Telangana college girls sell their eggs ignoring health implications

Hyderabad: Lured by agents, college-going girls in rural areas are donating eggs to fertility centres across the state without realising the health implications.

Students from backward areas like Devarakonda in Nalgonda district, tribal areas in Mahbubnagar, Warangal and Karimnagar are falling into these agents’ traps.

Many girls in these poverty and drought-affected areas suffer from nutrition related issues. Taking advantage of the situation, agents of fertility centres lure them with money for donating their eggs.

Ms Kavya (name changed), a senior intermediate student from Nalgonda district, who donated her eggs earlier, said that the agents select the girls based on their complexion, physical features, psychological fitness and family background.

“Later they see the family’s medical history and screen for infections. They give some medicines and injections related to hormones… I am paid Rs 10,000 in a month for donating eggs,” she said.

Drugs are used to get more eggs
A donor doing her degree course from Warangal district said that she has donated eggs twice. When DC asked her about future health issues, she said, “I was not told about the issues by the agent. They paid the amount promptly twice — at the time of agreement and after donation.”

Donors are pumped with fertility drugs and hormones so that the fertility centres can harvest more eggs in a month against one, as is normal. Drugs are used to release eggs from ovaries in order to increase success chances.

Clomifene blocks the effect of the hormone estrogen in the donor’s body, leading to increase in two other hormones — follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH). FSH causes the eggs in the ovaries to ripen and ready to release and then LH triggers the release of more than one matured egg from the ovary follicles. Drugs like gonadotro-phins and bromocriptine are used for the same result.

Chairperson of the Women’s Commission Tr-ipurana Venkataratnam, told DC that the agents were like a surrogacy and eggs collection mafia. “We have counselled many college girls who are egg donors. They told us that they were donating their eggs for pocket money and essential requirements as they were from poor families. Now, they are thinking about money, but in the long term, they will face health problems. Acts are required to control such practices,” she said.

Dr Anagani Manjula from Maxcure Hospital said the hormones being given to egg donors might lead to Hyper Simulation Syndrome. “The syndrome causes health hazards. The donors may get infections due to the hormones and there may be changes in the functioning of ovaries. When they want to become pregnant, they may lose the chance due to increased hormones,” she said.