Egg Donation vs. Surrogacy: Understanding the Differences

Infertility, whether male or female may result in the inability of a couple to sire children. Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), a couple or individuals are able to achieve pregnancy. There are a number of ways that can enable the ability to create families. Two of these are surrogacy and egg donation.

Whereas both involve females and can be used to achieve pregnancy, there is a distinct difference between them. Egg donation involves retrieval of eggs from a willing donor and the eggs are then fertilized and the resulting embryo implanted in the recipient while surrogacy is when a woman willingly allows the use of her uterus to carry the fertilized egg on behalf of another. We shall take an in-depth look at the difference between the two, the legal and financial differences as well as which option is best for an individual or couple desiring parenthood.

What Is Egg Donation?

Egg donation is a carefully regulated process when a female (donor), gives her eggs to a recipient for the purposes of achieving pregnancy, particularly in cases where individuals struggle with fertility. The recipient may be a surrogate or the  intended mother. The donor is subjected to a number of tests to ensure her health status and compatibility with the future parents. 

Once the donor is cleared for egg donation, they undergo hormonal therapy for about 2 weeks, to produce multiple eggs. The fertility specialist will also perform an ultrasound to check the response of the donor’s follicles to the hormone therapy and whether egg production is taking place.

Once egg maturation is achieved, the donor undergoes an outpatient procedure where they are sedated and the physician retrieves the eggs. A fine needle is injected through the virginal wall into the ovaries and a fluid containing the eggs is drawn using a gentle suction technique. An embryologist then determines the number and viability of the eggs before fertilizing the eggs using the recipient’s partner’s sperm. The embryo that forms from the fertilization is then implanted into the recipient’s womb so they can carry the pregnancy to term and deliver their child. The donor is usually able to return to normal life after a day or two.

What Is Surrogacy?

According to Yale medicine surrogacy is when a woman carries and delivers a child for another woman or couple due to medical or other reasons that cannot allow them to carry a pregnancy to term. There is traditional surrogacy, where a surrogate’s own egg is used to achieve pregnancy and gestational surrogacy where the recipient’s egg is fertilized using their partner’s sperm via In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and the resulting embryo is then implanted into the surrogate’s uterus. 

The surrogate goes through a mock trial of the medication protocol that will be used during the actual embryo transfer to check on the uterine lining reaction to the medication. These are the medications that will be used to  help prepare her uterus for the eventual embryo transfer. The gestational surrogate is not genetically related to the baby they deliver.

Comparing the Processes

Well one may wonder what the difference is between egg donation and surrogacy when looking to become parents. The table below showcases the similarities and differences that may help guide prospective parents on what would work for them depending on the cause of infertility.

Each of the above processes serves different needs and consulting a fertility professional with help you choose whether surrogacy or egg donation would be the best fit for you.

Legal & Financial Differences

Both egg donation and surrogacy have varied legal and financial implications involved. They include:

• Contracts: Naturally the contractual implications involved in surrogacy are greater due to the length of time until the child is born and include medical cover, parental rights and compensation while egg donation mainly focuses on medical implications and ensuring anonymity and compensation. 
• Parental rights: Egg donors may not claim legal rights over a child sired using their eggs as their contractual obligations end after donation. In surrogacy the intended parents’s rights are established before birth to prevent the surrogates from laying claim to the child afterwards.
• Medical costs: Egg donor medical costs are generally lower than those for surrogates due to the duration taken for egg retrieval and child birth respectively.
• Compensation: Surrogates generally receive a higher compensation than egg donors due to the physical and emotional toll that pregnancy exerts on them.

Which Option Is Right for You?

As a prospective parent, you may wonder which option to choose from. Well, egg donation is primarily beneficial to those who desire children but have  egg related fertility challenges either due to medical reasons or age. Surrogacy on the other hand is ideal for those who cannot carry pregnancy. Some couples may even choose both egg donation and surrogacy where they have fertility challenges with both producing viable eggs and carrying pregnancy.

Identifying the fertility challenges preventing you from having your own family is key in determining the right pathway to parenthood. Both surrogacy and egg donation are great procedures to overcome childlessness. Our specialists at the Fertility Associates of Memphis clinic are well equipped to help you navigate fertility challenges and ensure that you too can enjoy the gift of parenthood. Book your appointment today and be well on your way to experiencing the joys of parenthood. 

FAQs

What is the difference between egg donation and surrogacy?

Whereas egg donation involves providing eggs for fertilization, surrogacy is the carrying of pregnancy to term for someone else. 

Can I be both an egg donor and a surrogate?

Yes it is possible, however these are different processes with varying tests and requirements.

Which option is better for intended parents?

Individuals with healthy uteruses but have egg related fertility challenges may require egg donation whereas those who cannot carry a pregnancy may opt for surrogacy.