Muslim egg donation

The permissibility of egg donation in Islam, like other assisted reproductive technologies, can be subject to varying opinions among Islamic scholars and jurists. The acceptability of egg donation depends on several factors, and different schools of thought may offer different perspectives. Here are some key considerations:

1. Source of the Egg:
   • The use of a donor egg in assisted reproductive technologies is generally more acceptable if the donor is a legally married woman who willingly and voluntarily provides her egg for another married couple. The intention is to keep the process within the bounds of a lawful marital relationship.
2. Privacy and Exclusivity:
   • The egg donation process should respect the privacy and exclusivity of the marital relationship. The involvement of a third party should not compromise the sanctity of the marital bond.
3. Consent and Willingness:
   • Both the donor and the couple receiving the donated egg should give their informed and voluntary consent to the process. Coercion or any form of exploitation is generally considered unacceptable.
4. Consideration of Lineage (Nasl):
   • Some scholars emphasize the importance of preserving lineage and may be more cautious about using donor eggs to ensure clarity of lineage within a family.
5. Ethical Considerations:
   • The process should adhere to Islamic ethical principles, and the intention behind using egg donation should be for the purpose of having children within a lawful marriage.

It’s important to note that the views on assisted reproductive technologies, including egg donation, can vary, and there may not be a unanimous opinion across the Islamic community. As such, individuals considering egg donation are encouraged to seek guidance from knowledgeable and qualified Islamic scholars or religious authorities who can provide advice based on the specific circumstances and adherence to Islamic principles.

Local cultural and legal contexts may also influence the acceptability of egg donation within Muslim communities. Given the complexity of the issue, individuals should consult with a qualified religious authority for personalized guidance based on their situation and beliefs.

What is Egg Donation?

Egg donation is the process by which a woman provides several eggs (ova, oocytes) for another person or couple who want to have a child. Egg donation is part of the process of third party reproduction as part of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology). In egg donation, eggs are borrowed from a young woman (less than 33 yrs of age) called the donor, with her consent. These eggs are then fertilized with the sperms of the husband of the recipient woman and the resultant embryo (the earliest form of the baby), is inserted into the womb of the recipient.
Whether you live in a Muslim country or anywhere in the world, looking for a Muslim egg donor, we are looking forward to helpe you complete your family with one of our anonymous egg donors. If you are coming from across the world, we welcome you to IRAN, the Egg Donation Capital of the Muslim World.

Indication

• Egg donation can also be performed on women who have had multiple cycles of test-tube baby (IVF or ICSI) and have still failed to conceive and become pregnant.
• Besides elderly or menopausal women, egg donation can be done in younger women whose ovaries have prematurely failed or in young women who have undergone radiation or chemotherapy for cancer. Radiation or chemotherapy destroys the eggs and hence these women have a failure of their ovaries.
• Egg donation is also used in patients who are carrying major chromosomal defects so that they do not pass the genetic defect to their children.
• Patients suffering from severe Tuberculosis and severe Endometriosis may also produce poor quality eggs and hence can be treated by egg donation.

Egg Donation Procedure

• Donor selection
• Donor treatment
• In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer
• Cryopreservation

Donor selection :
Donors are selected based on extremely strict medical criteria test and undergo a series of tests to rule out any major diseases and conditions that may have repercussions on the baby’s health. One of the distinctive features of our donation programme is that we attempt to match the physical characteristics (phenotypes) of the donor and the receiver as closely as possible. This is what we call good phenotype matching. The results are scrutinised by a doctor, who also checks for the absence of currently known genetic diseases in the donor’s personal or family history, and a psychologist assesses her mental health. Finally, the donor signs a consent form drawn up according to Iran law, in which she states that she is donating her eggs to a couple wanting a child and that she will never try to find out who they are.
Donor treatment :
Donors have to undergo a course of treatment for about two weeks to stimulate their ovaries; this consists of administering subcutaneous (under the skin) hormone injections and they are monitored with ultrasound scans plus blood tests if necessary. The egg collection itself is carried out under what they call ‘heavy sedation’ and seems to be a case of poking a probe into the vagina and using a very fine needle to extract the eggs from the ovaries. The time taken for the procedure is 15-30 minutes. The donor can return home three to four hours’ after the procedure.
In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer :
As for In Vitro Fertilisation of your own eggs (with your partner’s sperm), once the donor eggs have been harvested, they are placed in a culture dish for a few hours while the semen is prepared and the sperm are separated. If the technique to be used is ICSI (microinjection of a sperm into each mature egg) the eggs are denuded, which means that the cells on the surface are removed, and a sperm is injected into each one. At our Clinic, we carry out ICSI in 99% of cases, unless we are told otherwise. In the event of this happening, we would use classic In Vitro Fertilization, in which sperm (between 50,000 and 100,000) are placed in the culture dish with the eggs, and the next day we check to see how many eggs have been fertilized. Obviously, a larger quantity of eggs plus higher quality sperm means there is a greater chance of obtaining embryos. This technique has the drawback of producing lower fertilization rates, as the sperm is not injected directly into the egg. The day after the ICSI procedure we will know how many eggs have been fertilized. Two days later, a four-celled embryo is formed. Three days later, an eight-celled embryo is formed or five days later a multi-celled blastocyst is formed. On the day of the transfer, the embryos showing the best signs of development are selected. The embryos are placed in a thin catheter and the gynaecologist inserts the embryos deep inside the uterus. Of the transferred embryos, normally only one will implant, but bear in mind that sometimes more than one may implant, giving rise to a multiple pregnancy. No anaesthetic is required for this procedure. 30 to 40% of such women will become pregnant. In case they fail to become pregnant they can have a repeat egg donation cycle. Many women undergo two to four cycles and achieve their goal of a child.
Cryopreservation :
The embryos that have not been transferred are frozen in liquid nitrogen (this type of cryopreservation is known as Vitrification) and they are then carefully labelled and stored in the embryo bank. These embryos can be used in subsequent cycles if a pregnancy is not achieved at the first attempt or for a next pregnancy. Evidently, the treatment for preparing the uterus for the transfer of frozen embryos is much simpler as there is no need to stimulate the follicles and harvest the eggs.