Documentary focuses on risks for altruistic donors

“Maggie’s Story” is the fourth in a series of videos about “eggsploitation”, the dark side of egg donation. Maggie was a 19-year-old altruistic donor who donated eggs 10 times, even though the recommended limit is six.

The producers, the Center for Bioethics and Culture, say that she was used repeatedly for others’ gain, but when things turned bad, she was left on her own to navigate tests, treatments, surgeries, and an unknown prognosis. It is a controversial claim but the documentary makes a persuasive case for it.

Now Maggie feels that her idealism was exploited by the clinic. She was told how special she was, but she was never informed of the risks to her own health. These include ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, infection, damage to ovaries, infertility, and breast, ovarian, or endometrial cancers. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer at the age of 32 and suspects that donation caused it. 

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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