Egg Donation FAQs – Answered By Our Egg Donor Fairy Godmother
An egg donation is a life-changing gift to receive and a truly great gift to give.
For this reason, it is important to make sure you have answers to all the questions you may have about egg donation before committing.
And who better to answer many of the frequently asked questions than an Egg Donor Fairy Godmother? In this article, Linda – our resident Egg Donor Fairy Godmother at Cape Fertility Premium Egg Donation Program, answers some of the frequently asked questions about egg donation, guiding you to make informed decisions.
There are self-less and kind-hearted women across the world who are willing to donate some of their own eggs to help another woman – who is unable to have a baby with her own eggs – to carry and give birth to a child.
It is a truly amazing and immense gift to give to someone you will never meet.
At Cape Fertility Premium Egg Donation Program, our egg donors are guided through the process of giving this great gift by Linda, our resident Egg Donor Fairy Godmother, and a team of specialists, who take great care of our egg donors, every step of the way, to make sure that your egg donation is a positive and uplifting experience.
Below, Linda answers some of the frequently asked questions from our egg donors, drawing on the experience and expertise of the Cape Fertility Premium Egg Donation Program team, who have been leaders in egg donation for 25 years and have assisted in thousands of egg donations.
FAQ 1: How do I get started to donate eggs?
It is very important that you thoroughly understand all the issues surrounding egg donation, so your first step is simply to contact your Egg Donor Fairy Godmother, Linda, who is ready and happy to chat with you.
Linda has many years of experience supporting egg donors and a wealth of information to share, and she will gladly answer your questions and guide you further in deciding about giving the gift of a lifetime.
It is just as important from the start to work only with a reputable and registered egg donation program. Cape Fertility is a SASREG (Southern African Society of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecological Endoscopy) accredited clinic, who have completed thousands of egg donations and have been leaders in egg donation for 25 years.
FAQ 2: What does the egg donation process entail?
The process of egg donation is simple and easy at Cape Fertility, and even so, our egg donation team will help you every step of the way – from completing the screening forms and creating a profile (which is completely anonymous) to scheduling the medical tests and keeping in touch after your donation is complete.
The first step is simply to contact us by filling in your contact details here, or reaching out to Linda on 066 22 55 003 or linda@capefertility.co.za.
The next step is simply to complete a confidential medical questionnaire to ensure you are medically suitable to be an egg donor. Linda will gladly assist you in completing the questionnaire if necessary.
If your completed medical questionnaire confirms that you are medically fit to donate eggs, the next step is to complete an Egg Donor Profile. Linda will also assist you in completing this profile, which is completely anonymous and confidential.
Next is adding your anonymous Egg Donor Profile to Cape Fertility’s world-class and secure database of egg donors, where only parents-to-be with secure access are able to choose a donor from the anonymous profiles, including yours.
Only once your profile has been selected, we will invite you to attend a 2-hour appointment to meet with one of our fertility specialists and our psychologist. Medical screening and testing are done to ensure both your safety as an egg donor and the best possible chance for the parents-to-be to receive a healthy egg.
The egg donation cycle starts with fertility injections for 10-12 days to grow the eggs. You will need to attend about four doctor’s appointments over the two-week period for check ups. On egg retrieval day, you will need to take a full day off work or your daily activities, but you can go home an hour after the procedure.
After your egg donation experience, our team will remain in contact with you.
FAQ 3: How will the costs of traveling and so on be covered?
We make absolutely certain your donation does not involve any costs to you when you donate through our Cape Fertility Egg Donor Program. At Cape Fertility, the maximum compensation allowed is paid by us directly to you, on the day of and after your egg donation.
In South Africa, by law, egg donors can be compensated for reasonable expenses – such as getting to and from the clinic for the various appointments and for the procedure on egg donation day. The maximum permissible compensation allowable in South Africa is currently R8000 per donation cycle.
FAQ 4: I don’t think I can inject myself with medication?
Our expert team will show you how easy and painless it is to inject yourself with the medication, even if you are thinking “there’s no way I can do that!”.
The truth is that the needles are short, thin, and, if used right, virtually painless aside from a tiny pinch.
FAQ 5: What are the possible side-effects and how am I protected against these?
Severe side effects are uncommon, but there are some risks, as there are with any medical procedure. This means egg donors must be continuous monitored and checked.
At Cape Fertility, during your egg donation cycle, you will be cared for by a specialist medical team of fertility specialists, qualified nursing sisters, a resident psychologist and a dedicated egg donor co-ordinator, who have been caring for egg donors’ emotional and medical needs for many years and have safely completed thousands of treatments.
Linda and our team are there for you 24/7 and will take care of all your needs as one of our egg donors.
FAQ 6: Will donating eggs affect my fertility?
Egg donation does not affect future fertility. This is because normally the body recruits a certain number of follicles for eggs during each monthly cycle, but only one follicle becomes the dominant follicle that fully matures and ovulates an egg. The remaining follicles wither away.
During the egg donation process, only this month’s recruited follicles are matured for donation. It is not possible to recruit future follicles, so your future fertility isn’t impacted.
However, through the process you will gain a wealth of knowledge about women’s health and fertility, learn more about your own health and family genetics, and find out about your own fertility and ability to have children of your own.
Get all your questions answered!
What questions do you have about egg donation? Your very own Egg Donor Fairy Godmother, Linda, is looking forward to answering all your questions.
To get answers and find out whether egg donation is the right choice for you, simply fill in your contact details here, or contact on 066 22 55 003 or linda@capefertility.co.za.
(Remember, your information is 100% confidential and will under no circumstances be made available to anybody else.)
Linda and everyone on our team at Cape Fertility’s friendly, professional and leading Egg Donor Program look forward to welcoming you into a very special group of women who help couples they will never meet to have the families they dream of.