The motivations and experiences of known egg donors

The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate the experiences of women who had donated their eggs to help a family member, friend, or acquaintance become a parent. An experimenter-generated questionnaire was distributed to all donors who had participated in the egg donation program at Genesis Fertility Centre since the egg donor program's inception in 1999. Of the 29 women who were able to be contacted, 20 elected to complete and return the questionnaire for a response rate of 69%. The first section of this three-part questionnaire sought to gather general information from the donor about: how the subject of being an egg donor first arose, the nature of the donor's relationship with/to the recipient, whether a viable pregnancy resulted from the cycle, and whether the donor's relationship with the recipient(s) has changed since she participated in treatment. The second part dealt with the decision-making process of the donor, and inquired about the importance of the following factors in the donor's decision to become an egg donor: the relationship of the donor to the recipient, personal factors, family factors, broader social issues, and consequences to the child(ren) produced if treatment was successful. The third section assessed the donor's experience in the treatment process as well as her overall experience of being an egg donor. Irrespective of the outcome of her donation or the challenges of the treatment process, 90% of the participants reported having no regrets about having donated their eggs to a family member, friend, or acquaintance. Given the chance to reconsider their decision, all but two participants said they would make the same choice again to be a known egg donor.Education, Faculty ofEducational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department ofGraduat