Are Egg Donor Babies Healthy? Addressing Common Concerns

Family building through assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) has seen many people fulfill their goals of having children, even outside of the heteronormaltive family setting. In particular, babies born from egg donors have increased over time. Since egg donor babies are in a sense ‘new’ to reproductive medicine, it comes as no surprise, that there are concerns regarding their health. This is similar to the concerns about the outcomes of sperm donor babies, at the beginning of sperm donation in reproductive medicine. So let us assess the key medical aspects that influence the egg donor babies’ health.

Understanding Genetic Screening and Testing

Egg donors are not simply selected on face value, there are physical, mental, and medical evaluations that are conducted ahead of even beginning the process to retrieve their eggs. The physical health of an egg donor plays a vital role in the health of the eggs they donate. Egg donor lifestyle, diet, and medical history have a direct impact on the health of the ovarian reserve. 

In addition, it is vital for the retrieved eggs to be examined for any genetic anomalies that could impact the future health of the babies that are born from them. This process is done by examining the chromosomes within the eggs themselves. The egg contains 23 chromosomes, while the sperm contains another 23. During fertilization, these bond and make the 46 chromosomes needed for healthy embryonic development resulting in a healthy human.

The DNA strand contains all manner of information, vital to the health of the life that would be formed from that DNA. There are conditions that are hereditary, which can be seen on the DNA  strand. A person’s genes may also have a mutation that would prevent proper bonding and therefore proper development of the embryo. These can also be detected during genetic screening. DNA consists of dominant and recessive strands, and these in turn influence the outcomes of a conception. For example a dominant green-eye gene would likely result in the child eventually having green eyes. A recessive gene causing what is commonly known as ‘buck-teeth’, may result in a child not requiring braces to align their teeth. However, this is also based on what is found on the corresponding genetic strand on the sperm’s DNA. 

The same is true of diseases and conditions, dominant genes could result in a child having particular conditions, while recessive genes could result in the child simply carrying the condition, without being affected by it. Again, based on the corresponding strand on the sperm’s DNA, the odds vary. Therefore genetic testing and screening seeks to identify any genes that carry severe childhood diseases that could result in disability or health complications, as well, those that have no treatment or cure resulting in low life expectancy. 

Screening Process

Saliva or blood from the egg donor is what is used to conduct genetic testing at a genetic testing lab. A small sample is all that would be required, and the process takes about two or three weeks, depending on the genetic testing being conducted, and the lab conducting the tests

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While genetic testing was previously done for the more common genetic conditions, based on the egg donor’s ethnicity, this practice has long changed. Now, labs will test for more than 100 variants of diseases and conditions, regardless of an egg donor’s ethnicity. 

For fertility treatment purposes, genetic evaluation should ideally be done prior to any medical procedure. If, following the results of genetic testing, recipients feel like they would prefer to use a different donor, the transition to do so will be easier.

The Role of Donor Health in Baby’s Well-Being

An egg donor’s health is central to the baby’s well being. For this reason, donor’s are screened based on health and medical factors. A healthy BMI, a healthy and nutritious diet, a healthy lifestyle, and good mental health, are some of the factors that will be evaluated in the pre-screening process. Further, medical health is evaluated not just on their personal medical history, but also their family medical history. This also includes psychological health and history, as some mental conditions have been observed to transfer between generations. 

Genetic testing will  include testing for conditions like sickle cell and cystic fibrosis. Turner Syndrome and Down Syndrome which are serious chromosomal anomalies that an egg donor could be a carrier of. Genetic testing such as PGT-A tests identify such anomalies as well as single gene disorders.

Research on Egg Donor Baby Health Outcomes

Having understood a bit more on the screening process, one may still wonder about the health outcomes of egg donor babies. Interestingly, there are no major differences between babies conceived naturally and those conceived through assisted reproduction. Typically egg donor babies are just as well adjusted as children born from natural conception. Parents whether through egg donation, surrogacy, or adoption have a responsibility over how they nurture their child’s development. Therefore, while the pre-screening determines some health outcomes, how a child is nurtured will determine the overall health. 

Addressing Myths & Misconceptions

Myth: Egg donors will not be able to build their families naturally in the future.

Fact: Egg donors’ eggs are not obtained directly from the ovarian reserve, but from the egg follicles that are released during the follicular phase of a menstrual cycle. The ovarian stimulation process develops these to full maturity, as the natural process would discard those that do not mature.  

Myth: Egg donors are not involved with the families they donate to, and they have no say in the process.

Fact: Egg donors are made aware of the process, side effects and risks involved in egg donation. They are also made aware of the extent of their role and responsibility during and afterward. In addition, the donor-recipient relationship is determined by the degree of anonymity recipients prefer, to which the donor is made aware.  

Myth: Egg donation is invasive, painful, and causes psychological distress

Fact: Egg donors undergo a comprehensive psychological evaluation prior to beginning the egg donor process. As well, the egg retrieval process, while invasive, is done under sedation to minimize discomfort and pain.  

Conclusion

Egg donation is a carefully managed process, from pre-screening to egg donor aftercare. While much is yet to be discovered as medical science progresses, the process is safe and fulfilling for both donors and recipients. Healthy egg donors are selected in order to provide the healthiest options for recipients, resulting in desired outcomes.  If you would like to donate your eggs or use donor eggs to build your family, contact the Utah Fertility Center today.