The decision to become an egg donor can be overwhelming and confusing. If you’ve never donated your eggs before, it’s probably hard to imagine what it’s like or anticipate what the process could look like.
Signature Donors is proud to present our #FindYourWhy series - where experienced donors talk about their journey with egg donation, what it means to them and why they’ve decided to embark on such a special journey.
This week, we’ve interviewed one of our rockstars- Donor 1075 who has completed six egg donation journeys. She has helped build families all over the world and is eager to share her experience with you.
Why did you decide to become an egg donor?
“I decided to become an egg donor to help other people achieve their dreams of having a family of their own.
”What were some of your initial thoughts when donating your eggs for the first time?
“I was really worried about injections every day and what would be the outcome afterwards.”
Setting up a profile donor database might feel like marketing yourself - how do you find a balance between being true to yourself but also trying to get matched with intended parents?
“I think it's very important to be honest about yourself in the profile because the intended family that you are potentially matching with want to make sure that they have a good match that matches their preferences and family dynamic.”
In your opinion, what's the most important thing to disclose as an egg donor?
“Any health issues or history. Also sometimes the most important requirements for intended parents might not even be physical - they make look for certain personality traits or level of education that fits into their family dynamic.”
Why would you recommend becoming an egg donor to others?
“It comes down to two factors: one is the fact that you are donating your eggs to a family who does want to have children in the future. And the other component obviously is that you are earning some type of income at the end of the day. Initially to me it seemed like a two week process, but it's a one month process, right? Because one week before you're getting ready, you're doing the ultrasounds, you're doing the blood work, you're making sure everything is basically ready to go.
Then for the next two weeks you are doing the injections, you are doing the follow-up appointments, then comes the retrieval. And then after the retrieval is, you know, you have to come back in when you get your period to make sure everything is going well. So it is a month-long process overall. So I think that's an expectancy to have definitely when you are doing this donation.”
So we already talked a little bit about the medication and the process and you did describe in detail how that kind of went down for you. What advice would you have for new donors who are nervous about the medication and the retrieval procedure?
“So the retrieval procedure itself is quick and it's painless. I actually was worried about the injections first. Because I was afraid of the injections, I had a person that I was seeing at that point start off and do the injections for me the first 2-3 days for my first egg donation. But then I realized them doing it to me hurt me because they didn't really feel, you know, how deep it needed to go - the injection or when to stop.
And actually when they did it, I unfortunately did bleed a little bit after. But when I did it myself, there was basically no blood. So I think that the advice I would give is definitely to do it on your own, just because you have a better feel for your body and you have a better feel of the injection. There was an injection that I did, I do not remember the name of it now. It was the last one that I would do just because there was a little bit of a sting when you do the injection truthfully.
So I would do that as a last injection and I would lay down for about five minutes just because it did have a stinging effect. But it's pretty easy, you know, you're mixing two things together and you're putting it into the needle form, making sure there are no bubbles and, and on you go!”
So basically it's really better to do it yourself even if you're scared because you know your body better.
“Definitely. You definitely know your body a hundred percent better. And the egg retrieval, like once again - it's very quick; it's smooth; you get changed; you go; they put you to sleep. I believe it's like a 15-30 minute procedure, kind of depending on your body. And then you wake up and you know, you're in a bed and you're having snacks and you're having apple juice and you're having ginger ale - whatever you need. They're always there for you. And it's fun and it's a nice experience. I've never had any bad outcomes.”
That's also something people are worried about that the process itself is painful and that the aftercare isn’t there.
“Definitely. I mean they do say, you know, rest for 24 hours, don't drive, don't drink, don't pick up anything heavy. And I think that is very smart. Usually after the egg retrieval, I would come home, and the first thing I would do is have a sandwich, and then I go to bed. So I'm napping for another three, or four hours. And then you just have to take it easy for the next 24 hours. But it is not a major procedure, it is nothing invasive. So the next day you are ready, you know, to kind of resume on a slower level. But back to your regular activities.”
So do the people close to you know that you're an egg donor and do you feel comfortable or uncomfortable disclosing that?
“People who are close to me know that I am an egg donor and I feel comfortable disclosing the information. Once again, I’m helping not only one family but multiple families. Sometimes it's one child, sometimes it's two children that I found out in the end. So I love it when I can produce a decent amount of eggs. I think in my first retrieval I produced about 14 eggs, which I was a little bit worried about because I thought it wasn't enough. But as I kept doing the retrievals, the highest egg amount I think I received was 36 eggs.
So it kind of depends on your cycle. Definitely when you are doing the injections, it's best to switch the injections. So if you're doing one on the right-hand side today, do it on the left-hand side tomorrow just so the egg retrieval can be a little bit higher. So both of the sides of your ovaries are getting enough of the medication that is needed.”
Since you're comfortable with disclosing your reasoning, do you have any advice for someone who's new that may feel uncomfortable disclosing it or perhaps they don't know how to talk about it? Do you have any good advice on how to approach the subject?
“I think you definitely need to have at least one person you can confide in and that could be, you know, the nurse that is taking care of you. It could be your mom, it could be a best friend, it could be a counselor. But I think there's always one person that you should have on hand that you are able to speak to about this experience, just because you may be having questions or you may be having doubts. I know a lot of egg donors have the question of- will I still be able to have my own children in the future? Is it going to affect my egg count? And actually, on my third egg retrieval, I decided to freeze my own eggs as well as that was an opportunity that was given to me.
So I know in the future if in case something were to happen, you know, my eggs are already frozen. I do have them just in case. But we, as women, produce over a thousand eggs in a month. Especially if you're getting your periods regularly. So up until, technically speaking, the age of 35, you should have no issues with having children if you are doing numerous egg donations or not. So I don't believe it affects your fertility at all whatsoever.
Our bodies go through so much - everything from our menstrual cycle to our pregnancies too, or for example egg donations. Our bodies take so much that you know, if we can give a life to someone, why not give a life to someone knowing that we are still able to have a child in the future for ourselves.”
Technology for preserving eggs and for retrieving them - it's just getting better.
“It definitely is. It definitely is. Because I am a nanny, I know a few families that I worked for that actually went through the IVF process. So it's interesting because I can speak to them about their process and my kind of process of being an egg donor. So it's nice hearing their side of how they go through things and then they kind of hear my side on how we give our eggs and how the procedure is within like the two-three weeks that we are doing this.”
It is a great thing to do and definitely a sacrifice on your end. You are giving up your time and your body for a month-long process, as you mentioned.
“Yeah, exactly. To me it's an entire month's process just because after the retrieval, you need to come back in to make sure everything is going well. And also before everything starts, we need to make sure that everything is going well regarding your blood results, gene testing and the ultrasound to make sure you are able to do this. It's a great, great experience.
And also, now I actually know where my kids -well technically not my kids, but I kind of know where they are.They're kind of spread around everywhere and it's just like a fun fact. Mm. I mean, I'm watching soccer now, right? So there's different soccer teams for the World Cup and I'm like, oh, I have kids there. It's fun because it is my genes, right? So at the end of the day, these kids will look like half of me plus, you know, the other person. And I have donated to single dads, I have donated to men and women as a couple, I have donated to gay couples. I was always very open when it comes to that - just because if they do want to have a child and they are able to raise one, then to me at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where the child is as long as they have what they have been looking for.
It's exciting to know that they're kind of all over the world. They're not all here - they're not all even in the United States - some are in Europe, some are elsewhere. So it's just fun knowing they are with different families and hopefully everything's going well on that end.”
If this interview has inspired you to explore egg donation, submit your application today on our homepage!
If you’re an intended parent that is interested in this donor, sign up to view our database through our homepage to learn more about her!
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