“You give a piece of yourself”: revelations from donors and recipients of sperm and eggs. All about egg donation History of development of germ cell donation

For some women, the use of donor eggs is the only opportunity to give birth to a long-awaited baby. If for certain reasons a woman does not produce her own reproductive cells (lack of ovaries, early menopause) or a chromosomal abnormality is detected in the egg, then the married couple turns to an outside woman in good health (egg donor) for help. The consequences for the donor are not dangerous, since the egg donation program is strictly controlled: doctors make every effort to protect the egg donor.

Recently, egg and sperm donation have become the most popular. This is due to the fact that the number of childless couples, unfortunately, increases every year. For conception to occur, the egg must be fertilized.

If a woman does not have her own reproductive cells or the man’s sperm are inactive and there are few of them, then natural fertilization is impossible. The only chance to become parents is through artificial insemination. If a woman has low-quality eggs, then the only way out is to use donor germ cells.

IVF using donor cells is carried out by embryologists in specialized IVF clinics. IVF with a donor egg is a reproduction procedure in which a fertilized donor cell is implanted into the recipient's uterus. The egg is inseminated under artificial conditions with the husband's sperm. In some cases, sperm may be donated. The conditions for storing eggs differ significantly from sperm: donor germ cells cannot be cryopreserved - the ability to fertilize is significantly reduced. Formed embryos obtained from donor cells are allowed to be frozen.

It is known that pregnancy in which “foreign” gametes were used does not always occur the first time. But every year the success rate of the IVF procedure with donor cells increases thanks to modern technologies.

Egg donation

In a healthy menstrual cycle, a woman produces one egg each month. If a mature germ cell does not unite with a sperm, menstruation occurs and the cell is lost. If for certain reasons a woman does not have the process of producing an egg, a donor gamete is used.

Egg donation is defined as the voluntary transfer of biological material from a donor to a woman who is implanted with an embryo created through artificial insemination.

Egg donation- a complex process in which a number of conditions are met. First, it is necessary to achieve maturation of the egg colony. To do this, the egg donor (consequences for the donor: headache, hot flashes, pain in the ovaries) undergoes a course of hormonal stimulation of the ovulatory cycle. The maturation of follicles is monitored by ultrasound. When the follicles reach 18-20 cm in diameter, a puncture is performed. A special needle under ultrasound control punctures the follicle and sucks out the liquid that contains the eggs. After the procedure for obtaining oocytes, the donor is under medical supervision for 1-2 hours. If no complications are identified, the woman is discharged home. It is recommended to avoid sexual intercourse until menstruation. At the end of menstrual bleeding, the donor is recommended to undergo an examination by a gynecologist and an ultrasound scan.

Also, the main condition for the IVF procedure is the synchronization of the menstrual cycle of the recipient and the donor. Coincidence of the menstrual cycle is necessary to increase the “survivability” of the embryo.

Basic requirements for a donor

A woman who decides to donate eggs should be informed about the consequences. Since donation is an anonymous procedure, neither the egg donor (the consequences for the donor are specified in the contract) nor the woman who uses the donor egg have information about each other. The recipient has the right to choose whether to meet the donor or not. Legally, a meeting is possible if a well-known person acts as a donor: a relative or friend.

More often they prefer to use the services of an anonymous donor to avoid unnecessary publicity. You can find a woman who will donate her own egg on your own or contact an IVF clinic that has a list of candidates. For the donor, all procedures and studies are performed free of charge. Anonymous donation is a paid service. The amount of compensation is determined by the clinic where the egg retrieval procedure takes place.

Rules for choosing a donor:

• Age 20 – 32 years
• Your own child
• Absolute health
• No bad habits
• Appearance without pronounced features
• Medical certificate authorizing egg donation

Before egg retrieval, a woman undergoes a detailed screening of the body:

• Blood tests (general analysis, group, Rh)
• Biochemistry
• Syphilis
• Hepatitis
• Electrocardiogram
• Fluorography
• Vaginal smears
• Tumor markers of reproductive organs
• Genetic tests
• Psychiatrist's report

Egg donor. Consequences for the donor

The biggest fear for donors is the inability to give birth to their own baby in the future. According to medical research, this is a groundless fear. When a woman is healthy, an egg is formed in the body every month, capable of fertilization. Accordingly, the next month after the removal of the germ cell, a woman can become pregnant.

Another fear is cancer. Theoretically, the development of cancer processes is possible. This is confirmed by taking large doses of hormonal medications. But in practice, tumor pathology is practically not diagnosed: Hormonal medications are taken under close medical supervision. The safest doses are selected.

Women are often frightened by the prospect of gaining weight due to hormone therapy. Due to hormonal fluctuations, fewer women are gaining extra pounds. Most of the candidates retain their slender shape.

Confidentiality

You can become an egg donor in Volgograd in our clinic under conditions of strict confidentiality. A cooperation agreement is concluded with the donor. The donor gives up the rights to his eggs. Donation is carried out under conditions of complete anonymity between donor and recipient.

Women have many doubts before agreeing to egg donation. Specialists from the IVF Center clinic in Volgograd will professionally explain and talk about the positive aspects and possible consequences of donation. It is important that the donor woman understands: she is helping to bring a baby into the world in families where they have struggled with infertility for many years to no avail.

We have already touched on the ethical side of germ cell donation on the blog, albeit indirectly, when we talked about . Now let's talk about this directly - the conversation is relevant, because there is no consensus in society regarding the use of “foreign” germ cells in reproductive programs. Although the importance, whatever, the saving power of the method for millions of married couples is obvious. To set some general guidelines, the European Society of Human Reproduction (ESHRE) at one time issued regulations and recommendations on the topic. These documents have become a guide for doctors, lawyers and other professionals in the field of assisted reproductive technologies. They are the same for the Will Mama agency.

Basic principles of oocyte and sperm donation

Gamete donation is a non-alternative method of treating infertility in cases where the patient’s own germ cells are ineffective. In addition, donor gametes can be used in IVF programs if parents are diagnosed with genetic diseases - to prevent their transmission to children. Donors help people satisfy their desire to become parents, which is more important than infertility treatment itself. Sperm and egg donation is a sensitive topic, primarily because it contradicts traditional ideas about genetic ties within a family.

In modern conditions, it is most ethical to ensure that spouses have the right to decide for themselves how they will become parents. However, reproductive medicine does not exist separately from society, therefore society has the right to regulate issues of gamete donation through legislation.

Ethical aspects of gamete donation

• Anonymity

There is no single correct solution to the problem of anonymity, since several different interests are at stake: the parents’ need for autonomy and privacy, the donor’s right to anonymity, and, finally, the right of the child himself to know about his origin. It is difficult to satisfy all participants in the process equally, so it is important to maintain a balance of interests. This can be achieved if the gamete donor independently decides whether to remain anonymous or not, and parents choose between anonymous donors and those whose personal data is open.

• About gamete donation by relatives and friends of patients

There is no evidence that donation by family and friends can cause problems. But this does not eliminate the need for careful counseling of both the donor and the recipient. Especially in cases where a representative of another generation of the same family wants to donate their eggs. In such situations, difficulties in determining the status of the child within the family cannot be ruled out.

• Question of payment for donation

There should literally be no payment for eggs and sperm. However, this does not preclude reasonable compensation for the donor's efforts and participation in medical procedures.

• Selection and screening of donors

In the process of selecting oocyte and sperm donors, it is important to explain to them in detail the specifics of donation at the very beginning, even before the medical examination. The purpose of the examination is to protect the health of the patient and the unborn child. In addition, a psychological assessment of candidates must be carried out.

• A sperm donor can be a man no older than 50 years old, and an egg donor can be a woman no older than 35 years old. If friends or relatives of patients participate in the program, the age limit may be violated. But recipients must be warned that as the donor's age increases, the risk of genetic problems increases.
• Among the requirements for a sperm donor or oocyte donor, there must be at least one healthy child of their own.
• Parents have the right to receive officially documented information about the donor's appearance, social status, education and occupation.

These are the key points from ESHRE's provisions regarding the ethics of gamete donation. We adhere to them in our practice, with the exception of a number of nuances that are not consistent with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Yuri, 34 years old, Moscow

Sperm donor

I decided to become a sperm donor in December of this year. You can be a donor until you are 35 years old, which means I only have a year left.

To become a sperm donor at a reproductive cell bank or IVF clinic, you need to go through a serious selection process. First, you submit the biomaterial for analysis. Specialists take a spermogram and check how your sperm react to cryo-freezing and how they feel after thawing. After this, it is necessary to undergo a detailed examination by therapists, urologists and psychologists. And then - a genetic test and consultation with a geneticist. I am also a blood donor, so I often undergo various medical examinations.

Before collecting sperm, you need to follow some rules. A lot of attention is paid to this process. It is necessary to observe abstinence for 2 to 4 days; the day before you should not drink alcohol, spicy, salty or fatty foods. I have no problems with this - I'm used to leading a healthy lifestyle.

The sperm donation process works like this. You come to the donor's room - as a rule, it is cozy, with dim lighting. There is a urinal in this room: before semen delivery you need to urinate, wash your hands and genitals. All sperm should end up in the container at the end of the process. This is important - even in the questionnaire filled out after the procedure, there is a point about whether there was a loss of biomaterial.

According to the terms of the contract, I must donate sperm at least once a week. I usually do this 2 times a week: on Tuesday and Friday. I have a wife and a little daughter. I planned my visits to the bank in such a way that my relationship with my wife did not suffer: I make sure to devote time to my wife on the day off. She treats my activity with humor and makes fun of me: “You’re in a good mood - you probably went to the reprobank.”

I work in the hotel business and make good money. I don’t donate for money, although you can really make money from it. Each successful sperm donation is valued at 3 thousand rubles. At the end of the month I receive 1.5 thousand rubles for each sperm donation. The remaining 1.5 thousand is paid after 6 months. This is due to the fact that some sexually transmitted viruses can appear in donor material after six months. That is, after six months, all unpaid money is transferred to the donor. If you manage to fit into an ideal schedule, you can earn 26–30 thousand rubles in a month.

Children born with the help of my sperm will be healthy, cheerful, cheerful and purposeful

I decided to become a sperm donor because I had a great desire to pass on to someone not only part of my genetic material, but also my health and character. Children born with the help of my sperm will be healthy, cheerful, cheerful and purposeful.

I was thinking about making my profile in the reprobank open. This means that at the age of 18, a child will be able to find out who his biological father is and will be able to meet him. On the one hand, I would like to meet biological children, but on the other hand, I don’t like surprises. In general, I decided to leave the questionnaire closed.

Maria, 30 years old, St. Petersburg

Egg donor

I have been an egg donor twice. For the first time - 6 years ago. The reason is banal - a difficult financial situation. I accidentally found a newspaper in the kitchen with an ad “Donors Wanted” and called. It was not a clinic, but an agency that was engaged in the selection of donors in St. Petersburg. The agency asked me to fill out a questionnaire - very detailed, with questions about heredity right up to my great-grandmother: what illness did she have, what did she die from.

The egg donation procedure turned out to be a difficult test for the body. Besides, I didn’t know that I had polycystic disease. When the doctor injected me with a drug to stimulate ovulation, hyperstimulation occurred - too many cells appeared. If in a normal cycle a woman grows one or two eggs, then I had 28 of them. The ovaries were huge, the stomach was about a hundred centimeters in volume, although in normal condition my waist is 63 centimeters. This went on for about a week. To relieve the swelling, they gave me regular saline solution. When I realized that this did not help me, and they did not offer me any other treatment, I said that I would sue the clinic. After that, they began to inject me with protein, which relieves swelling. I immediately felt better.

In situations where the donor's health is harmed, as a rule, no financial compensation is expected. Before the cell collection procedure, the woman signs a paper stating that even in the event of death, she has no claims against the clinic.

They paid me 45 thousand rubles - this was the average price for egg donation in 2010. Now, I heard, they pay 60 thousand.

Information about the fate of the eggs that I donated for the first time is completely closed - I don’t even know whether the girl who used them ended up getting pregnant. I think it worked: she had many attempts with 28 cells.

Due to complications, I did not plan to repeat the donation experience, but nevertheless I became a donor again. A good friend of mine told me that she couldn’t have children, and I decided to help her. It’s a lucky coincidence that we look alike. This time, my husband and I took a responsible approach to choosing a doctor.

My friend lives in another city, and now we don’t communicate. After the donation, it became uncomfortable to maintain close relationships. I know that she gave birth to two boys and that everything is fine. Now they are already 2 years old, in May they will be 3. To be honest, I would really like to see how they turned out, at least with one eye. But we signed an agreement according to which I do not have the right to communicate with children.

By becoming an egg donor, you are giving away a part of yourself. It is unknown who will raise this child, what kind of life awaits him. If we develop this topic further, we might come to the conclusion that I abandoned my children. But still, becoming a surrogate mother would be even harder for me. You carry a child under your heart, feel it, communicate with it, and then give it away. I couldn't do that.

The number of times a woman can donate depends on her egg supply. I have a big one - much higher than normal - but I don’t plan to become a donor again. Although I don’t rule out that I would do it for someone close.

I have a daughter. She doesn't know that she has two biological brothers somewhere. Maybe someday when she's an adult I'll tell her. Although I'm not sure if this is necessary: ​​I try not to think of these children as my own at all.

Irina, 46 years old, St. Petersburg

Egg recipient

My husband and I decided on IVF after the death of our son. He was 21 years old when the accident happened. Knowing my problems with women's health, I immediately went to the fertility clinic. We decided to turn to a surrogate mother for help. After six failed IVF attempts with our own eggs, we started the protocol with donor cells. There was no material opportunity, no moral strength, no time to continue with our own people. We were no longer young, and we had to become parents again. As it turned out, even twins: we have a wonderful boy and girl.

The decision to resort to IVF was difficult for me. The first protocol was especially difficult. But with each protocol it becomes easier, excitement appears, the desire to win at any cost and to have children becomes stronger. There were doubts, of course. And even after the birth of children, they remained deep inside. But gradually, as the kids grow up, overcoming all the difficulties, I understand more and more that these are my own children.

The egg donor was chosen by my doctor. I trusted him completely. When the experience of protocol life comes, the external beauty of the donor fades into the background. The main thing is its effectiveness, which is measured not even by the number of embryos that the donor will give, but by their quality. As a rule, anonymous donors have an ordinary, unremarkable appearance. I only know some characteristics from the doctor’s words: height, weight, eye color, hair color, breast size, place of work.

My husband immediately agreed to a donor egg when he realized that there was no other choice. This decision was easy for him, he never remembers it. Of my relatives, only my mother knows, but she and I didn’t even discuss this topic: our children - that’s all. Why didn't we adopt a child? This is a difficult question for me. Still, I'm not ready for this. It is important for me to know that the father of my children is a man I know and love.

On the topic of IVF with a donor egg, I only talked with girls on the “Test Tube” forum. We became friends with some of them in real life and continue to communicate to this day. Besides them, two close friends know me; they treat my situation with understanding and fully support me. I don’t discuss this topic with anyone anymore, because people who are far from our problems perceive it extremely negatively due to a lack of understanding of the issue.

I do not plan to tell my children that I am not their biological mother and that another woman carried them to birth. This will only have to be done if, God forbid, you need medical help. And this is one of the reasons why I do not advertise my story.

We have developed a wonderful relationship with the surrogate mother; she perceives the situation absolutely adequately. We are fully protected legally from any attacks on children and intrusions into our family life.

I am against donation in Russia becoming completely open. I believe this would create problems for families resorting to reproductive donation. Many couples whose country of residence has similar conditions are forced to undergo IVF abroad.

I am a believer. It seems to me that there is a contradiction in the negative attitude of the church towards IVF and surrogacy. If everything in this process was only in the hands of doctors, so many IVF attempts would not be required. Man does not control this process - everything is in the hands of God. Surrogacy also does not provide a 100% guarantee: I have 11 attempts, my friends from Test Tube have 13, 17, 25 each... But in the end, thousands of people have found the happiness of motherhood thanks to such possibilities of modern medicine. What's bad about it?

Our son and daughter are copies of dad. I am happy that they are similar to him in appearance, character, and habits. When the kids hug me tightly around the neck and cuddle up to me, I understand that they are only mine and no one else's. Of course, there are also difficult moments: having twins is a heavy burden, I have breakdowns and tears from fatigue. But I have never once regretted that I went through this path, that I decided to have a donor egg. These are my beloved and dear children.

Unfortunately, my age does not give me the opportunity to have more children. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t take this step earlier.

Alla, 46 years old, Kazakhstan

Egg recipient

I live in Kazakhstan, work in a large state company. My daughter was born quite recently, she is now only 20 days old.

My husband has children from his first marriage - and the spermogram is fine. Well, in Moscow I was diagnosed with infertility of unknown origin.

For a long time we didn’t plan to have a child at all. My husband and I were constantly in different countries for work, and getting pregnant with such a schedule was unrealistic. We started planning a pregnancy when I turned 40. Since we were in different cities, we decided to resort to IVF. At first, my husband was against it - he thought that everything would work out that way, but I managed to convince him. I understood that we might not make it in time if we delayed further.

The first IVF attempt was made in Kazakhstan. The prospects were good, but during this period I was under a lot of stress: at work I was appointed acting general director. Against this background, something went wrong and the implantation failed.

After that, we decided to change the clinic, but other IVF specialists in Kazakhstan said that I no longer had any prospects of having a child at that age. Then I decided to go to Moscow, especially since we wanted to carry out pre-implantation diagnostics of the embryo, and at that time diagnostics of all pairs of chromosomes were done only in Russia or in foreign countries.

Doctors in Moscow said that the reason why pregnancy does not occur is clear - high-quality eggs are needed. It was necessary to stimulate the ovaries and obtain eggs, but a problem arose: in Kazakhstan, doctors advised me to remove fibroids, and any operation in the abdominal cavity reduces egg reserves, as they later explained to me. Therefore, in Moscow they only took 2–3 eggs from me.

The first time I had stimulation, the developed follicles were empty - without eggs. Then I was offered double stimulation - to grow the remaining cells in the same cycle, which we did. As a result, we got one embryo, and after the next stimulation, two more. We sent all three embryos for diagnostics. One had Down syndrome, with an extra chromosome. The other, on the contrary, was missing a chromosome. And in the third there were also some violations.

One failure followed another, it was very difficult mentally. When we got the results, I told my husband: “Let's stop.” And we decided to use donor eggs. We began to look through the databases and were faced with the fact that it is difficult to find a Kazakh donor in Russia.

Then we began to consider donors of Turkic nationalities, so that differences in appearance would not be so striking. We chose between an Azerbaijani, a Dagestan and a Tuvan. We also watched the Tatars and Koreans. In the end, we settled on Azerbaijani. The donor was absolutely nothing like me.

We bought 4 eggs. One of them became unusable when defrosted. And 2 of them reached the 5th day of development, when the embryo can be implanted. I didn’t know until recently how many embryos made it to transfer. And when they told me that we had 2 beautiful embryos, I was in seventh heaven.

A decision had to be made on how many embryos to transfer. I decided - two at once. I understood that it would be twice as difficult to carry and raise twins, but I didn’t want to tempt fate. Doctors confirmed that my health allows me to carry twins, and I had already begun to get used to the idea that I would have two babies, but an ultrasound on the 21st day after the transfer showed that only one embryo had implanted.

Our daughter is still very young, but everyone tells us that she is the spitting image of her dad. True, I also find in her the features of a donor, because I saw her photo. But now it doesn’t bother me at all - we won, everything worked out for us, I carried and gave birth to a child, and this is my child!

I don’t want my daughter to find out that I’m not her biological mother. Perhaps I would have revealed this to her if it had been medically necessary. You know, friends of our family have an adopted son. When he was 20 years old, strangers told him that he was not their own. I saw how much pain this news brought him, it was as if the ground had been knocked out from under his feet. I wouldn't want my child to experience something like this.

Avtandil Chogovadze

Head of the bank of reproductive cells and tissues "Reprobank"

The reproductive donation industry in Russia lags woefully behind the rest of the world for several reasons. The main one is that our society is incredibly blinkered. The first sperm banks appeared in the USA and Japan in the 70s. Hollywood has been making movies about this for a long time - remember the comedy about a sperm bank with Whoopi Goldberg (the 1991 film “Made in America” - Note ed.)? There it is not considered shameful if a lonely independent woman, in search of a father for her child, goes not to a bar, but to a sperm bank. There is no shame in telling your child that he was born with the help of donor sperm. Therefore, open donation is common in the West, when a child, upon reaching adulthood, can contact his biological parent - the donor.

In Russia, by the way, there is no ban on openness. The law states that donors can be either anonymous or open. Closeness is the choice of our society. Reluctance to bother.

Until 2014, Russia did not even have a specialized sperm bank. Now there are such banks in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan - 3 throughout the country. Before this, there were only microbanks at IVF clinics, which had 3-4 donors. In some large clinics there were up to 10–15 sperm donors.

A minimum of 8 donors are required to provide a choice for patients of all Rh positive and negative blood groups. Not to mention the external characteristics.

There should be many donors for another reason. Several years ago, representatives of one of the clinics boasted at a conference that 40 children were born from their rare donor with an Rh-negative blood type in the region alone. The problem is that in 20 years these children will reach reproductive age, and if, God forbid, they marry each other, we may get a new, previously unknown hereditary disease. In this way, you can create a real genetic bomb. This is called the “founder effect” in genetics.

In Russia, there are about 8 thousand uses of donor sperm and about 5 thousand uses of eggs per year. These numbers are growing every year. Our goal is to select sperm or eggs that will produce offspring that closely resemble the legal father or mother. Ideally, no one except the doctor and family should know about this, and after a year or two, it’s better for everyone to forget about this episode.

Three categories of recipients contact us. The first is married couples where there is a male factor of infertility or the woman is past childbearing age - and she needs eggs. The second category is single women over 35. They mainly apply for donor sperm, and sometimes for eggs. Either they are desperate to find a man, or they want a child only for themselves. Often these women use the services of surrogate mothers. The third category is lesbian couples. Basically, they require donor sperm, less often eggs.

Each clinic has its own remuneration rate for donors. In Moscow, an egg donor will be paid from 50 to 100 thousand rubles. You can undergo the procedure no more than once a month. For men, compensation is around 2-4 thousand rubles for one sperm donation, and sperm can be donated several times a week.

To find one sperm donor, we must screen 300, sometimes 400 candidates. For women the selection is easier. The fact is that we can work with a male donor for a long time. An expensive medical examination allows us to obtain 100–200 tubes of sperm. Women, due to the complexity of the procedure, usually become donors once, or at most twice. Egg donation is a serious and dangerous test for the female body. If the doctor is inexperienced or the woman has some health problems that were not identified during the examination, the outcome can even be fatal, and I know of such cases. Therefore, it is unprofitable to carry out the same strict selection as for men - the eggs simply turn golden.

Becoming a donor of germ cells - sperm or eggs - is officially permitted in Belarus in accordance with the Law “On Assisted Reproductive Technologies”. Theoretically, there should be donors. But in fact there are none. When friends needed donor sperm, they had to use a foreign germ cell donor bank.

A correspondent of the Minsk-News agency spoke on this topic with the director of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center “Mother and Child” Konstantin Vilchuk.

- It’s too early to talk about germ cell donation in Belarus,- notes K. Vilchuk. - And not because it is not in demand - married couples with infertility turn to us. But so far there are only a few who want to become donors.

- So there are still donors?

- Minuscule, and after medical examinations even less.

- Does the person undergo serious checks?

- Naturally. To begin with, a person comes to our center and writes a written statement. According to the law dA sperm donor can be a man between 18 and 40 years of age who has no medical contraindications to sperm donation and has undergone a medical examination. An egg donor can be an 18-35 year old woman with a child, who also has no contraindications to donation (of eggs), and only after a medical examination. A person who has committed a serious or especially serious crime against a person is not considered as a donor.

- Are we talking about anonymous donation of germ cells?

- About germ cell donation in principle - anonymous and non-anonymous. So far we have only dealt with non-anonymous ones, when close people - a brother or sister - acted as donors. In our country, only a relative can be a non-anonymous donor. These donor germ cells can be used without cryopreservation (freezing) and going through a quarantine period, and the person who needs them is aware of the possible risks associated with the use of these cells. The relevant information is entered into medical documents and signed by the patient and the attending physician.

The use of germ cells from an anonymous donor is possible only after cryopreservation and quarantine for six months. Their maximum shelf life is up to 10 years.

- Let’s say the donor cells were used for their intended purpose, but not all of them. What do they do with the remainder?

- It is extremely rare, but with the written consent of the donor patient, unclaimed cells are subject to freezing or disposal.

- If you are asked to select an anonymous donor, can you help?

- Patients themselves select donors from catalogs in foreign cryobanks, and they also pay for it. Biomaterial is delivered to our center by couriers with the necessary documents. We have had situations like this. “Customers” pay for the donor material.

Currently, work is underway to improve Belarusian legislation in the field of assisted reproductive technologies. Over time, some legal norms will change, including regarding anonymous germ cell donation. Now the main thing has not been settled - payment. Without monetary reward, such donation is impossible. It's the same abroad.

Features of anonymous donation abroad

An anonymous donor has the right to financial compensation for the provided biomaterial, but does not have the right to receive information about the further use of his germ cells. And also to determine the identity of the child conceived using his reproductive cells, and the parents of this child.

Typically anonymous donors are entered into a registry. Married couples choose a “father” or “mother” from a catalog. Their description contains information that does not constitute medical confidentiality: age, height, weight, hair and eye color, race and nationality, education, blood type and Rh factor. Potential parents can look at the applicant’s photo, but only his (her) childhood and youth photos.

Photo by Sergei Sheleg

Germ cell donation involves the removal of genetic material from some people and its use for the purpose of conceiving others. In each case, the cells undergo mandatory laboratory testing.

Specialists working in the field of reproductive technologies have recently noted an increase in the number of people wishing to use donor eggs. This growth is noticed not only by experts; ordinary people can also find a large number of advertisements in various print publications and on the Internet, such as: “Looking for an egg donor.”

In what cases is it necessary to resort to donor cells?

This biomaterial is used to eliminate problems with conception in the following situations:

When the organs of the reproductive system are removed, preventing pregnancy from occurring. In this case, people use the services of surrogate mothers.

When the potential of the ovaries is depleted, negatively affecting the fertilization process.

Upon the onset of menopause.

With low quality of own germ cells.

In case of possible transmission of any genetic or infectious disease to the baby.

When carrying out numerous unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilization associated with the low quality of genetic material.

It is worth noting that childless couples resort to several options for finding the necessary material. “Looking for an egg donor” - advertisements of this type are given by some of them who do not want to look for a suitable candidate through an intermediary. In this case, they can save quite a large amount of money. However, we should not forget about the negative consequences of such a decision.

Looking for an egg donor with photo

When independently selecting a donor, people should remember that each applicant for this role must meet certain criteria. Since the donor cells will be used for in vitro fertilization, it is necessary to ensure the high quality of this material. When choosing a donor, it is necessary to take into account not only the presence of a pleasant appearance, but also its compliance with the following conditions:

the candidate’s age should not exceed 33 years of age;

the person must have excellent physical and mental health;

he must undergo a full medical examination;

there should be no history of harmful addictions, such as tobacco or alcohol;

It is desirable that the donor has his own children in good health.

Search for a donor in other regions

Quite often you can find advertisements online: “Looking for an egg donor in Moscow.” This is explained not only by the large number of patients in the capital, but also by the fact that people want to further carry out in vitro fertilization in leading reproductive centers and clinics. However, experts working in this field advise people not to get hung up on such an idea. The fact is that most licensed clinics that work with donor material provide their services with the same quality, including the IVF procedure.