Why Can You Only Donate Eggs Six Times?

Egg donors don’t have to stop after a single donation! Egg donation can be a repeated process, within standardized limits as well as following the proper protocol and regulations set by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. You may wonder however, why can you only donate eggs six times? Why can’t you donate eight times or ten? Why does the limit stop at 6?

Below we’ll untangle all confusions and illuminate curiosities on egg donation limits. We will also dive into some frequently asked questions on the various timelines to consider when donating eggs!

 

 

Why Can You Only Donate Eggs Six Times?

So, why can you only donate eggs six times in your lifetime? Let’s explore some of the most important factors that affect you as the donor, the future intended child, and the intended parents, as well as institutional suggestions.

 

Crucial ASRM Guidelines

Following the guidelines of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, “oocyte donors should be limited to 6 cycles per donor.” The overall reason for this recommendation is a distinct concern of the “cumulative risk of the donor undergoing 6 ovarian stimulation and oocyte retrieval procedures.”

 

To Protect Your Health

At The World Egg and Bank, we will always put the mental and physical health of our donors first. Of course, this extends to first time donors and repeat donors! This is why we always consider what is best for the donor. To know when the journey must come to an end. 

 

Mental and Physical Preparation

Like any procedure, there is physical and mental preparation a donor will need to consider each time they repeat the egg donation process. For instance, donating your eggs for the first time is a 2–4-month journey, with extensive genetic testing, medical and psychological screening, as well as hormone stimulation, and the actual retrieval day. This rewarding experience is never intended to last forever! Just as ASRM suggests, your body needs and deserves rest after 6 cycles. This is due to the repetitive stimulation of the ovaries as well as going through a minimally invasive procedure.

 

OHSS

With most procedures, there are rare but potential risks that we inform our donors of, including Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. This is an extremely rare condition where the ovaries can become overstimulated from hormone medication used to stimulate your eggs for egg retrieval. While this only occurs in .01% of donors at The World Egg and Sperm Bank, OHSS is partly why ASRM limits egg donation to 6 times. This is to decrease the overall possibility of this occurring if an egg donor had donated many times. Symptoms can range from:

• Mild abdominal discomfort
• Breathlessness
• Changes to liver and renal functioning

 

At The World Egg and Sperm Bank, we always remain vigilant and proactive. By closely monitoring how our donor’s body responds to all medications, we adjust them as necessary for their safety.

 

Other Procedural Risks

While egg retrieval is standardized and safe, it is still an elective procedure. (an optional procedure which is not to treat a life-threatening condition) So we want to reduce the rare chances of certain procedural risks from too many consecutive donations:

• Infection after procedure
• Allergic reaction to sedative
• Needle infection from hormone injections

These occur in less than 0.05% of patients!

 

 

Limiting the Number of Related Donor-Conceived Babies

Limits on egg donation also concern the number of future children resulting from a single egg donor donating multiple times. When donor embryo batches are split (going to more than one future parent or couple), the geographic proximity of these future, related children must be considered. So, there is a limit to how many times a women may donate her eggs. The purpose is to reduce that risk of future children from the same donor unknowingly coming into contact.

 

 

What Else Can Limit How Many Times I Can Donate My Eggs?

Age and Egg Quality

Do not fret! Your future fertility, ability to become pregnant and start your family later on will not be affected negatively by egg donation. However, egg health and quality are important influencers on egg donation limitations because:

• At The World Egg and Sperm Bank, you can only donate your eggs up until you are 31 years old. This is largely due to the decline in overall egg quality as you age. Egg quality is the anticipated percentage of genetically “normal” eggs relative to their total number of eggs. As said before, this percentage decreases over time. So regardless of egg donation limits, donors are not allowed to continue donating after 31.

 

So, the number of times you can donate your eggs (while the limit is still 6), can depend on the age you start donating your eggs. For example, if you start donating your eggs at 31, you would be unable to donate 6 times.

 

How Long Do I Have to Wait Between Each Donation?

If you enjoyed the egg donation journey and would like to donate your eggs multiple times with us, how long do you need to wait? After your first donation, as you’ve already completed your initial genetic and psychological screenings. This means that you are already registered within our egg bank, making subsequent donation about a 1-2 month process! Typically, donors can donate at most, 3-4 times per year, and we ask that you wait until you have had 1-2 regular menstrual cycles before starting the donation process again.

 

 

Apply to Become an Egg Donor Today!

Egg donation makes an immeasurable impact on the fortunate, aspiring family who receives your eggs, whether you donate one time or 6! Start the process for your very first donation by filling out our online application in less than 30 minutes!

 

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