In episode four, we are talking about a treatment we don’t often hear about when discussing fertility options, and that’s treatment with donor eggs. Donor egg treatment (sometimes called “egg donation treatment”) is a treatment that involves a patient using eggs that have been donated by another woman.
Our host Dominique McMullan, IMAGE Media’s Editorial Director, sits down with Dr Eithne Lowe, a highly experienced consultant in reproductive medicine who leads the team in Waterstone Clinic Dublin, to ask the questions you need answers to.
When might egg donation be suggested as a treatment option? How common is egg donation treatment in Ireland? Are people apprehensive about this treatment? What are the pregnancy success rates when using donor eggs? Who are the donors and what is the process to find an egg donor? Dr Lowe discusses all these topics and more.
Later in the episode, Dominique is joined by Marian O’Tuama, who is a specialist Fertility Counsellor. Donor egg treatment might be difficult to get your head around, and fertility counselling provides a safe space in which to do just that. Being able to talk about what might come up emotionally, how you may feel and what is worrying you, is essential for mental health at this potentially challenging time. So how do people get their heads around egg donation? What feelings most commonly come up? What is ‘implications counselling’ and why do patients have it? How do people manage the information with their children? How do people manage the information with family, friends and others?
So get comfy, and maybe even get out a notepad, and Let’s Talk Fertility.
