Can You Donate Eggs If You Have Diabetes?

Many infertile people can use a fertile egg to start their own families. But you can’t just donate your eggs whenever you want. There are some specific criteria that you have to meet before donating eggs to ensure the mother and the baby won’t face any health complications afterward. The criteria include that the woman donating her eggs has no genetic or hereditary diseases, can’t be a smoker, and needs a good body mass index.

If you want to donate your eggs to someone but have hereditary diseases such as diabetes, you will not be able to donate your eggs. Since diabetes is a metabolic disease and can be transmitted from a father or a mother, it is a hereditary disease. If you donate your eggs while having diabetes, you will also put the newborn baby at risk of being born with the disease. So, Can You Donate Eggs If You Have Diabetes? The answer is no; you can’t donate your eggs if you have diabetes.

Want to know more about egg donation, fertility, and diabetes? Keep reading this article, where I explain different aspects of egg donation and diabetes. 

Could Diabetes Be Transmitted Through An Egg Donation?

You may think you’re doing a good thing by donating your fertile eggs to someone and helping an infertile person have a baby and a family. But before donating your eggs to someone, you must first be sure you don’t have any hereditary or genetic diseases. Before donating eggs for any reason, you should conduct a blood sugar test to be sure you don’t have diabetes. 

You need to get checked for diabetes before donating your eggs because diabetes can indeed be transmitted through egg donation. It won’t matter if you have type 1 diabetes or insulin resistance; if you have more than normal blood sugar in your system, you will not be deemed qualified for egg donation. 

And it’s not just egg donation; you can’t even participate in IVF with diabetes. Vitro fertilization requires both eggs and sperm to be fertilized outside of the body. Since diabetes can be passed on through genetics, even in vitro fertilization is unsuitable for diabetic egg donors. 

How Does Insulin Resistance Affect Fertility?

When someone has insulin sensitivity, it usually means their bodies can’t metabolize the sugar in their systems. The condition causes insulin to interfere with the balance of sex hormones and prevent ovulation. Ovulation is when a woman’s body releases fertile eggs to be fertilized. 

When someone is insulin-resistant, it causes interference in ovulation, which can cause infertility in women. So your irregular periods and long, frequent periods mean it’s highly likely your regular bodily cycles are being interfered with by insulin sensitivity, high blood sugar, and diabetes.

So, insulin sensitivity can make you infertile by interfering with your ovulation and menstruation.

What Are The Dangers Of Donating Eggs With Diabetes?

It’s not just diabetes; you can’t donate your eggs if you have hereditary and genetic diseases. Diabetes is a metabolic disease that affects more than half the global population. Many people with diabetes worldwide have this condition because their mother or father had it when they were conceived.

When you donate your eggs despite having diabetes, it significantly increases the chances of the baby being born with diabetes. Babies born from diabetic eggs will have both type-1 and type-2 diabetes, excessive blood sugar, and insulin resistance. It can even cause complications during the delivery of the baby and potentially endanger the lives of the baby and the birthing mother.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Can You Donate Eggs If You Have High Blood Sugar?

As discussed in this article, you can’t donate your eggs if you have diabetes. Donating eggs to someone with diabetes will increase the chances of endangering the lives of the baby and the mother. It will also cause the baby to have diabetes and irregular blood sugar.

Why Can’t People With Diabetes Donate Eggs?

You shouldn’t donate your eggs while having diabetes because the disease is hereditary and can be transmitted from parent to child. It’s not just diabetes; you should avoid donating eggs if you have any hereditary or genetic diseases.

What Should I Avoid As An Egg Donor?

You should avoid smoking for at least three months, avoid taking drugs, and avoid taking anything that can have a lasting effect on your health.

Can Type 2 Diabetics Donate Eggs?

No, people with type-2 diabetes cannot donate their eggs. Even if you have slightly higher blood sugar than normal, do not donate your eggs, as it can cause health issues for the newborn and the birth mother.

Conclusion

Egg donation is seen as a selfless and noble thing to do. Egg donation allows an infertile family to bring new life into the world and start their own family. What could be better than helping someone start their own family? But you can’t just go and donate your eggs on a whim. The health professionals concerned with taking your eggs will put you through multiple health tests to see if you have any health conditions or diseases that may cause future health problems for the baby.

One health condition that disqualifies you from the donor list is diabetes. If you have diabetes, the health professionals will not let you donate your eggs to anyone because of the risks involved. Many people think diabetes and egg freezing may be compatible, but it’s not a chance anyone should take. If you have diabetes, your genes may pass the disease to the baby born from your eggs. 

So, check yourself, and do not donate your eggs if you have diabetes.