The Most Meaningful Gift You Can Give This Holiday Season

The holidays are here, and so is the season of giving! Whether gifts for loved ones or donations to people you may never meet, giving and donating benefits everyone involved.

If there is one gift that stands out above all others, it is certainly an egg donation that allows a couple to have the family they dream of, and could not have without a donation.

Find out here why egg donation is among the greatest gifts one could ever give.

What Egg Donation Means

If you were wondering what kind of gift would make the biggest impact on someone this festive season of giving, an egg donation to a mom-to-be who does not have eggs of her own to have her baby, is certainly among the greatest gifts anyone can give.

Here’s what a few couples have said about their donor-conceived babies, and the egg donors who made it possible.

“Our baby is our joy – and we wouldn’t have him without a donor,” says one couple. “He’s added so much to our lives and to the lives of our families – everyone wants to see him, be with him and play with him all the time! Donating eggs helps to bring great joy to so many people.”

Another donor recipient adds: “It’s the most selfless thing someone can do, to bring such a joy to another family.”

“If you’re even thinking about it, do it. You’re changing someone’s life. Without it, we wouldn’t have our son!” is how one donor recipient put it.

The Need For Donations Is Growing

Worldwide, one in six couples experience fertility problems. Many need donated eggs to have the babies they long for, because they cannot conceive using their own eggs, for a variety of different reasons.

Donors can provide these couples with a chance of having their own babies.

Sadly, there are many more couples requiring donations than there are donors. For this reason, young, healthy and kind-hearted women are encouraged to consider donating eggs to help those who desperately want their own families. It is an amazing altruistic act that changes peoples’ lives for the better.

Giving Benefits You Too

The act of giving or donating not only makes the world a better place for others, but it also blesses the givers and donors themselves – not just in the amazing feeling of selfless generosity it creates but also in physical health benefits and mental health benefits.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, just some of the benefits of giving and donating include lower blood pressure, reduces stress levels, improved self-esteem, decreased sadness and depression, increased happiness and satisfaction, and an overall longer life. In addition to boosting your health, you can also deepen your sense of connection to your community by showing compassion and empathy to those in need.

Are You Able To Give The Greatest Gift?

An egg donation requires more involvement than other donations, such as, for example, sperm or blood donations. Even so, it is heart-warming to find women willing to donate their eggs to help a couple they will never meet.

In addition to their amazing kind-hearted altruism, egg donors must also meet further requirements for becoming an egg donor, with the aim of maximising the chances of conception for the mom-to-be.

By ensuring only the very healthiest eggs are donated, the parents-to-be have the very best chance of conceiving.

Below is a quick overview of the requirements for egg donation.

Requirements For Donating Eggs

A genuine, deep wish to help another person, or altruism, is an essential requirement, because the egg donation process requires time, effort, involvement and commitment. And, although some compensation is provided to egg donors for their efforts and expenses, it is certainly not enough to be a main motivator.

Egg donors also need to be at least 19 years old. There is also an upper age limit which is 30 years. This is because the quality of a woman’s eggs begins to decline after age 27, and after age 35 there is an accelerated decline. By age 40, the number and quality of a woman’s eggs make the likelihood of conceiving quite small. This age-related decline in egg quality affects both the ability to conceive and to successfully carry a healthy pregnancy – and is one of the main reasons why egg donations are in such high demand.

Further important requirements for donating eggs are good physical health as well as good mental health. This is because your state of health significantly impacts the quality and quantity of the eggs you have, so good health, both physically and mentally, is essential to ensure the eggs donated are of the best quality.

Good physical health includes a healthy weight for your height, which is called your body mass index or BMI. Egg donors need to have an optimal BMI, which is between 18 and 29. This will give the parents-to-be the best chance of conceiving. The mental health of egg donors is also important, and for this reason, egg donors undergo a psychological assessment before donating.

There are also lifestyle factors that would disqualify women from becoming egg donors because of the negative impact of these factors on a woman’s health and fertility. The most obvious among these is excessive smoking and alcohol or drug abuse.

Where To Give The Greatest Gift This Season Of Giving

If you meet all the requirements and you are ready to give the greatest gift this season of giving, it is extremely important that you ensure you get the best medical care by only donating eggs at a world-class medical facility.

Only donate through a facility that is registered with the Southern African Society for Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecological Endoscopy (SASREG), and that has signed and agreed to SASREG’s guidelines. You can check if a clinic or facility is registered here: https://sasreg.co.za/centres-of-excellence/.

At Cape Fertility, a leading fertility clinic in Cape Town, we are not only registered with SASREG, but we are also absolutely committed to safe, legal and ethical egg donation practices.

We have worked with thousands of egg donors over the last 26 years in a friendly, relaxed and caring environment at our advanced, purpose-built facilities in the beautiful city of Cape Town.

If you are willing to donate eggs to help another woman fulfil her dream of having her own baby, the first step is as simple as contacting us by filling in your contact details here: Get In Touch or contact us on 066 22 55 003 (WhatsApp) or email donors@capefertility.co.za.

Your information is 100% confidential and will under no circumstances be made available to anybody else.