Egg donation is one good way of helping an Individual or Couple actualize their dreams of having a family. There are many reasons why people choose to donate eggs. One of them being the desire to help another person build their family. Prospective donors often have a lot of questions regarding the egg donation process, especially about how it will affect their bodies. As one of the leading fertility clinics in Orange County, we believe that you should know everything about becoming an Egg Donor before commencing the process.
Compared to gestational surrogacy, egg donation has lower emotional, physical, and time requirements for the Egg Donor. Nevertheless, the decision to become an Egg Donor is a very big one, and it’s important to stay informed. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the common effects of egg donation. These will help you to make your decisions confidently to help another person realize their parenthood dreams.
What are the steps involved in becoming an Egg Donor
You may be wondering what you need to be doing in the period between being admitted to our egg donor program and being selected by hopeful parents. In most cases, we only ask you to keep taking good care of yourself as you normally do. You can follow an active, healthy lifestyle to maintain healthy eggs by:
- Following a healthy diet
- Doing a moderate amount of physical exercise
- Staying away from alcohol, cigarette, and recreational drugs
Once you have been selected as an Egg Donor, we are going to invite you for a series of appointments. These meetings will help us to ensure that you are healthy and ready to make egg donations. These clinic visits will involve several medical, mental, genetic, and fertility screenings.
If – according to our medical team – you are okay to donate eggs, you will be placed on contraceptive pills. This step is vital in order to synchronize your menstrual cycle with that of the egg recipient. As the egg retrieval date draws near, our fertility doctors are going to start you on various hormone injections used to promote ovulation. In the course of taking these injections, we will figure out when is the best time to harvest your eggs. Your part in the process ends when the egg retrieval operation is complete.
Physical Examination
At the start of the egg donation process, we will schedule you for basic physical screenings. These preliminary screenings will determine your health status and that of your eggs. This may include a pelvic and physical exam and a series of blood tests. The pelvic examination is similar to your regular exams with your doctor or obstetricians. It should not be more uncomfortable than your regular Pap test.
Self-Injections Egg Donors need to take
Once an Intended Parent matches with you, our doctors will ask you to administer some hormone medication shots at home. A lot of Egg Donors quickly understand this part of the process and can easily inject these shots themselves. However, some may need the help of their partner or a family member to do this. The hormone shot itself is easy to take, and tiny needles are used to reduce discomfort. Note that you may experience a little bruising or discomfort at the site of injection, just like when you receive shots at your physician’s office.
Ultrasounds
During the injection part of the egg donation process, you will also undergo a series of transvaginal ultrasounds at the doctor’s office. This is to monitor the growth of your eggs. It helps doctors to adjust your hormone medication levels if needed. This monitoring also helps mitigate the risk of developing the ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome. OHSS is a rare medical condition caused by extremely high levels of fertility hormones. While the words “transvaginal ultrasound” might be a bit scary, the process is actually painless (patients often say they feel less discomfort than when they undergo a Pap smear). You can ask your physician about the ultrasound procedure in order to be sure and comfortable about what to expect.
Egg Retrieval & Recovery
The egg retrieval procedure itself is very simple, and it usually takes around half an hour to complete. Based on your specific needs, the doctor will give you a mild sedative or an anesthetic to minimize the pain. The eggs are collected using a tiny ultrasound probe, which is inserted into the vagina. After the procedure is complete, some egg donors may experience mild symptoms such as cramping and bloating. We advise that you use the whole retrieval day to rest. It will ensure that you can fully recover from the procedure and the sedative used.
You are going to need a family member or friend to take you home after the egg retrieval procedure. A lot of Donors find that they are able to go back to their regular routine within one day of the retrieval. You may still have some spotting or cramping in the following days. However, you should be able to resume your normal activities within seven days, at most.
Conclusion
Egg donation is a minimally invasive procedure with little recovery times and no long-term side effects. However, you need to know that each case is different. So, it’s important to discuss every little detail with your doctor to ensure you completely understand the possible risks.
We understand that donating your eggs can be an intimidating process, and we are here to help. Fill out an application to see if you qualify.
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