Jenny tells us about her special reason for losing weight – she wants to become an egg donor.

I first approached Altrui when I saw one of their ads on Facebook – I hadn’t thought about donation before then.

But my auntie had fertility problems and hasn’t been able to have children of her own, so I always thought that I’d like to do something to help. And when we were trying to conceive our son, we had to wait for a year before I got pregnant. I know it’s not long compared to what couples waiting for donation go through but it made me understand what it’s like to want a child but not be able to have one.

When I saw the ad, I contacted Altrui through Facebook and got the information pack about becoming a donor. I noticed that donors have to have a BMI of 30 or below, but I thought there might be some flexibility with this. I spoke to Cathy and she explained that the clinics have this limit because of the drugs you need to take.

At the time I was already on a weight loss programme and my target BMI was just under 30. In fact I’d already lost 8lb at that point. So after a chat we decided to put my application on hold until I’d lost the weight.

Cathy kept in touch to check how I was getting on. Although I weigh in every Monday, I needed to lose 3 stone, so I agreed to let Cathy know my progress and email when I had a stone left to go. This will allow time to do the tests and match me up with a couple while I lose the remaining weight. The bonus is that it’s good for the family too – I’m trying to get everyone to eat more healthily.

I did worry that they might match me with a couple and the couple would reject me as a donor because of my weight, in case they had an overweight baby. But Cathy said couples want someone to match with them physically and would be impressed by my commitment and altruism.

My son is 16 months old now. I don’t want any more children but I know how much it means to have a child and really want to help someone else. I have 2 stone left to go before I reach a BMI of 30 and I’ve found that aiming to become an egg donor has really improved my motivation. I was losing weight anyway but to have a target and a special reason for doing it really keeps me on track.

Thinking about egg donation? Contact us for a chat on 01969 667875 or email Alison and Cathy atinfo@altrui.co.uk.