Egg donors may face health risks

This article is the second of two parts.

When Susie Kwan first decided to donate her eggs, she did so out of a need for money -- but after helping four couples have babies, Kwan's feelings changed.

"It's gratifying, knowing I have made a couple very happy, to have children that they couldn't have had without my help," Kwan said.

By her request, Kwan's name has been changed to protect her privacy.

Kwan, who is an SF State student, has met three of the four recipient couples in person.

"I actually met one of my recipients when she was pregnant. I have gone over to their house several times, and she has sent me a picture of the baby. It's a great feeling that I still keep in contact with them," Kwan said.

This month, one of the women Kwan donated her eggs to is going to have twins.

There's no question in Kwan's mind she made the right decision, but she has decided her donating days are over.

For Kwan, donating her eggs five times during the past year and a half is enough for her, partly because one of her doctors has suggested she should stop.

Donors must take fertility drugs, which cause the donor to produce more eggs.

The medical field does not yet know what the effect of the drugs will be on the donor, Kwan said.

"There is that possibility of cancer," (due to fertility drugs) Kwan said. "I do about two weeks of a drug called lupron, which are small injections I give myself in my legs, or cinereal, which is a nose spray."

After the injections in her legs, Kwan gives herself 10 days worth of shots to help the eggs mature.

For her first two donations, Kwan's boyfriend gave her these shots, but after a while she gave them to herself.

The shots are given on alternate sides of the buttocks at the same time each day.

"The first couple times you do it feels like a horse kicked you in the rear. You are very sore," Kwan said.

There are also side effects from the drugs, which vary from donor to donor. For Kwan they have included weight gain, mood swings and morning sickness.

Kwan once gained 10 pounds during a donation.

"I gained weight because the drugs basically tell your body you are pregnant," she said.

Kwan, whose body produces more eggs than usual with the fertility drugs, said there is a slight discomfort involved in carrying so many eggs.

"I feel like I am carrying around two oranges down in my ovaries," she said.

Currently there are four children with Kwan's genetics, and, according to Kwan, she may have produced as many as 12 children, because four of her recipients have frozen embryos for a later date.

"I have passed on my genetics enough," she said.

Kwan said the experience has been both financially and spiritually positive.

She has managed to pay off her bills and pay her way through school. More importantly, she said she has helped infertile couples make their families complete.

But the joy of giving has not come without pain.

She is no longer dating the boyfriend she had when she began donating.

"The person I was dating when I started (donating) was very supportive, but after a while he was not very supportive. He was worried about my health, because he saw me get very moody with morning sickness," she said. "After the first two donations he even helped with giving the shots and stayed through the procedure, but after that I was on my own."

Her decision to donate has been kept a secret from her family.

Kwan, who does not have children of her own, said her parents would not be pleased if they found out.

"They want grandchildren, and they would not be happy knowing I helped other couples have children but have yet to have my own," she said.

After weighing the pros and cons of donating, Kwan said she would not change her decision, but conceded that "this is not for everybody."

[ Golden Gater Online December 5, 1995 ]

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