Ovum trading is when fertile women sell or donate their eggs to fertility clinics to be used by adults who need in-vitro fertilization. Clinics prefer eggs from women aged between 19 to 25. In addition, they can be financially vulnerable or highly altruistic. Human egg donation can seem like a reasonably straightforward procedure. However, it poses many known and unspoken risks. For instance, reports from Nigeria show that clinicians can be unfriendly and sexist, especially male practitioners. But women endure these procedures because fertility is becoming more profitable. Women can undergo multiple donations, and the regulation of fertility clinics is still poorly done.
How human egg trading begins
With the increased access to in-vitro fertilization, ovum trading has become more popular for couples experiencing infertility or prefer not to conceive with their material. Research found that young women are targeted through emotional marketing or preying on financial desperation.
Young women are coerced into donating their eggs in the name of altruism, for money, or an adventure abroad. Meanwhile, the harsh realities of egg donation are downplayed. With third-party advertising using invasive data, social media apps and search engines can target young women of the recommended age for egg donation. Additionally, a clinic can call you to give more when you’ve made one donation.
In countries like Nigeria, the practice is heavily unregulated. It’s pretty regulated in Canada, but young women still face multiple health problems. This could be because the subject of women’s fertility is treated as taboo. In countries like Kenya, business is booming, but women can still be shamed for donating or needing donations.
The money made depends on the location of the clinic and the demand for eggs. In Nigeria, the pay can range from $195 to $365 per egg cycle donation. In Canada, donors can receive up to $5,000 per egg cycle donation. Kenya, this starts at $200.
Clinics start with screening, which varies between providers. They then take blood samples and test for genotypes, HIV, and hepatitis. They also ask for the tribe, complexion, blood group, and comprehensive medical history. Donors report for the donation once they start their period. And just before they get fertility medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce a surplus of eggs.
How egg retrieval is done
The injection to boost egg production is meant to make the ovaries produce more than one egg. One medication shuts down the reproductive system, while the second stimulates ova growth. They aim to make the ovaries release at least six eggs to increase the chances of success of the recipient. The injections are self-administered in the lower abdomen just under the navel at the same time each day. After a week, the donor returns to the clinic to see how many eggs are released. Sometimes, the clinic can ask the donor to take more injections to get more than six eggs. About 36 hours before the procedure, a donor gets a trigger shot that prompts the eggs to ripen fully.
Other clinics administer the injection themselves each day in the thigh. Sometimes, these injections can cause severe side effects such as cramps and fluid build-up. It can also cause severe pains during the next menstrual cycle. However, the treatment for these is self-paid.
Egg retrieval
Egg retrieval takes about thirty minutes and is done under sedation. A needle is pressed through the front of the vaginal wall. Surgery is guided through an ultrasound. The mature ovarian follicles are aspirated with the needle, and the healthy ova are put into a test tube. The procedure is done for both ovaries. Afterward, the patient receives antibiotics and is given bed rest for the sedation to wear off.
How often can it be done?
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends donating only six eggs within a lifetime. However, desperate young women may do it more times than that to get extra money. Some clinics also pay extra if donors recommend others to get their eggs harvested. The clinic also requires donors to sign waivers to absolve it of any responsibility should anything go wrong. Within a month, a donor can be ready for harvesting. Clinics can also make demands, such as drinking lots of water, not using perfume, not showering in the middle of the day, or not having sex.
Effects of egg donation
Donors experience varying levels of pain after the surgery. They may also experience hyperstimulation syndrome, where the ovaries react intensely to excess hormones in the system. This causes the ovaries to swell and pelvic pain. The blood vessels around leak fluid. This then moves into the abdomen, lungs, and chest area. Symptoms can manifest as discomfort, abdominal distention, pain, breathing problems, kidney and liver malfunction, and coagulation complications.
Long term effects
Period
After egg retrieval, a donor’s period is supposed to return to normal within 12-14 days. Some donors may also experience irregular periods in the months following one donation. If no other egg retrievals are done, the donor will have their usual menstrual cycle restored within a year. Some donors also experience heavy bleeding, and extended periods.
Cancer
Some patients have also contracted cancer. One donor died of metastatic colon cancer, but there isn’t any solid evidence that multiple egg donations increased cancer risk. There have also been cases of two women in London who died of colon cancer after human egg donations. Women in their 30s who had no pre-existing cancer risk also developed breast cancer after ovum trading.
Reproductive complications
There is little knowledge about the long-term effects of human egg donation. However, some women have experienced endometriosis, cysts, and fibroids. It’s also unclear if this is because these women were predisposed to these conditions or the exposure to excessive fertility hormones triggered them. In a study of 80 women who donated eggs in 2005, 13 developed cysts, fibroids, and infertility years later. One woman also found she was infertile on the third time she went to donate eggs.
Infection and death
In severe cases, it can lead to fatalities. In 2012, 17-year-old Sushma Pandey died of complications resulting from egg donations. Medical reports stated she died from shock resulting from the excess hormones. Patients may end up with fluid buildup that needs to be drained. During this surgery, patients can experience shock and kidney shutdown. There’s also a small chance of infection from the procedure. If the needle isn’t properly sterilized, it can carry pathogens to the ovaries. The needle can also accidentally pierce into the intestines or bladder and cause bacterial transfer. These risks are rare if proper protocols are followed, but a patient’s medical safety is not guaranteed with poor regulations.
The legality of ovum trading
Many countries lack comprehensive laws to determine the safety of ovum trading. In countries like Nigeria, a law is yet to be passed to regulate egg donation. However, there is a law to penalize the trade of human tissue and blood products but no specificity for ovum trading. In the UK, egg trading is illegal and should not be done for profit. Kenya still requires specific laws to determine how the practice is handled. There are no regulations regarding egg trading, except that a deceased person’s eggs can’t be used unless through a court order. The Indian Council for Medical Research issued guidelines dictating the age of donors between 21 and 35. However, they don’t limit the number of times a patient can make donations.
Is it ethical?
There is also the question of the ethics of the practice. Human egg donations can be exploitative. The advertising of ovum trading makes it clear it’s a profitable industry. Some women believe they own their bodies and, therefore, own the right where to trade any parts of them. After all, people work in mines and factories where they use their bodies to generate income. The same argument is used for sex work, where workers use their bodies to make a living. But should bodies be something to be traded? If you can’t list your kidney on the market for wealthy clients in need, why is it allowed for human egg trading?
Fertility clinics advertise that these donors are helping couples in need. But if it was all about charity, would it be such a booming business? One of the reasons ovum trading is so profitable is that low-income women are more inclined to sign up to trade their eggs for a payday.
More comprehensive laws are required to protect donors and recipients. Fertility medicine is also out of reach for most poor people, with expensive consultations not covered by government insurance schemes. IVF cycles aren’t highly successful and can require recipients to fork out a lot of money to become pregnant successfully. Ultimately, the onus falls on clinics to ensure their clients are medically safe, which may not be enough.
Check out:
Health: Things To Know Before Starting IVF
‘Test Tube Babies’ 38 Years Later; The Pros And Cons Of Being An Egg Donor
Christianity and the In-Vitro fertilization debate in Kenya
Health: 8 Common Fertility Myths Debunked
When Are You Most Fertile? The Signs Of Ovulation
Pregnancy: 8 Causes Of A Miscarriage
You Don’t Have To Give Birth To Be A Mother. Here Are Some Alternative Pathways To Motherhood
