A look at the risks of egg donation
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.
https://www.bioedge.org/images/2008images/TH_egglsploittation.jpg
Creative commons
altruistic donation
egg donation
eggsploitation
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
American Medical Association spurns assisted suicide proposals
The American Medical Association has resisted a push to adopt a position of neutrality on assisted suicide and euthanasia. In...
Sudan: indifference kills
The eyes of the world are on Gaza, where some 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in the in Israel’s response...
How should doctors approach the war in Gaza?
“Do leaders in health care have any responsibilities to speak out, as health professionals, about the Israel-Hamas war?” asks an...
Eleanor Rigbys are everywhere, says WHO
The World Health Organization has added loneliness to its long list of priority health areas. “High rates of social isolation...
Gambling with health
The world-wide growth of the gambling industry should worry public health authorities, says The Lancet. Taking advantage of the celebration...
Finnish psychiatrist highlights the dangers of gender-affirmative care for children
Aspects of the gender affirmation model followed by American physicians have failed, are not evidence-based, and are “extremely unethical”, a...