Egg Donation – A life changing act of kindness

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Guest Blog; written by Craig Paton from CRGH.

There are many ways to be kind. Big or small, acts of kindness should never be underestimated. Holding a door or saying “Good Morning” might just make someone’s day, giving blood or becoming an organ donor might even save someone’s life. Yet the opportunities to truly change a strangers life for the better are few and far between. Egg Donation, then, is perhaps the rarest act of kindness of them all. The selfless, anonymous act of donating eggs is a gift which cannot be overstated; Egg Donors give the gift of life. On Random Act of Kindness day, CRGH would like to celebrate our amazing egg donors and explain why their gift is so incredibly important.

Why are Egg Donors needed?

There are many reasons why patients undergoing fertility treatment might need the help of an Egg Donor to achieve their dream of a family. Some patients have a low ovarian reserve, some have undergone chemotherapy or surgery which means they’re unable to conceive using their own eggs, others are in a same-sex relationship. The potential recipients of donated eggs are diverse in many ways but share a common goal; to have a child to love, nurture and adore. Egg Donors make this dream a reality. Egg Donors give the gift of life.

Who can become an Egg Donor?

Our community of egg donors is diverse in terms of age, ethnicity and background. By building a diverse Egg Donation community we’re best prepared to meet our patients’ needs. There are some guidelines around who can donate; donors should be fit and healthy, aged between 18 and 35 and have no inherited or genetic diseases. When you contact our dedicated egg donation team (donation.team@crgh.co.uk) they will guide you through the process step by step, helping you arrange everything from initial discussions with a consultant through to health checks and counselling sessions.

Donation Stories

At CRGH we’re fortunate to have an amazing community of egg donors. Read their donation stories below to understand why they decided to become donors, and why it’s something you should consider.

Ellie, 20

“I stumbled upon the idea of egg donation quite accidentally, reading about it somewhere online, not realising it was something I would be interested in doing before. After doing some brief research, I decided to contact CRGH to enquire about the process. After a really informative and useful online consultation with one of the doctors, I was invited to come to the clinic for some initial tests and to talk through what would be required of me. All the nurses were very kind and helpful, and immediately made me feel accommodated and in good hands. I knew then it was something I wanted to do, and that I had come to the right place.

I found the process, on the whole, to be very enjoyable and rewarding, and it is absolutely something I would do again.

The clinic itself was comfortable, the nurses were lovely and it gave me an opportunity to feel like I was making a difference. I was also given a discreet doctors note very quickly after requesting, which I could then provide to my university to explain a couple of missed seminars on the day of the collection, so it never became a problem in terms of interrupting my studies. I would recommend to everyone!”

Alex, 27

 “I am so pleased I chose to donate through CRGH, I felt supported throughout and felt appreciated and reassured about my own health as well as my decision.

In the face to face consultations I would see photos of families and babies that were possible via CRGH and it just cemented my belief that I was doing the right thing for myself / good thing for others.

I also felt like they put in the time to explain everything to me, so I was confident in the entire process. I regularly had contact with the nurses ( Sofia and Eva ) who were just wonderfully supportive and encouraging throughout the process. Marta who I believe is the main administrative contact was amazingly efficient, replying and updating me all the time during the initial paperwork stages as well afterward.”

If you would like to learn more about Egg Donation at CRGH, contact our team at donation.team@crgh.co.uk, or visit the donation page on our website. https://crgh.co.uk/egg-donation/. With your help, we can help even more dreams become a reality in the coming months and years.

Written By Craig Paton for TwoDadsUK. Check out one of Craig’s earlier guest blogs here. All about patient support, and the importance of it.

Interested in Surrogacy, also check out CRGH’s website for more information.