Former Bachelor star Megan Leto Marx has shared an update on her egg donor journey, revealing the cause is close to her heart as she was adopted by her father.
Megan announced in July last year that she would undergo the painstaking process of donating her eggs to couples who are struggling to conceive naturally.
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Megan shared her own personal story of alternative ways to start a family.
“When I made the decision to become an egg donor, the most important thing when looking for a recipient was that they understood the importance of telling their child as young as possible how they were conceived,” she said alongside a video of her egg donor journey.
“My Dad was there when I was born, but he isn’t my biological father – he adopted me. I can’t even remember when my parents first told me this.
“The subject was normalised and discussed and there was no traumatic moment of ‘finding out’, no feeling of loss or lies or ‘who the hell am I?’ – So I personally understand how important this is.”
Megan went on to say she was touched by author Ann Reddy’s book Our Village, which helps donor-conceived children “understand the beautiful story of how they came into this world.”
“I felt a little emotional reading through the pages… thinking about the babies that are close to coming into the world from my donations,” Megan said.
“Emotional thinking about these children understanding how much they are loved, and how wanted they were by their parents.”
In November 2021, the 32-year-old shared a rare glimpse into her painful but rewarding process of egg donation.
Megan said she flew from Western Australia to Queensland after six weeks away for her egg donation, but ended up being rushed to hospital after she touched down.
“[I had] severe abdominal swelling and pain, plus a few other milder symptoms (nausea, dizziness, leg pain, shortness of breath). I’m unsure if being in the air made it worse,” she revealed to her 156,000 Instagram followers.
Megan revealed she suffers from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which is an exaggerated response to excess hormones. It usually occurs in women taking injectable hormone medications to stimulate the development of eggs in the ovaries.
“OHSS is no joke. I can’t imagine how people with severe symptoms deal with this, because it’s just been a week of hell,” she candidly shared.
Megan, who found fame on Richie Strahan’s season of The Bachelor in 2016, started her egg donation journey in January last year year. But she kept it private until July when she announced her selfless decision to help other couples conceive.
“Six months in the making. In bed pretty sore today after the procedure this morning. Please don’t send me congratulations! I’m not pregnant, I’m not trying to get pregnant, and have not/ am not freezing my eggs – but yes, this is fertility based, and rather invasive,” she wrote alongside a video showing the medical procedure.
“I know talking about fertility can be triggering for many people, for good reason, so I’ll be sharing from a different platform – OnlyFans, so you can be intentional with your decision to watch.”