327, up 88% from 2009. Of those, 83% used a donor egg and the partner's sperm. The remaining 17% used both donor egg and donor sperm.
How skinny do you have to be to donate eggs? ›
To sum up the information we have provided above, here are the main requirements to donate eggs: Age 21-29. Good general health. BMI < 30 (not medically obese)
Is it hard to be accepted as an egg donor? ›
Rates vary from clinic to clinic, but this is due in part to the strict screening process. Levine says at his clinic only about 10% of people who do an initial screening make it to the second step. After that group is whittled down, usually only 10% of that second group makes it to the actual donation process.
Why should I not donate eggs? ›
Egg donors have reported long-term effects including aggressive breast cancer, loss of fertility, and fatal colon cancer, sometimes occurring just a few years after donation. Without any family history of these illnesses, they suspect their egg donation as the cause.
How many eggs do you get from a donor egg? ›
We offer a minimum of 6 eggs or 10 eggs from the same donor or two donors – 6 eggs from one and 4 eggs from another donor.
How many donor eggs make it to day 5? ›
As a general rule of thumb, at RMA, which has one of the best embryology labs in the country (as evidenced by the clinic's high success rates), about 80 percent of eggs will fertilize (day 1 success), and of those, about 30-50 percent will make it to the blastocyst stage (day 5 or 6).
How many eggs does a woman have at 20? ›
How many eggs do you have?
| Age | Number of eggs |
|---|
| Birth | One to two million eggs |
| Puberty | 300,000 to 500,000 eggs |
| 20s | 150,000 to 300,000 eggs |
| Early 30s | 100,000 to 150,000 eggs |
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