Should I tell my child they were a donor egg?

If a child was conceived with the help of an egg donor, it's best to tell them as early as possible. Some kids may be ready earlier than others but generally speaking its best to start the conversation when the child is pre-verbal. However, it's never too soon to introduce the idea.

How do you tell a child they are a donor egg?

Is the egg donor the biological parent?

Yes, another woman does have a biological connection to your child, but she is the egg donor. She is not the mother. Donors do not regard themselves as the mothers of any child conceived through their donation.

How do I tell my family I am using donor eggs?

It's a really exciting time. I'd love to tell you more, but I have an appointment so I need to run.” (Acknowledge and exit.) “My partner and I worked with an egg donor and/or surrogate. It's been a long road, but we're really excited to be new parents.” (Tell the truth, and end on a positive note.)

Does being an egg donor mean you have kids?

Mom and baby will not be genetically related. Donor eggs give women the incredible possibility of being pregnant and giving birth to a baby. However, even though that baby is very much their own, it's important to understand that it will not be genetically related.

Should I Tell My Child I Used An Egg Donor? (Yes!) | AssistedFertility.com

Will my baby have my DNA if I use a donor egg?

It is true that when using a donor egg, the baby will inherit DNA from the egg donor and the sperm and not the recipient mother, but heritability is more complicated than that. For DNA to function it has to receive instructions, just like computer hardware has to receive instructions from the software program.

Will my donor egg baby have any of my DNA?

Every embryo will contain DNA from both the egg and the sperm in equal amounts, so any embryo made from the donor egg will contain the egg donor's DNA. If this embryo was made from sperm from you or your partner, it will also contain that DNA.

Should you tell your child they were conceived through IVF?

Unlike same-sex or single parents, heterosexual parents may be able to hide the fact that their baby was born via IVF. But experts encourage all parents to tell their children about their origins, honestly, in terms they can understand, and when the time is right, rather than treating it as a forbidden secret.

Should I tell my child they are from a sperm donor?

It is quite fine to use the word “donor” or “sperm donor.” While the donor's connection to your child can be important to you or your child, it should not be confused with someone who is an active parent in the family. There are some books available to help (see TSBC's Recommended Reading).

Is using donor eggs ethical?

Medical ethicists often question the quality of consent involved in the egg donation process. For donors who receive payment for their participation, high financial incentives may provide pressure or coercion which hampers ability to make clear, informed decisions.

What are the disadvantages of egg donation?

Why you should not donate eggs?

Egg donors have reported long-term effects including aggressive breast cancer, loss of fertility, and fatal colon cancer, sometimes occurring just a few years after donation. Without any family history of these illnesses, they suspect their egg donation as the cause.

How do I tell my child about donor insemination?

Start Early

Whenever the right time is for your family, be matter-of-fact about it; if it's not a big deal to you, it won't be to your child. Call the donor a "helper" or simply "the donor," and refer to him in positive terms without romanticizing him.

How do you explain an egg donor?

What age do you tell kids about IVF?

Parents who had already informed their child had done so when he or she was between 4 and 8 years old. Parents intending to inform their child were asked when they would do so, and most suggested an age between 10 and 14 years.

Are IVF babies related to their parents?

It's a fertility treatment that creates an embryo using the genetic (DNA) material from three people: the parents and an egg donor. During normal conception, a fertilized egg has a mix of nuclear DNA from both parents.

Do IVF babies look like their parents?

Because a donor egg won't share any of its genes with its intended mother, there's a chance the baby will not resemble its mother. However, if her partner's sperm was used, the baby may look like its father because they share the same genetics.

Do IVF siblings look alike?

They're difference in size means they don't look much like twins. But brothers Oliver, two, and one-month-old Isaac Best were both born using IVF - more than two years apart. The pair are technically twins as they were conceived using embryos from the same batch which were frozen in 2013.

Can you breastfeed with donor egg?

You cannot donate your eggs if you are breastfeeding. The medications and the hormone-heavy treatment that goes into IVF egg donation aren't compatible with breastfeeding. The drugs and hormones pass through the breastmilk onto the baby.

Will a donor egg feel like mine?

Medically speaking, an egg donor pregnancy is like any other. You'll feel like every other new parent: excited, happy, exhausted, frightened and deeply in love. This means that these bonding tips can work in your case too. Women should keep in mind their hormones tend to fluctuate immediately after childbirth.

When should I tell my child about donations?

Children often want to know where babies come from when they are about 3 or 4 years old. You could tell them 'a baby is made from an egg from a woman and sperm from a man. Some families need to get an egg or a sperm from someone called a donor.

Does being an egg donor affect fertility?

Research has never shown any evidence that egg donation affects future fertility, and a recent small study in Belgium which followed up with egg donors after their donation found that out of 60 women, 54 got pregnant within a year once they started trying, and three more got pregnant within 18 months, all without ...

Does egg donation cause weight gain?

Temporary Weight Gain

Donors can gain approximately 3-5 pounds in weight due to an increase in the size of their ovaries and associated fluid retention (taller women may gain more). This is temporary and should resolve completely following your first period after your donor cycle is complete.

What are the chances of twins with donor eggs?

Since egg donation is associated with the highest pregnancy rate per embryo transferred, it follows that the chance of twins with donor eggs is equally elevated when two donor egg embryos are transferred – occurring approximately 50% of the time.

How do donor babies feel?

Parents of donor-conceived children can have very strong feelings about the way they built their families. Often, feelings of loss, joy, excitement, anxiety, fear, or simply a feeling of not knowing how to understand their child or child-to-be, can be consuming.