Altruistic? Yes. Fully informed? No.
Amity Reed, egg donor and WRA UK staff member
"I donated my eggs three times between 2013 and 2015. I had several friends and family members who had undergone fertility treatment to get pregnant, or who were unable to have children at all. I felt lucky to have conceived my own children so easily. When I saw an acquaintance post about her positive experience of being a donor, I decided to go for it.
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Throughout all my donations I was treated kindly and professionally by the clinic staff, and thanked endlessly for the good deed I was doing. I had counselling sessions each time, where we talked through 'what if' scenarios and questions like 'How will you feel if the children born from your donations contact you in the future?' and 'How would you feel knowing they might look just like you or your children?' I was glad they asked me to consider these things more deeply, and at no stage did I feel exploited or unappreciated. Out of the three couples I donated to, two of them went on to have little girls. My children know that I donated my eggs and that they have two half-siblings who they may meet some day. Talking about it openly and honestly was always very important to me.
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With hindsight, the only part of my experience I would change is asking more questions about and more carefully considering the potential health risks. When I asked about long-term problems that might occur, I was told there was very little chance of that happening. In truth, there isn't enough evidence to show whether there is any long-term impact on health or not, which is different from saying that it is without risks. A couple of years later, I developed a chronic gynaecological condition and often wonder if it might be due to the hormones I took and the procedures I underwent. It may have happened anyway, but I will never know for sure that donating my eggs didn't contribute to the likelihood of me developing the condition.
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Over all, I don't regret being an egg donor, but I wish I'd known more about the feelings and experiences of donor conceived people before I agreed to it. Through my own learning and research, I understand now how important it is to many DCP to be able to access and know their donor from an early age. As a result of this newfound knowledge, I have made myself available on the donor conceived registers and consumer DNA sites to make it easier for them to find me if they want to, now or in the future."
“The hospital I donated to [...] was so informative [...] Each step of the process was explained in great detail and I was given so much support from them."
- Vanessa