South Africa

A personal account of surrogacy in South Africa from two Dads. For more info please contact info@nurture.co.za or info@surrogacy.co.za, or view www.nurture.co.za

Steeped in history and set against the stunning and world-famous backdrop of Table Mountain, the beautiful, sea-side city of Cape Town is regarded as one of the top holiday destinations in the world.

Also affectionately known as the Mother City, South Africa’s oldest city is living up to that nickname in a rather literal way these days as an increasing amount of people from all over the world travel there to undergo fertility treatment.

"You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give" Kahlil Gibran

There is no greater gift that a woman can give, then the gift of life. As we enter the second month of 2010 and some of those new year resolutions start to fade, egg donation is a selfless act that will forever be appreciated and may change the life of a woman in a way you can only imagine. Whether the donated compensation which you will receive matter to you or not, the act of giving touches the soul and remains forever appreciated.

The Measure of an Egg Donor Agency

For those women whose “partners look at them and they fall pregnant” the use of donor eggs may seem completely absurd. It’s a case of “If you have never walked in someone’s shoes don’t judge them,” and often it’s a complete ignorance, as is the case when you are dealing with a choice you would never have to make.

The reality is that, for those increasing woman who, without the use of donor eggs would never be able to experience motherhood, egg donation is the greatest gift of life.

Epigenetics is a new (well to some of us!) buzzword in the field of egg donation for conception. Essentially Epigenetics refers to factors outside the gene, such as a cell's exposure to hormones or genetic variations that can modify a gene. Such factors can change what is ultimately expressed; they can change a phenotype i.e.: they can alter what an organism looks like as a consequence of the interaction of its gene AND the environment. In terms of conception via egg donation that environment begins with the womb of the birth mother.

Egg donation in South Africa is indeed legal and legislated as Chapter 8 of the National Health Act (Act no 61 of 2003) Gamete donation is regulated by The Policy Committee of the South African Society of Reproductive Science and Surgery. The 2008 Guidelines for gamete donation provides the latest recommendations for clinicians involved in assisted conception using gamete (egg) donors.