Can I Choose How Many Eggs I Donate?

There are things in the egg donation process that you can choose - for instance the level of communication with the intended parents is something that is negotiated on both sides. However, something that donors have asked about and that is not exactly something that you can choose during the egg donation process, is how many eggs you donate.

Why Can't I Choose How Many Eggs I Donate?

There is no "magic number" of eggs retrieved that will guarantee success for the intended parents, and the right number of eggs to retrieve for person may be different than the right number for someone else. Factors like age, ovarian reserve, and your body's response to medication all influence the number of eggs retrieved, and it is impossible to guarantee exactly how many eggs will be retrieved.

The IVF clinics are the experts, and they will be the ones determining the right number of eggs to shoot for based on the particular situation, and what is healthy and safe for you, the donor.

What About OHSS?

Going into the egg donation process, many donors are rightfully concerned about OHSS. OHSS is short for ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome, and can occur for egg donors when they take the hormonal injection medications. In rare cases, the ovaries over-respond to the medication and can cause abdominal bloating, pain, vomiting, and other side effects. (Click here to read more in-depth about OHSS)

High doses of hormonal medication can increase the risk for OHSS. IVF clinics will work with you based on your particular fertility profile and past cycle records (if applicable) to create a dosage that is both safe for you (minimizing the risk of OHSS), as well as getting the optimal number of eggs for the intended family.

We keep track of the IVF clinics we work with, and do our best to only work with those clinics that prioritize donors' health and safety alongside good retrieval numbers. We always take donor's feedback into consideration when deciding whether or not to continue working with a particular IVF clinic. For instance, if there are a significant number of OHSS cases from a particular clinic, we typically stop working with that clinic for the donors' protection.

It's More Than The Number

The number of eggs retrieved is not the only important thing - the quality of those eggs is also essential for a successful IVF cycle. High numbers of eggs sometimes means lower quality of eggs, so clinics also take that into consideration when creating a medication plan for the donor. It's not all about getting the highest number of eggs.

In conclusion...

While you cannot choose the number of eggs that you donate, clinics will take into account your particular health and situation when creating a medication plan for you. We leave it to the clinics to make those decisions, and we make it a priority to work with clinics that we trust and like.

Remember that the clinic is in charge of giving any medical advice, and if you have further questions or concerns about medication dosage or number of eggs retrieved, your clinic team is a great resource for that.