Having practiced medicine for nearly ten years, I've seen all sorts of people and heard all sorts of stories. While it's true that we have inherent human rights, and our bodies are a gift from our mothers, even with this seemingly insignificant asset, some people still covet it and try to take a bite out of it. Driven by a desire for money, even selling their eggs is not out of the question.
News of egg donation is commonplace and shocking.
However, these young women are unaware of the dangers of selling their eggs. Below, we will discuss some tragic cases stemming from egg selling that we have witnessed in clinical practice:
One night while on duty, I received a call from a nurse informing me that a newly admitted patient had only been urinating 80ml since being admitted at 12:00 noon, and was experiencing severe abdominal pain and difficulty breathing.
Upon entering the ward, I found the patient sitting on the bed in a semi-recumbent position, her mother stroking her abdomen, and the patient crying incessantly. After briefly inquiring about her medical history, I learned that the patient was only 18 years old and had repeatedly sold her eggs through illegal local agencies. This time, she had unfortunately gone too far. At that moment, I shook my head inwardly...
Although everyone is in charge of their own body, you can't shirk responsibility for your own life.
Despite my anger, I maintained a good attitude and examined the patient. Her abdomen was distended, the abdominal wall was taut, and there was positive shifting dullness. Reviewing the medical records, the ultrasound showed both ovaries measuring 11cm, and a large amount of fluid in the abdominal and pleural cavities. Blood tests indicated highly concentrated blood, impaired liver function, and, crucially, severely low protein levels. Considering the patient's oliguria and low protein levels, I could only administer albumin and fluid resuscitation that night. Fortunately, she recovered smoothly that night. I heard that the next day, all three lines of doctors decided to perform a laparoscopic exploration…
Okay, just talking about cases isn't enough. Here comes a whole bunch of useful information. Hopefully, this information won't be too dry or hard to swallow.
The patient described above has ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). So, what is OHSS? What are its symptoms? What are its risks and complications?
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What is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome?
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a common complication of assisted reproductive technology (ART). It's a syndrome caused by an overreaction in the body during ovulation induction, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer, leading to changes in ovarian morphology and the production of excessive ovarian hormones. The black market for eggs is particularly problematic!
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What are the symptoms of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome?
1. Oliguria: A normal person's total urine output in 24 hours is greater than 400ml. If it is less than 400ml, it is called oliguria, and if it is less than 100ml, it is called anuria. Prolonged oliguria can even lead to kidney failure.
2. Poor appetite: unable to eat or drink anything, vomiting when drinking water, and feeling bloated when eating. A dilemma.
3. Abdominal distension and pain: As the waist circumference and weight increase, the large amount of fluid in the abdominal cavity leads to increased abdominal wall tension, causing patients to feel abdominal distension. Enlarged ovaries will cause patients to feel abdominal pain.
4. Shortness of breath or even difficulty breathing, cough: As the saying goes, when the big river rises, the small rivers overflow. When the abdominal cavity cannot hold the fluid, it flows back into the chest cavity, which leads to poor breathing, shortness of breath or even difficulty breathing. Over time, this can easily cause coughing.
5. Vulvar edema or even leakage: As the saying goes, people strive to go higher and water flows downhill. Fluid in the abdominal cavity tends to flow into the loose interstitial spaces of the body. Vulvar edema is often seen clinically, and in severe cases, leakage of fluid from the vulvar tissue can be observed.
6. Nausea and vomiting: Many patients experience nausea and vomiting. Mild cases are tolerable, but severe cases may affect eating and even daily life.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome typically presents with three lows and one high: decreased appetite, decreased thirst, decreased urination, and weight gain. This is surprisingly the opposite of the symptoms of diabetes, which are characterized by three highs and one low: increased thirst, increased appetite, increased urination, and weight loss.
3
What are the complications and risks?
1. Thrombosis: Increased vascular permeability leads to low blood volume within the blood vessels, resulting in a hypercoagulable state of the blood, especially in the lower extremities where thrombosis is more likely to occur.
2. Liver function impairment: Approximately 20%-40% of patients with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome have liver function impairment.
3. Ovarian torsion or rupture: An ovary that is too large is prone to rupture, while an ovary that is neither too large nor too small is prone to torsion. Both rupture and torsion require emergency surgery.
4. Post-egg retrieval bleeding: Post-egg retrieval bleeding usually has a rapid onset and often occurs after egg retrieval. Of course, there are also delayed types. It is often confused with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. If dynamic blood routine monitoring shows a decreasing trend of hemoglobin, the possibility of post-egg retrieval bleeding should be considered.
At this point, some people might ask, "Does that mean it's just as dangerous if I undergo IVF to retrieve eggs?" Currently, reputable and professional medical institutions use pre-treatment protocols, such as medication, to reduce the occurrence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
We also want to warn young women to consume moderately and rationally, and never sell their eggs or engage in other more serious illegal activities for financial reasons.
At the same time, without buying and selling, there would be no harm. Further regulation of assisted reproductive technology, supervision and crackdown on unscrupulous agencies and intermediaries, and increased penalties to eliminate such illicit transactions are also issues that must be addressed.
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