Honoring National Infertility Awareness Week
by MyEggBankin GeneralApril 22nd, 2024
National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW) is here and, while this is a great time to support and raise awareness for couples and individuals impacted by infertility, it’s also important to acknowledge and celebrate alternative paths to parenthood. For example, egg donation is becoming increasingly common for many different types of families. Let’s go over who benefits from this method of third-party reproduction and how the process works.
Reasons People Use Egg Donors
Why might someone use an egg donor to grow their family? There are a variety of reasons, including:
- Fertility conditions: Diminished ovarian reserve and conditions like primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) and endometriosis can make conceiving naturally challenging, if not impossible.
- History of a genetic disease: When an intended parent has a family history of a serious genetic disease, such as cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy, they may opt for a donor egg to avoid passing on the condition.
- LGBTQ+ family building: Cisgendered gay men may use donor eggs, not because they’re infertile, but because they cannot produce eggs themselves.
- Becoming an intended single parent: Single men who want to become biological fathers may seek a donor egg to have a child.
No matter why someone chooses to use donor eggs, this method of conception is a highly effective and safe way to become a parent.
How the Egg Donation Process Works
Egg donors and aspiring parents start their journey by connecting with a reputable egg donation center like MyEggBank. Prospective donors undergo a series of evaluations to ensure they’re physically and mentally healthy and prepared to donate. Once approved, a doctor will collect their eggs via a minor surgical procedure. Then, they’ll go into a database for intended parents to browse.
Once aspiring parents choose an egg donor, they’ll undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive their child. The donated eggs are fertilized with either the sperm of an intended parent or a separate sperm donor. Then, a fertility specialist inserts the embryo into the uterus of an intended parent or a gestational carrier.
Egg Donation Helps Families Grow
This NIAW, we celebrate couples and individuals building the families of their dreams via third-party reproduction methods like egg donation. If you’re interested in donating your eggs or using an egg donor to conceive, MyEggBank is here to guide you through each step of the process. Contact us today for more information.