Achi news desk-
But new figures show that around 55 women came forward in 2023 alone.
The new data was shared with Helen Gibson, founder of the Surrogacy Concern group, in a letter from the Scottish Government’s Children and Families Directorate.
READ MORE: Scottish Government defends ‘outrageous’ egg donor campaign worth £186k
There have been three stages to the marketing campaign so far.
The most recent campaign took place in October last year, during National Fertility Week.
To be eligible to donate eggs the donor needs to be between 18 and 35 years old and able to commit to the program for around three months.
The digital campaign featured animated images of egg and sperm joining together to spell out optimistic words such as Joy, Love and Hope.
Key messages included telling potential donors that they could “give the joy of starting a family to those who need help becoming parents” and that “NHS Scotland needs egg and sperm donors for those who need your help to create a loving family”.
However, the ads have been criticized for understating some of the risks and side effects associated with egg retrieval, including bleeding and infection.
Some women may develop severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, an adverse reaction to hormone medications that stimulate egg production.
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Ms Gibson told the Herald: “We are horrified that the Scottish Government plans to continue targeting women as young as 18 for egg retrieval.
“Women’s bodies are not a public resource; gametes are not there to be harvested and shared among the public.
“The fact that women are coming forward following state-targeted advertisements is deeply disturbing.
“The adverts do not list any health risks or consequences. We know of women in the UK who have died following complications arising from egg retrieval; complications which are more likely in young women.
“We repeat our call for the Scottish Government to drop this campaign”.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “There is a shortage of egg and sperm donors across the UK and the Scottish Government, in partnership with NHS Scotland, ran the recent national gamete donation campaign to refer people interested in donating to information now and correct. .
“Gamete donations will help create much-needed families for those receiving NHS IVF treatment.
“Each campaign invites selfless donations made out of a desire to support those who need help to become parents.
“All potential donors in Scotland receive compulsory counseling from NHS Scotland, and the four NHS Assisted Pregnancy Units provide potential donors with accessible and up-to-date information to enable them to make informed decisions about any consent they give it then.
“This is a rigorous process, and it takes months to get to the point of donation.”
