3 months ago
9 ARTICLE AD
In vitro fertilisation has become a widely accepted treatment option for infertile couples, enabling millions worldwide to conceive and start families. This technology involves fertilising eggs with sperm in a laboratory, with the resulting embryo being transferred to a woman’s uterus.
The process can involve the couple’s own eggs and sperm or donor materials, and it often comes with an emotional journey, especially for those who have been trying to conceive for a long time.
Counselling before and during treatment helps patients cope with the challenges that may arise.
IVF with an egg donor is a particularly effective method of assisted reproduction, often leading to pregnancy.
By the age of 35, a woman’s egg quality may decline, making conception more difficult.
Various factors may necessitate the use of an egg donor, raising the question: Will the baby look like the mother?
Although the procedure boasts high success rates, the concern often lies in whether the baby will resemble the mother.
Since the baby inherits half of its genetic information from the egg donor and the other half from the sperm provider, it’s a common misconception that the resulting child will bear no resemblance to the intended mother.
While it’s true that the child will inherit genetic traits from both the egg donor and the father, the belief that there is a complete disconnect between mother and child is unfounded.
The maternal environment has a significant impact on foetal development. Even without shared genetic material, the mother’s body plays a crucial role in shaping the baby’s physical appearance, personality, and overall health.
While genetics do influence a child’s appearance and traits, siblings within the same family can vary significantly in looks. Thus, it’s impossible to predict with certainty how closely a child conceived with donor eggs will resemble their intended mother.
What this means is that fulfilling your dream of having biological children as a family is possible, thanks to the generosity of women who donate their eggs to be fertilised.
It is also important to note that the embryo from a donated egg could resemble the intended mother. This is because, during the early days of pregnancy, the pregnant mother can influence the DNA of the embryo. Epigenetics, which studies the factors and mechanisms that regulate gene expression without altering the DNA sequence, plays a role here.
Epigenetics involves a set of chemical reactions and processes that modify DNA behaviour without altering its sequence.
As a result, many families who have had children through egg donation affirm that their children bear a striking resemblance to them, particularly in behaviour, customs, and other traits.
Ultimately, the bond between mother and child is a complex interplay of genetics, environment, and love. Whether or not your child physically resembles you, the emotional connection formed during pregnancy and beyond is profound.
Egg donation is often the last resort for couples or individuals wishing to become parents after months or years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, such as IVF.
If you are considering IVF with donor eggs, you may face challenges and questions.
Every parent desires an intelligent, charming, and successful child. Although it is possible to match the donor’s desired personality, intelligence, and educational background with the qualities you wish for your child, genes alone do not account for these personal characteristics.
Nurture plays an equally important role in shaping a child’s personality and success. The environment in which the child is raised also significantly influences their personality, intelligence, and future educational pursuits.
It is important to remember that it is not guaranteed that the egg donor’s characteristics will be passed on to your child.
Overall, even if an egg donor looks nothing like the intended mother, the baby conceived through donor eggs may still resemble the recipient.
The embryo, despite having different genetic material, is influenced by the maternal environment during its development in the womb.
Consequently, the child is likely to resemble both its mother and the sperm provider. For anonymous egg donation, the donor’s identity remains confidential throughout the treatment process.
However, people often mistakenly believe that anonymous egg donation eliminates genetic similarities. Although donor eggs from an egg bank will not carry your genes, the baby can still exhibit some of your characteristics or physical traits.
This is because the donor is selected based on the recipient’s phenotypic characteristics and blood group. The final choice is made by considering the anatomical, morphological, and physiological traits of the donor relative to the patient’s personality.
This means that even though the child might not share the exact genetic code of its birth mother, there is still a good chance of some resemblance between the two.
In cases where the child doesn’t physically resemble you, they will still adapt to your behaviour, interests, humour, mannerisms, and facial expressions. Environment and exposure play a significant role in child development, contributing more to similarities than genes or traits.
In conclusion, while the genetic makeup of a child conceived through egg donation primarily comes from the donor, the mother’s body provides a nurturing environment that can influence the child’s development. The resulting child may exhibit traits, mannerisms, or even physical resemblances to the mother.
