How Many Times Can I Donate Eggs?
If you’re interested in egg donation, you wonder, “how many times can I donate my eggs?” Professional medical organizations recommend limiting a donor’s total number of donation cycles. This limit protects the health and well-being of the donor and any donor-conceived children. As we’ve said before, though, every donor and donation cycle is unique. Read on to learn more about the recommended maximum number of donation cycles and how that applies to an individual donor.
How Many Times Can I Donate Eggs Safely?
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends that donors go through a maximum of six total donation cycles. SIMPLIFY and our partner clinic, Pacific Northwest Fertility (PNWF), follow that guidance in our practices. This means over the course of a donor’s lifetime, they can go through the egg donation process up to six times.
Can Every Donor Donate Six Times?
Not necessarily. It’s important to note that six is the maximum number of cycles, not a one-size-fits-all number for every donor. The true answer to “How many times can I donate eggs?” is: it depends! Your body’s response to the egg donation process, your personal experience, your age, and other factors all play a role in whether you can donate more than once. Once you have successfully donated once, you can discuss repeat donation options with your team.
Why Limit the Number of Donation Cycles?
There are two main reasons for the recommended maximum of six donation cycles. First, to protect the donor’s health. Second, to limit the total number of people who might be unknowingly genetically related through their donor.
Protecting the Donor’s Health
The majority of available data does not show a significant risk for future cancers or other long-term health risks from egg donation. However, there is a small chance of short-term risks with egg donation, including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), complications with anesthesia, or infection. These risks are extremely rare for any one cycle; limiting how many times you can donate eggs over your lifetime keeps your cumulative risks low as well.
Unknown Genetic Relations
If a person doesn’t know they were donor-conceived, it’s possible they could meet someone genetically related to them without knowing it. In extreme scenarios, they might even have children with an unknown genetic relative, which can lead to serious medical issues for the child. This is one reason, among others, why the ASRM recommends parents tell donor-conceived children about their genetic origins. Even if parents choose not to tell, though, keeping a donor’s total donation cycles to six or fewer helps limit the total number of genetically related people.
Can I Donate More Than Six Times At Different Clinics?
No. The ASRM recommends a maximum of six cycles total in a donor’s lifetime, regardless if those cycles are through the same or different clinics. The potential effects add up each time you donate, no matter where you donate. When you apply to be a donor at SIMPLIFY, we will need information about any previous donation cycles.
How Is The Repeated Donation Process Different?
Depending on your experience with your first donation cycle, any further cycles usually take less time. You do not need to reapply to be a donor, and you may not need to repeat some of the medical screenings. Once you have finished your first successful cycle, talk to your team about options for future cycles and how the process might differ.
Donating eggs, whether once or multiple times, is a meaningful way to help families in need. How many times you can donate eggs depends on your experience with your first donation cycle. If you’re interested in donating, apply to become a donor today.