The Reproductive Body at Work by Verena Namberger

Author:Verena Namberger [Namberger, Verena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, General, Sociology
ISBN: 9780429675881
Google: TwWSDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-04-11T03:46:47+00:00

Another donor explained to me that she was doing “all those things” because she would do the same if she was pregnant for the sake of the unborn baby:

I don’t want to give someone else my dirty eggs, you know what I’m saying? If it was me that had to be pregnant I wouldn’t do any of those things so why am I doing it to someone else?25

In her narrative, the difference between having oocytes or a baby growing inside is blurred. In some respects, such behaviour and attitudes are already laid out in the recruiting criterion of having a ‘healthy lifestyle’. This is furthered by questions on the application form about smoking and drinking habits as well as the requirement to stop smoking during the period of donation (even though there is no way to control it). While there is no scientific proof of a positive relationship between a healthy diet, exercising and abstaining from alcohol and the quality of eggs, a lot of donors see a causal link between an unhealthy lifestyle and ‘dirty eggs’. The idea of ‘dirty eggs’ should also be seen in relation to a widespread social concern about cleanliness and being healthy, which manifests in lifestyle trends like #cleaneating, meaning consuming food that is as natural as possible and contains minimal pesticides or refined substances. Emma Dowling aptly depicts this trend as a societal “contamination neurosis” (2016: para. 13). What’s more, ‘being a good donor girl’ does not necessarily stop at the physical level in a narrow sense, but extends to the mental condition. As another donor explains, “I’m even trying to be happier, in general. I don’t know if there have been studies done on the effects of happiness on oocytes, but it can’t hurt, right?”26

Some agencies actively encourage donors to think about their health and diet, e.g. through blog posts featuring nutritious recipes under headings like “You Are What You Eat”27 or framed by the slogan “Healthy people make healthy eggs”.28 To improve the quality of their eggs, donors are recommended to “[i]n a nutshell – eat well, cut down (or out) caffeine, smoking and refined carbohydrates (pizzas, ready-made meals, white bread, etc.) and don’t over or under exercise. Treat the body like the sanctuary it is.”29 Other professionals could not explain why many donors would attach such importance to the lifestyle aspect because there are no medical recommendations in this direction. However, one agency employee admitted with a laugh that she does not complain because:

looking after yourself, going to the gym, cutting down your cigarettes, maybe not so much the cigarettes, but not drinking, it affects your behaviours and it affects your mood. So you’re an easier and better donor to manage during that time, because you’re not hungover, so you’re on time for your appointments and you don’t oversleep, so you’re just easier to manage.30

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