When our patients start their fertility journeys with HSFC, most are hoping for successful pregnancies using their own eggs. But, while the majority of our patients have successful IVF treatments, others go through a few procedures before eventually deciding to use donor eggs.
There are several reasons why a patient may be unable to conceive using their own eggs, but using donor eggs is often the healthiest and easiest solution to this problem. We always ensure that a donor's eggs are of high quality so that there is an increased possibility that the patient will have a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby.
To be able to do this, of course, a clinic needs egg donors. This blog is about Sevgi, one of our wonderful and selfless donors - whose name means 'love' in Turkish! Read on to find out about Sevgi's motives for donating, the actual egg retrieval procedure, and how she chose to donate to our fertility clinic.
Sevgi's podcast
Sevgi's Story: Choosing Our IVF Clinic
Sevgi is a 30-year-old woman. She has Turkish ancestry but was born and raised in England. Her Turkish parents gave her a name meaning 'love', and she has certainly stayed true to this name throughout her life.
“I looked into ways I could help people. I already donate blood on a regular basis and I was looking at other things I could do. I always had a strong maternal instinct but I haven’t been in the position myself to have children.”
Sevgi knew that there would be many other women out there who, like her, wanted to be mothers, but perhaps had complications that would mean they couldn't become one. "There might be women who have everything in place, secure accommodation, career, finances, partner - all the things you need before deciding to have children. Giving them this gift felt like the right thing to do.”
Our donor did some online research at the end of 2019 and looked for a fertility clinic, London based. “I liked the look of the [HSFC] clinic. Everything was easy to understand and very informative. Everyone was friendly and knowledgeable.”
Sevgi praised how she was treated at the clinic after her first visit: “I had such a pleasant experience from the reception staff, the nurses and the doctors. The process was made easy by the friendliness of staff and was also very professional”.
Retrieving the Eggs
The first consultation took place at the end of February, but because of the lockdown, the procedure had to be delayed. “I restarted the procedure in June, then in October I had my second egg retrieval,” says Sevgi. “I will probably do it one more time, but I would like to give it a few more months before I do it.”
Throughout the process, Sevgi felt she was learning a lot about egg production in women's bodies. “Your body produces follicles which become eggs.”
The Procedure with Our Egg Collection and IVF Specialists
Sevgi tells us about the procedure, “[it was] really smooth. I was under sedation, not a general anesthetic.” And, the last thing she remembers: “talking about never having general anesthetic before, then I remember falling asleep."
Talking about the side effects, Sevgi told us she didn’t have any pain or discomfort, and only experienced slight bloating. “I rested that day...you are not supposed to drive. I took the train with a friend, then came back and relaxed and went about my business the next day.”
The Experience with Dr Venkat
Sevgi met Dr Venkat during the consultation, and spoke again with her throughout the process and on the day of the egg retrieval. “The first time I met Dr Venkat I had some questions. She explained everything and she said to email her and ask her anything, anytime. [Dr Venkat is] very approachable, she really made me feel at ease. She explained all about follicles and misconceptions.”
Our HSFC Family
When asked about the HSFC staff, Sevgi quickly recalls a name: “Tanya really stands out for me. I never injected myself before - she showed me how to do it and was really patient with me. She is the only nurse who never bruised me, she has such soft hands and is such a lovely woman, a real credit to the clinic. The second time I saw Rachael, really lovely as well.”
“The whole experience was really pleasant, easy to follow and understand. I don’t come from any medical background. All the staff were easy to approach and ask questions, [including] reception, nurses and Dr Venkat herself.”
A Message for Other Potential Donors
Sevgi simply says: “DO IT! If anyone has any apprehension, know that the injections are so small, you don’t feel it. They aren’t scary and the staff are lovely, so go for it. The misconception is that you donate all of your eggs, but that’s not true. Your body produces more every month. I don’t use them at the moment, so why not help someone?”
A Message for Families Using Her Eggs
The people who will use Sevgi's eggs won't know anything about her other than her health history.
When asked about families who might use her eggs, Sevgi admitted she wasn’t sure what happens when the eggs are used. As part of the procedure, she was also asked to fill in a statement for both the prospective parents and the child.
“[It was] just a small paragraph about why I wanted to do it and wishing them well. The other one was for a potential child explaining why I donated my eggs. I wrote that I wanted to help someone to have a family and fulfil their dreams of becoming a mother. Hopefully the child will have a life full of love and happiness.”
Counselling and Contacting
The law states that egg donors have to have counselling sessions to make sure the donor is aware of the conditions of the donations (for example, not legally or financially responsible for the child). The child also has the right, as an adult, to contact the egg donor.
After hearing she may be contacted by the child, Sevgi said: “this doesn’t frighten me at all. I always wanted to have a family of my own, and it’s not always about blood. Families come in all shapes and sizes. I haven’t raised that child, I haven’t grown that child. There is a biological connection, and that’s all that would be. Emotionally I could detach myself because I understand it’s for the greater good.”
Giving The Gift of Life
“It’s just felt like the right thing to do. I don’t think it’s for everyone - I think you have to have a particular mindset to do it. I always wanted to be a mum and if this helps someone achieve their dream, great.”
Just like that, the selfless, beautiful, and amazing Sevgi finished her interview, talking about giving the gift of life, like the most natural, normal way to make someone’s dream come true.
Sevgi, the wonderful egg donor whose name is truly and wonderfully translated with “love”.
If you would like to watch our webinar about IVF with Donor Eggs, please click here.
If you would like to become an egg donor, please call our friendly team on 020 7436 6838.
