Epigenetics & Donors Eggs
The bond between a mother and her child is one of the most special and profound connections in the world, and it goes far beyond mere genetics. For those who struggle with infertility and turn to donor eggs, there may be concerns about their ability to connect with their baby on a deeper level. But the truth is that research has shown that birth mothers using donor eggs do have a significant impact on the development and future health of their babies.
One of the key factors in this is epigenetics. While genes ultimately control all human processes, epigenetic controls may play an even greater role in health and development. Essentially, the activity levels of certain genes may be “dimmed” or turned up in response to external cues from the environment – even in the womb. This means that, as a donor egg recipient, your body still influences the gene development of your baby.
From the moment of implantation and throughout the entire pregnancy, every cell in the baby’s body is influenced by the birth mother’s body. All the nutrients that the mother intakes are used to build the little human inside of her, and the baby lives in the birth mother’s embryonic fluid for nine months, sharing her blood flow, rhythm, and more. The baby’s gene expression is influenced by the prenatal environment of the mother’s womb.
And the influence goes both ways. The cells of the baby migrate into the mother’s bloodstream, leaving a permanent imprint in the mother’s tissues, bones, brain, and skin, often staying there for decades. This is known as “fetal-maternal microchimerism.” Every child a mother has afterwards will leave a similar imprint on her body, too. Research has even shown that if a mother’s heart is injured, fetal cells will rush to the site of the injury and change into different types of cells that specialize in mending the heart.
In other words, the baby helps repair the mother, while the mother builds the baby. It’s an amazing symbiotic relationship that lasts long after birth.
So, while it’s understandable that a future mother to a baby conceived through a donor egg may worry about feeling connected to her baby, it’s important to remember that the connection goes far deeper than genetics. The bond between a mother and her child is cellular and permanent, and it is just as strong and meaningful regardless of whether the baby was conceived through donor eggs or not.
Of course, this is not to say that the decision to use donor eggs is an easy one. There are many complex emotional and ethical considerations to take into account. One of the key concerns is the balance between altruism and compensation for egg donors.
In South Africa, egg donors are healthy young female volunteers between the ages of 21 and 34 years old, and they receive reimbursement for their donation. However, the amount of compensation is carefully regulated to ensure that donors donate for altruistic reasons rather than financial gain. In other words, donors are motivated by the desire to help others rather than the desire to make money.
This ethical balance is critical to ensuring that the process of donor egg conception remains both safe and positive for all involved. It is essential that egg donor agencies carefully screen donors to ensure that they are healthy and understand the potential risks and benefits of egg donation. It is also important that donors are compensated fairly for their time and effort, but not so much that it undermines the altruistic nature of the donation.
The ethics of egg donation in South Africa are complex, but they ultimately boil down to the desire to help others. For those who choose to use donor eggs to conceive, the connection between mother and child goes far beyond genetics and is rooted in the prenatal environment and the cellular bonds that are formed between mother and child. It is important to approach the egg donation process with care and consideration
