More and more couples and single mothers are turning to egg donation to achieve pregnancy. Among the main reasons are the delay in the age of access to motherhood, which increases with the passage of time, and the appearance of fertility problems. In 2014, in Spain alone, more than 16,000 ovodonation cycles were carried out and more than 6,000 babies were born thanks to this technique.
Ovodonation pregnancies are those in which the egg is donated by a woman other than the one who is going to gestate it. According to experts in Assisted Reproduction, it is a treatment recommended for women who have not been able to become pregnant with their own eggs, either due to age or oocyte pathology. Ovodonation pregnancy has a success rate of over 78%, which makes it one of the most effective assisted reproduction treatments.
Why perform an oocyte donation treatment?
There are several reasons for resorting to oocyte donation. In some cases it may be a question of age, since the ovarian reserve is limited and after a certain age women stop producing eggs.
On other occasions the reason may be early menopause or oocyte pathologies. Women who find themselves in one of these situations but nevertheless want to become biological mothers are usually recommended to undergo egg donation.
Some real experiences of women who have decided to undergo ovodonation say they are confident of the success rates, others have already experienced it for the first time and trust this method to become mothers for the second time.
What are the sensations prior to the treatment?
Generally, the patient feels a mixture of nerves, fear and excitement in the moments leading up to the treatment. Because of these feelings, stress and anxiety levels may increase significantly.
Price is one of the most common concerns of patients undergoing oocyte donation treatment. Years ago the price could be high, but more and more clinics are offering different financing options to make these techniques more accessible.
Another aspect that may worry future mothers is the fact that the egg belongs to a donor, in case this will affect the way they see the future baby. Some expectant mothers say they are afraid to think about what the baby will be like, or even think that they may not love the baby enough. Other real-life testimonials explain that this is a much-desired child and will be the most loved child in the world.
What are the symptoms after the transfer?
Once the transfer is done, a relative rest of approximately one week is recommended, which should not prevent the patient from continuing with her usual routine. Two weeks after the transfer the pregnancy test is performed, and during this period the patient may notice some symptoms or none at all.
The patient may feel some minor discomfort, similar to menstruation, or some minor bleeding may occur due to implantation. In any case, none of these signs are indicative of pregnancy or not.
Some of the women who have undergone ovodonation claim to have experienced period-like pain, leg cramps or chest pain. Others, on the other hand, have no symptoms at all.
Advice for women who are considering oocyte donation
The success rate of oocyte donation is increasing, thanks to the improvement of assisted reproduction techniques. As a result, the experiences of women who have undergone ovodonation are increasingly positive.