Abstract

When a woman conceives via a donated egg that is not biologically hers, the pregnancy can be associated with higher rates of high blood pressure or severe blood pressure in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia). We aimed to determine how many women do not disclose to their doctor that they conceived with a donated egg, and compare the rates of complications that develop around the time of birth. We reviewed all women with egg-donation pregnancies who delivered at Cork University Maternity Hospital, between 2007-2012. Patient charts were reviewed to investigate the outcomes of these pregnancies and to see whether egg donation status for the woman had been documented (unambiguously, in code or not at all). 30% of women had unambiguous documentation, 33% of women had no documentation and the remaining 36% of women had a code familiar only to their doctor documented. There was a high rate of high blood pressure in pregnancy complications, with 28% of women having a complication of this type. This happened most frequently in women with multiple pregnancy. There was a low rate of clear documentation of egg donation status in women. High blood pressure occurred more frequently in women who conceived with a donated egg.