How Will Egg Donation Affect My Body?
The short answer is not much.
Most donors have little or no side effects from the medications and choose to donate multiple times. An individual can donate up to six times and many donors choose to donate the maximum allowed number of times.
MEDICATIONS
A donor is on injectable medications for 10 to 12 days and then has a retrieval procedure.
She will take 3 types of injectable medications:
FSH meds or Follicle Stimulating Hormones
medication to prevent ovulation,
one injection just before the retrieval procedure to prime the eggs for fertilization.
Our bodies normally produce FSH which stimulates the ovaries to cause one egg to mature. In egg donation the donor takes additional FSH so that a group of about 15 to 30 eggs will mature. This ensures that there will ultimately be about 5 to 10 good quality embryos for the couple to work with so that at least one will eventually produce a healthy pregnancy.
The fertility clinic staff will instruct the donor in how to give herself the injections. They are given anywhere in the abdomen or the thighs. They are subcutaneous injections with a small thin needle, the same type of needle that diabetics use to take insulin. The donor is given a calendar that tells her exactly what to take each day.
She will also be on birth control pills for two to six weeks before beginning the injectable medications. This is done to regulate her menstrual cycle and to synchronize her cycle with her recipient.
SIDE EFFECTS
Some donors report moodiness or fatigue from the FSH meds but it is usually not significant and as stated previously, most donors go on to donate multiple times.
Some donors report bloating after the retrieval procedure which resolves in one to three days.
Other possible but rare side effects are headache, hair thinning and weight gain.
OHSS-OVARIAN HYPERSTIMULATION SYNDROME
This occurs in about 2% of cases. It consists of retention of fluid in the abdomen and the symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, sometimes vomiting and sometimes shortness of breath.
The treatment consists mainly in the passage of time and letting one’s body get back to normal on its own. Medication can be given to treat the pain and nausea. It will resolve in about one to seven days.
Many donors who experience mild to OHSS still go on to donate again. In subsequent cycles she will be given lower doses of the FSH meds to keep it from occurring again. As one donor stated “Yes, I felt uncomfortable and stayed in bed for a day. But what is that compared to a lifetime of happiness and raising a child.” She went on to donate six times.
CONCLUSION
Egg donation, like many medical procedures, has improved dramatically over time. Many procedures are very risky when they are first being used. Over time the medical community develops a body of knowledge regarding potential complications, what they are, how to avoid or minimize them, and how to manage them when they do occur. Egg donation has been in use for about 35 years. In that time it has continually improved.
In choosing an egg donor agency it is wise to choose one with many years of experience. This will ensure that he or she and their staff have a vast pool of knowledge and resources to call upon. It can also be helpful to talk to others who have been donors. It can also be useful to meet with more than one agency and see which one makes you feel the most comfortable. The choice often comes down to individual preference.
The demand for donors is great and many couples are searching for that special woman who is a good match for them and who is willing to undertake this commitment. The women who choose to donate often report that it is one of the most satisfying things that they have ever done. Egg donor agencies in your area can easily be located with a quick search on the Internet. To any young woman considering this, it is one of the greatest gifts that you can ever give.