This article covers the procedure of egg donation, which has emerged as an alternative for infertile couples, the ethical issues it raises, and the physical risks it poses to the donor. It also discusses approaches to addressing these issues.
In the past, it was relatively easy to conceive and bear children naturally, but in modern times, an increasing number of infertile couples are finding it difficult to conceive naturally due to hormonal abnormalities, excessive stress, and polluted surroundings. In particular, changing dietary habits and a later age of marriage are also major contributors to infertility, causing many couples to struggle to conceive. Fertility issues are no longer just a personal concern, but are beginning to be recognized as a major societal problem.
As the number of infertile couples has increased, various fertility technologies have been developed and are now commercially available to many couples. For example, IVF, in which eggs and sperm are extracted and embryos are fertilized in vitro and implanted in the uterus, or artificial insemination, in which sperm is extracted and injected directly into a woman’s uterus. These assisted reproductive technologies were initially very expensive and inaccessible, but recent advances in technology have lowered costs and made them more accessible to more people. However, despite these technologies, many couples still struggle to conceive, and the process is often psychologically stressful and overwhelming.
However, in addition to the technologies that are legally practiced in hospitals in Korea, there have also been developments that can raise more complex and ethical issues, such as surrogacy, egg donation, and sperm donation. Surrogacy, for example, is a staple of ethics textbooks and a major topic of debate for and against. Egg donation, on the other hand, has received less attention and is less often discussed. In this blog post, we’d like to shed some light on the topic of egg donation and encourage you to think about the ethical issues involved.
Egg donation is a technique in which a donor’s eggs are extracted, fertilized in vitro with sperm, and implanted into the recipient’s uterus, so that the fetus does not match the mother’s genes. Egg donation can be done without compensation in the name of charity, or it can be done for compensation. In the United States, where egg donation is legalized, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine guidelines recommend that egg donors be compensated at least $10,000 per egg donation. But even this is not a law that specifies an exact amount. While the process of egg donation is thoroughly vetted, the potential side effects of the process need to be fully understood and discussed.
The process of egg donation involves four main steps. First, the donor is screened for infectious diseases and psychological testing to ensure compatibility, and then the donor and recipient are matched. Next, the donor is given hormonal stimulants to induce ovulation. This allows her to produce as many as 10 eggs per month instead of just one. The superovulated eggs are collected before ovulation begins. Egg retrieval must be done before ovulation because ovulation of one egg naturally destroys the rest of the eggs. From the many eggs collected, a mature egg is selected and undergoes in vitro fertilization with sperm before being implanted into the mother’s uterus. However, this procedure can be physically demanding on the donor, and there are growing concerns about the long-term side effects of hormonal treatment, especially when it comes to the hormones.
There are real-life examples of successful egg donation pregnancies. A 74-year-old woman in India became the world’s oldest mother after successfully conceiving through egg donation. Last September, Eramathi Mangayama of Andhra Pradesh, India, became pregnant through in vitro fertilization after donating her eggs to a fertility clinic because she wanted to have children before she died, despite her advanced age of 74. Egg donation makes it possible for women to become pregnant at an age when they would not naturally be able to conceive. Another example was seen with a same-sex couple. In the US state of Nebraska, where same-sex marriage is legalized, Matthew Elegy and Elliot Doherty had a child by fertilizing Matthew’s sperm with an egg donated by Elliot’s sister and implanting it in Matthew’s mother’s womb. In other words, the child was born with his aunt’s genes and his dad’s genes and grew in his grandmother’s womb for 10 months. Egg donation is a technology that has given same-sex couples the gift of a precious child, albeit genetically intertwined.
However, the benefits of egg donation shouldn’t overlook the ethical issues it raises. First of all, the biggest problem with egg donation is the issue of paternity determination. In the United States, where egg donation is practiced, legal contracts ensure that the parents who receive the eggs have full ownership of the eggs and the child, and that the egg donor has no control over the child’s responsibilities, upbringing, visitation rights, or the process. Even with these legal protections, a child born from egg donation may have questions about his or her biological mother. Between the legal mother who raised her and the mother who is a genetic match to her, the child may experience confusion about her biological mother. A child born to a same-sex couple, as mentioned above, would also have a difficult time determining their biological mother between the parents who are raising them and a genetically matched great-aunt, which could cause great confusion about their identity. Determining the biological mother can become an increasingly problematic issue, especially as the child grows older.
While egg donation can be done legally through specialized organizations, there are also illegal egg buyers and sellers on the other end of the spectrum. In China, a simple internet search for “egg donation” or “egg buying” will reveal many egg brokers. Selling eggs is a relatively easy way to make a lot of money, which is why the illegal egg trade is flourishing among teenagers and college girls. In addition, despite the serious side effects that can occur from a single egg collection, women often sell their eggs repeatedly for financial gain. They are also reportedly able to provide eggs as often as every three months, so their egg selling behavior is cyclical over a long period of time. What makes these illegal egg transfers even more dangerous is that they are often conducted by untrained professionals in unlicensed clinics or deserted laboratories, with no guarantee of safety. In fact, last month, a 17-year-old schoolgirl in Guangzhou nearly died after having her eggs illegally harvested. During the illegal egg trade, 21 eggs were harvested from the girl’s ovaries at one time due to an overdose of egg stimulants. The student’s ovaries ended up swelling so large that she was rushed to the hospital with excessive bleeding and is still in critical condition. This illegal practice of egg trafficking is not only ethically wrong, but also life-threatening.
Thirdly, it’s worth noting the side effects of the egg harvesting process on the donor. As we discussed in the previous section on egg donation, the process of egg donation involves the use of hormonal stimulants to extract a large number of eggs, which causes changes in the donor’s body. In one case, a college student in the United States gained more than 20 kilograms after donating her eggs and suffered from severe vomiting and abdominal pain. The hormonal treatments and the retrieval process involve sedation and anesthesia, which also pose physical and psychological risks. Side effects are one of the major issues surrounding egg donation, and more research and safeguards are needed.
So, what is the approach to addressing the issues surrounding egg donation? First of all, a thorough psychological and physical screening of egg donors, along with a long-term monitoring system, should be put in place. Along with this, there needs to be more social awareness and ethical discussions about egg donation. Egg donation is a technique that can give hope to many couples, but the side effects and ethical issues that can arise should not be overlooked. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that egg donation is a bioethical technology and to protect the rights of both donors and recipients in the process.
