![\"10-myth-about-egg-donation\"](\"https:\/\/www.nurture.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/10-myth-about-egg-donation.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn your quest to become a well-informed egg donor, you\u2019ve no doubt<\/p>\n
encountered one or more misconceptions\u00a0around the process that may have you a bit concerned.<\/p>\n
Fear not, we\u2019re here to talk through some of the most common ones \u2013 so grab a cup of coffee, kick back and relax while we bust some major egg donation myths!<\/p>\n
Donating my eggs will hurt my chances of having a baby<\/strong><\/p>\n Contrary to (somehow) popular belief, women don\u2019t just make one egg per month. In fact, we\u2019re born with about two MILLION potential eggs!<\/p>\n Each month after we hit puberty, batches of those potential eggs are called up \u2013 with (usually) just one making it all the way to maturity and ovulation.<\/p>\n The rest of the potential eggs in those batches are like the runners-up on Idols<\/em>. Still fantastic, but not The One \u2013 so your body gets rid of them. What fertility meds do is help to \u201crescue\u201d these eggs and give them a purpose \u2013 encouraging your body to mature those eggs that were headed for the drain.<\/p>\n Long story short? Egg donation doesn\u2019t tap into any reserves that weren\u2019t going to be wasted by your body, anyway.<\/p>\n Donors sell their eggs for a quick buck <\/strong><\/p>\n Woah! There are a few things in here for us to unpack.<\/p>\n First things first, a donor doesn\u2019t \u201csell\u201d her eggs. The amount paid to all South African donors \u2013 which is currently R7000 \u2013 is compensation for her time and the effort of travelling to appointments, taking off work, and injecting herself with the various prescribed medications.<\/p>\n That also means that a donor will receive the same amount no matter how many eggs are collected on retrieval day \u2013 whether it\u2019s five or 15.<\/p>\n More importantly, while a few donors may be initially attracted by the prospect of some extra cash, most of the time they\u2019re also committed to helping would-be parents fulfil their dream of having a baby.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s something money can\u2019t buy!<\/p>\n Egg donation is dangerous<\/strong><\/p>\n Look, we\u2019ll level with you \u2013 any medical procedure comes with some risk. But at Nurture, we work with only the very best clinics and doctors to make sure that you\u2019re cared for every single step of the way.<\/p>\n The primary risk is something called Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome, which is still super rare! It\u2019s caused by your ovary producing too many eggs in response to your injections \u2013 which is just one of the reasons you\u2019ll be going for regular scans. Our docs will be able to pick up anything dodgy on the scans and adjust your meds accordingly.<\/p>\n If you do get OHSS, it\u2019ll usually be a day or two after your retrieval, and you\u2019ll know about it! You may experience severe bloating, pain and nausea. Don\u2019t be a hero \u2013 call us straight away! Usually you\u2019ll just be put on bed rest while your ovaries calm down, but that\u2019s the doctor\u2019s call.<\/p>\n The great news is that in South Africa we use a medical trigger protocol involving the use of a drug called Lupron, which pretty much totally removes the risk of OHSS \u2013 hurrah!<\/p>\n And as with every medical procedure \u2013 from a dentist\u2019s appointment to a knee op \u2013 there\u2019s also a small risk of infection, but most clinics will give you a shot of an antibiotic to reduce that risk.<\/p>\n Donating my eggs will hurt<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019ll have figured by now that we believe that honesty is the best policy. So, while we would love to say that it absolutely won\u2019t hurt, it\u2019s different for every woman. Some may be up and about straight away with not a care in the world, while others experience more discomfort than others.<\/p>\n However, it shouldn\u2019t be excruciating pain!<\/p>\n Firstly: Yes, there are injections. About one a day for two weeks. But the sisters at the clinic will show you how to inject yourself so that you don\u2019t really feel it, and after the first few days you\u2019ll have it totally in your stride! (Spoiler alert: Bruises are normal while you\u2019re learning this new skill. Wear them with pride!)<\/p>\n The hormone medication can make you a bit uncomfortable \u2013 you could have sore boobs, some bloating, some cramping, some headaches, or\u2026 Nothing at all!<\/p>\n During the procedure, you\u2019ll be put under a mild anaesthetic and won\u2019t feel a thing. When you wake up, you might be a bit \u201ccrampy\u201d and sore, but much like with period pain, a hot water bottle and some pain killers will have you sorted. You have our full permission to spend the day on the couch bingeing on Netflix and napping.<\/p>\n But remember, feel free to ask your doctors, nurses and Nurture BFFs any and all questions at any stage of the process! Our goal is to make you feel informed, empowered and \u2013 dare we say it \u2013\u00a0 loved!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In your quest to become a well-informed egg donor, you\u2019ve no doubt encountered one or more misconceptions\u00a0around the process that may have you a bit concerned. Fear not, we\u2019re here to talk through some of the most common ones \u2013 so grab a cup of coffee, kick back and relax while we bust some major…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,1],"tags":[100],"yoast_head":"\n