Can Egg Donation Cause Infertility? Separating Fact from Myth

Egg donation has provided a way for many families to have children, where individuals or couples could not use their eggs, or did not have any due to the nature of their relationship. While there is much benefit for the egg donor, there is much that continues to be speculated upon outside the sphere of reproductive medicine. As a result, there is a lot of misinformation that could be misleading to both recipients of egg donation as well as potential egg donors themselves. The purpose of this article is to shed some light on the impact of egg donation on the donor using scientific and medical facts that are currently available.   

How Ovarian Stimulation Affects Fertility

Ovarian stimulation heightens fertility due to the use of hormones. This treatment is typically synced with the natural follicular phase of a person’s menstrual cycle, which usually matures one egg per cycle.  The use of hormones to stimulate the ovaries creates an environment where more than one egg matures in this phase. Having more than one mature egg also increases the chances that a person will become pregnant if conceiving using fertility treatments.

While only one egg matures in the natural cycle, multiple follicles are usually released by the ovaries. In this way the body naturally increases the chances of natural pregnancy when multiple follicles have the chance to develop to maturity. However, when one follicle does reach maturity, the rest stop developing and are discarded by the body. Through ovarian stimulation, the follicles that would have been discarded are also given a chance to reach maturity, resulting in the availability of more than one mature egg. 

As earlier mentioned, ovarian stimulation causes a person to become particularly fertile as more eggs are being developed for maturity. For an egg donor, it is important to be aware and very careful when engaging in any sexual activity. With a heightened libido, a person engaging in penetrative sexual activity without protection is likely to become during this time. This for obvious reasons would be counterproductive to the egg donation process. 

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Effects on Reproductive Health

The side effects of ovarian stimulation vary from one egg donor to another. In general, what is known is that the medications used could cause a person to feel bloated, have headaches, experience mood shifts, as well general tiredness or lethargy. In addition, the hormones used to stimulate the ovaries mimic those naturally produced in the body. As such, the body may react to excess hormones in what is known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, more commonly referred to as OHSS. Symptoms of OHSS include excessive bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even abdominal pain.  

The egg retrieval process in and of itself is a minimally invasive procedure that is done under sedation, therefore a person will not have any pain or discomfort. However, following this process, some side effects include mild cramping, bloating, possible spotting or some soreness in the vaginal area. Typically, a person will recover from these after a few days of rest. 

The process of donating one’s eggs does not deplete their ovarian reserve as has been commonly misunderstood. Ovarian stimulation only affects the follicles that the ovaries release in the particular cycle of treatment. Egg donors are still left with a sufficient supply of oocytes for their future family building goals.

What Studies Say About Future Fertility

In the long term, a person can still build their families naturally as ovarian stimulation does not tample with the eggs in a person’s ovarian reserve. For clarity, consider this; a person’s ovarian reserve has millions of oocytes. In the follicular phase, only about 11 to 20 of these are released in any cycle. This is why egg donors can donate their eggs even up to six times in their lifetime.

Prior to egg donation, a donor undergoes medical tests and screening which includes information about the quantity and quality of their eggs. If any concerns that could affect future fertility arise during this time, they would be discussed with the egg donor. Typically, donors in good health with good quality eggs in sufficient supply are the ones who qualify to donate their eggs. 

While egg donation does not  cause infertility, the issue of future infertility must be considered in light of the actual medically proven causes of infertility. Habits such as excessive alcohol intake, smoking and the use of nicotine-based products, significant weight gain or weight loss, infection, illness and medical conditions, all contribute to a person being unable to build their family naturally.  

Conclusion

Egg donation does not typically cause infertility. If after donating their eggs, an egg donor experiences infertility or challenges in building their own family, they would have to be evaluated independent of their egg donation history in order to determine what the cause of infertility could be. As well, naturally a woman’s fertility declines significantly after the age of 35. This is why egg donors also have the option of freezing eggs for themselves for their own family building goals during their egg donation cycles. For more information, contact Utah Fertility Center.

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