Don't Tell Me I Can't… Donate My Eggs

Candace Whitehead, 32, has donated her eggs six times to help couples have children and start their own families

- Lucia Walker

Donating my eggs to help other people fulfil their dream of having a baby has been one of the most profound experiences of my life. In 2011 my then-boyfriend told me that he had donated his sperm in the past, and mentioned that there was a demand for egg donors. Instead of being put off, which is apparently a common reaction, I was inspired by his decision. We didn’t have more than a conversation or two about it but the seed had been planted – I wanted to find out how I could help someone have a baby.

Egg donation involves harvesting healthy eggs from a donor’s ovaries before fertilising and transferring them to the recipient. After researching further, I found an egg donor programme called Nurture in Cape Town.

I filled out an application online, which included a personal questionnaire and the medical history for me and my family. A few days later I met with two women, Melany and lee, from Nurture for a coffee date where they talked me through the procedure and the risks involved. I loved the frankness of the conversation, and afterwards I was even more keen to start the process.