I am currently going through the process to become an egg donor. As I'm filling out the encyclopedia about me, my health, my family's health, etc, I look ahead to the end of the paperwork, and the paper asks me if I want any products of my donation to be given information to be able to contact me after he/she turns 18. This completely caught me off guard, and I can't make up my mind as to whether this is something I would want to happen.
It would be different if I actually had a baby that I gave up, but an egg that is specifically being taken so another woman can have a baby with her partner's DNA mixed in just seems a bit different to me.
I was kind of wondering what some women on the other side of this coin might think about it...if you received an egg from a donor, how would you feel about what your child knows/doesn't know about how he/she were conceived. Would you tell him/her that they were the product of an egg donation at some point? If so, would you want/not want and or care/not care if he/she was given information to be able to contact his/her donor after he/she turned 18?
I know not everyone will feel the same about it, but this question just seems too big for me to answer on my own, so I wanted some other opinions. I guess I would feel that whoever received my eggs would be the child's parents and I'm just not sure how an emotional teenager would take the news that his or her genes came from somewhere else. I wouldn't want a teenager to decide that I'm suddenly his or her parent or something, but I wouldn't mind building some sort of relationship as the sort that siblings or aunts with nieces or nephews have. I don't know! Gosh. Sorry for the long post. Any input is welcome!
Re: Question from potential ovum donor
You might want to post this over on Infertility and Success After IF since this board is mostly dead. There's many more people over on those two boards that might be able to answer this.
You are doing such a wonderful thing. Congrats to you!
Just in my opinion, I don't see much difference in giving a child up for adoption and donating eggs. Its still half you no matter who carries the baby in their womb or what sperm gets mixed with.
Also let me state (so you know kinda where I'm coming from) that the differences I do see in these two acts are that one is ok and the other not ok, with me/for me- I'm one of those crazy kooks (Catholic). I wouldn't judge someone for using IVF, IUI, or donated sperm/ egg- but I wouldn't do it myself. The 'most' I will do is rx to help ovulation. And actually find it very generous of you to help those who deem this choice as right for them. Basically, I guess, what I am trying to say is I believe a person is a person no matter how small (to borrow from Horton).