Når man skal lage prøverørsbarn trenger man ganske ofte egg fra en annen person, og slik er det blitt en hel industri for å skaffe slike egg – ofte med svært uheldigekonsekvenser for donoren. Slik kan vi lese på zenit.org:
Dr. Robert Edwards, IVF pioneer and recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, first fertilized a human egg in vitro (literally «in glass») in 1969. The embryo died after the first cell division. He surmised that successful in vitro embryonic development required the harvesting of mature eggs. …..
To the infertility industry, eggs spell enormous profit. The natural monthly rhythm of a woman’s cycle is far too inefficient to satisfy the industry’s voracious appetite. Consequently, egg donors are in hot demand. Infertility programs and their egg brokers place ads targeting young, healthy, college-aged women, characteristically altruistic, and short of cash, promising up to $50,000 in exchange for a carton of fresh eggs. A few weeks is all it takes. The risks are played down and the benefits seem obvious.
High dosages of fertility drugs, synthetic hormones called gonadotropins, are administered to superovulate the donor to produce eggs. Soreness, breast tenderness, mood swings, headaches and mild fluid retention can be anticipated. But over-hyperstimulation (called «ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome,» or OHSS) is also possible. Should a donor be so unlucky, she might suffer excruciating abdominal pain, blood clots, infections, kidney failure, loss of her ovaries, shock, and, in rare cases, death. Oh, by the way, don’t neglect to read the fine print: If because of complications a donor fails to deliver a full carton, jackpot’s off. After all, a deal’s a deal. …
Videoen under forteller om hva som kan skje – Calla Papademas fortelling fra CBC Network på Vimeo.