The instructions for all medicines list possible side effects. The list of them is quite intimidating, but as a rule they don’t scare anyone – as they happen very rarely. It’s the same with egg donation. Of course, each organism is different and in rare cases it may react unpredictably to any intervention. It happens in one case out of thousands (if it happened more often, the procedure would have been forbidden all over the world as dangerous).
But to warn – as in the case of possible side effects in the instructions for medicines – we are obliged.
So, a woman – already at the time of her birth – has a certain number of eggs laid down by nature. Approximately 6-7 million. When a girl enters reproductive age, every month 10-12 of them mature and – either fertilized or (which, of course, more often) come out in the form of menstruation. It is these monthly maturing oocytes that you will be donating. But doctors do not need 10-12 – but somewhere around two or three times as many, so with the help of special medication you induce so-called super ovulation. More than 30-40 eggs you physically will not mature (it means they can not take more) – but against the number of 6-7 million, it’s nothing. So, don’t worry: you have more than enough eggs for your future children.
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Now more about the drugs that cause super ovulation. They are the ones that are attributed a number of possible side-effects. The names of these drugs are: Humegon, Repronex, Metrodin, Fertinex, Differelin, Gonadotropins, Lupron. Which type you are prescribed depends on your personality. All these are hormonal drugs, and their purpose is the same: to temporarily increase the level of oestrogen in your body, so that your ovaries will produce more eggs this month.
Side effects could be precisely related to an inadequate reaction of the body to an estrogen surge. But it is necessary to understand, that a) artificial increase of an estrogen lasts at most a month; b) an estrogen “jump” also in an everyday life, without drugs, in particular – during pregnancy.
What are the possible side effects? Swelling during ovarian hyperstimulation. These are usually minor – but can sometimes be very severe.
Mood swings, depression, weight gain – all these can give a change in hormonal background. But one month is usually too short a period for the processes to begin.
Some refer to the side effects as thrombosis caused by swelling, but this is actually ruled out – after all, women are tested for their tendency to form blood clots before the programme.
One often reads about infections during the puncture (the egg retrieval itself), bleeding and so on. But this is a fiction, as it can only be associated with the total unprofessionalism of the doctors.
And the biggest and most commonly discussed fear is the development of cancer after hormonal injections. In particular, it is claimed that some cancers are sensitive to increased estrogen. All we can say is that scientists have been studying this issue for years, keeping statistics and collecting data from all over the world. No links have been identified to date. Science is now grappling with the question of what causes cancer – the medical profession has no answer yet. But one thing is certain: if a link between high oestrogen and cancer had been found, donation would have been banned worldwide, most likely at the level of international organisations.
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