Egg donation has not been shown to have an impact on the future fertility of an egg donor. “Do egg donors struggle to fall pregnant?” is one of the first questions you’ll want to ask when choosing to become a donor, so we thought we’d straighten things out and clear the air to set your mind at ease.
Egg donation and egg supply
Women are born with a set number of eggs available. One estimate puts the number of eggs in a woman’s body when first menstruating at around 200,000. When you are young, your body releases many eggs each month. As you age, that number diminishes until you’re in your 40s and only dropping 1 or 2 eggs per month maximum.
Egg donation takes place between when a woman’s body releases her eggs, and when the unfertilized eggs are passed. That which would have bled from the body is instead being extracted and used for a better purpose.
Hormone treatments and their impact
One argument against egg donation, if you hope to fall pregnant in the future, is that the hormone treatments impact your body long-term in some way. The reality is quite the opposite. Multiple studies have been done on the impact of fertility medications on a woman’s hormones in the future.
Findings revealed that there are no long-term consequences for your fertility, and that egg donation hormones are quick to leave the body once the fertility medication is not being taken anymore. It might take a few months for your period to return to normal after taking hormone treatments, so this is also not a cause for concern.
Ways to protect your future fertility
There are things doctors can assist with should you require fertility interventions in the future, but the best way to protect your future fertility is to be pro-active, live a healthy life, and prepare for whatever tomorrow may bring.
- Stay active and healthy
Exercise and a healthy diet are vital to ensuring your body remains fit and ready to handle motherhood. Being drastically overweight or underweight can impact your fertility, and so can the types of foods you eat. Studies have shown that trans fats can actually disrupt ovulation. - Stay aware of your sexual health
Untreated sexually transmitted infections, no matter how innocently contracted, can lead to serious fertility issues in women. Practice safer sex, get regular checkups for STIs, and make sure you’re getting a pap smear as often as is recommended for your age. - Consider freezing your eggs
Nobody knows what might transpire tomorrow, but we can definitely put measures in place to prepare for it. Countless career-minded women are freezing their young, ultra-fertile eggs, keeping them so as to have the best chance of success when they’re ready to have children in the future.
