Under pressure? negotiating relationships in known egg donation

This paper aims to explore the experience of
known egg donation (where eggs are donated by a
woman known to the recipient either as a friend
or family member) within the context of the
relationships involved in the donation. Part of my
PhD research involved a number of in-depth
interviews with individuals who had experienced
known egg donation either as the recipient or the
donor, or the partner of the recipient or donor.
These interviews are currently being analysed using
the voice-centred relational method of data
analysis (Brown & Gilligan, 1992; Mauthner &
Doucet, 1998), which provides the researcher with
the opportunity to be reflexive during the
analytical stages of the research as well as
providing a ‘voice’ for those taking part in the
research. Preliminary data analysis suggests that
the quality of the relationships between the donor,
the recipient and their partners are a key feature
of known egg donation.