What is the Egg Donation Process Like?
Donating your eggs to someone is a really unique process. You are able to help someone have a child that would otherwise be impossible. While making that decision is a big one to make, deciding if you want to go through the process is another big topic to decide if egg donation is right for you.
After the testing phase is complete, you will need to schedule multiple appointments to monitor your cycle. Some of these appointments will be daily and it is a big commitment. You will need to have blood drawn to check your hormone levels, and internal ultrasounds to check the progress of ovarian development and growth due to the medication you are taking.
The egg donation process requires lots of needles! Not just from frequent labs drawn, but from daily injections, you will be giving yourself. From my cycle history, I always had a schedule of AM and PM scheduled dosing. It is very important to be able to give yourself injections because of the fact that you have to make sure that you take your medication as scheduled! It can affect the outcome of the cycle. If you rely on another person and they are unable to commit to your schedule you could miss a scheduled dose of medication.
The process itself it really not painful. Common symptoms are bloating and fatigue. You should not run around rigorously out or exercise at the gym due to the risk of ovarian torsion. Make sure that the donation cycle works with your lifestyle. I have horses, so I would be unable to go through egg donation during show season.
Post retrieval is usually the most difficult part of the process. You definitely want to educate yourself on OHSS. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) occurs when a woman's ovaries swell and leak fluid into the body. This condition is a complication that can occur in women who receive fertility treatments that stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs than usual. Usually, the first few days post retrieval are the worst, but you most likely will be able to get back to work the following day and resume normal activity within a few days to a week. Follow-up appointments are not usually needed, but your treatment team will schedule you as needed.
Egg donation is a very special way to help change someone’s life. The process itself takes dedication and time, and like I said, lots of needles. If you are interested in learning more and feel like becoming an egg donor is something that you want to do, the best place to start is at a local IVF clinic with an in-house donor program, or you can find egg donor programs for more information.