‘Nothing will stop me from giving the gift of life’: a qualitative analysis of egg donor forum posts

Abstract

Online spaces are increasingly important for our collective consciousness and provide an opportunity to document changing ideas, subjectivities and experiences surrounding new reproductive technologies. This paper reports on the first study of egg donation and online discussion boards in UK-based forums. Using thematic analysis, we investigated how donors use online forums and explored how they present themselves as possible donors in online spaces. Three major themes were identified: ‘using online forums to exchange knowledge and experiences’, ‘egg donation as a gift’ and ‘having a drive to donate’. Findings from the study reveal how donors enter online spaces looking for advice, presenting themselves as available and weaving themselves into an online community. There exist multiple ways in which donors construct and narrate their own participation in the process of egg donation. Presenting a donor identity in these online forums is not a straightforward matter of helping by giving but also involves a specific drive. While more research is needed on the range of possible motivations, this study gives a better understanding of the available online information and the co-construction of donor identities on discussions boards.

Keywords:

• Egg donation
• online forums
• gift of life
• reproduction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 We use the term donor here to refer to individuals providing their eggs for use in fertility treatment since this is the terminology that was used by those posting in the forums. However, we recognise the contested nature of this term.

2 ‘Helping’ can be seen as the motive for the donation and ‘giving’ as the act. However, we do not draw a strict distinction between these two terms because this reflects how the terms were used by the posters.

3 OHSS is an iatrogenic consequence of the ovarian simulation process and in its mildest form (which results in abdominal discomfort and bloating) occurs in 20–30% of women undergoing IVF, while the most severe form occurs in 1% (Saumet et al. 2018). Specific numbers for the practice of egg donation are not available.

Additional information

Funding

The study was an assignment of a Research Master in Empirical Ethics (Ghent University). M.D.P holds currently a PhD fellowship by the Flemish Foundation for Scientific Research (FWO-Vlaanderen).