What Is It Like To Donate Eggs; Egg Donor Stories

I’ll be honest, at first I was only keen to earn extra money to help pay down my student loans. After a few cycles, the meaning of being an “egg donor” changed for me. It became about the experience, the people you meet, and the families you’re helping. My egg donations have always been 100% anonymous, but the families still manage to find a place in your heart.

Yes, I have donated a few times.

I’m quite an active and social person so I feel most challenged feeling sluggish, moody or bloated. During my first couple donations, I was probably less self-aware of my hormones and reacted more the unplanned mood swings. Now, after several donations, I’m more aware and know when emotions feel intensified or the feeling of “weight gain” is just bloating.

I can’t say there is. But so it doesn’t go unanswered, I wish I was better educated on the process during my first cycle. Sure, you receive instructions from the nurses, but I caught myself googling and trying to understand the terminology being used and each medication I was injecting myself with.

As a donor, you are 50% of this process. Without your eggs, there would be no baby. Without your time and dedication, there would be no baby. It’s a serious but rewarding responsibility. I have handled each donation as a ‘job’. So, be friendly but respectful with every nurse and doctor – nourish the relationship.Don’t be scared to ask questions either. Donations aren’t always easy but in the end, I think the reward outweighs the challenges.

The first time I heard of egg donation, I was in high school. My mom mentioned it as a way to pay for college, but when I looked into it, it became so much more than just a means to a financial end. My family has a history of being very fertile and healthy – a great combination for donating. Coming from a big family, I wanted others to be able to build one for themselves who aren’t able to. My family is so important to me.

Yes – I have donated 6 times.

The most rewarding part is receiving a letter from the intended parent(s) explaining a little bit about themselves and how much it means to them. Donating to single mothers and same-sex parents is also particularly moving for me since a family can mean so many things- and just because an egg & sperm is needed for the process, doesn’t mean children should be out of the question for these kinds of families.

The most challenging part for me is honestly just the commute to the clinic, because I live quite a distance. I have never had any severe side affects from the injections or from the surgery. Egg donation, while a tedious and careful process, is not particularly difficult or strenuous. The doctors and nurses are so supportive during the process as well. I will say the first time I ever had to inject myself, I couldn’t do it. I had my room mate do it for me, because my brain would stop my hand from sticking the needle in. But one day, my room mate wasn’t home and I HAD to do it myself because the injections need to happen at the same time every night. I discovered a nearly painless way to inject myself and have never had a problem since.

I guess I would like there to be more resources / data for egg donors becoming pregnant in the future. Other than that, I did a lot of research before applying to donate my eggs, and I felt very comfortable when it came time to donate.

If you’re scared to inject yourself, do it slowly. Watch the needle go into your skin and guide it slowly- you won’t even feel it. I also do my Menopur injection extra slowly because that one tends to bite and it will burn quite a bit if you push the medication in all at once Also- don’t be afraid to ask questions. These medications need to be precise- if I ever had a doubt in my mind or instructions weren’t clear- I always asked my nurse. (especially those trigger injections!) Also- don’t be afraid to speak up. The process is fascinating and your body will change- it’s your body and you have a right to know what’s going on!

I can’t think of a reason not to! I know that if I were to ever be put in a position that jeopardized my opportunities of having children, I would pray for an option such as egg donation. So if I can help, I always will.

Yes! It has been a wonderful experience each time!

Helping others is by far the greatest reward throughout the process. Plus, I enjoy going to my appointments and seeing everyone within SMF. So, it is also rewarding to work with great people who are on a mission to help as well.

I don’t find the process to be challenging. But if I had to pick a challenge, I would say adhering to the specific directions requires extra attention. Staying focused on the responsibilities that come with being a donor is so important!!

I wish I would have known about SMF sooner.

Be kind to your nurses, follow ALL of the instructions, and know that you are helping others in such a unique capacity! It is absolutely worth it.

I decided to become an egg donor for a few reasons. I was going through college when I first signed up and wanted to make sure I had the financial means to afford school and living expenses and I definitely felt that I was healthy and had a great family history to help a family looking to have children.

Yes, I have donated a total of 6 times so far.

After each donation I like to follow up to see if the IPs we able to get pregnant and have a healthy successful process and so far every one of them have and that for me has been the best rewarding feeling!

The most challenging part of the process for me is the recovery with bloating. Sets me back on my workout goals, throws my diet off and it takes about a week to go away and then about a month for me to get back on track again.

I would say that I was very informed going into the donation process. I did a lot of personal research myself and always had any questions answered from Dr.Jain and all of the staff. I feel that going through Santa Monica Fertility specifically made this process that much easier. I have joined forums through social media where women all over the world comment and share their different experience through different clinics and there are some upsetting issues that some donors have encountered through the agencies they went through. I was always well informed, taken care of and treated so amazingly.

Some advice I would pass on would be to do a lot of research, always ask questions and be knowledge about tax information as well. I was very happy knowing the clinic wouldn’t be sending me a 1099 because they want to make sure their donors are taken care of. I would also pass along that first time donors make sure they understand the responsibility of this process. I work two jobs and go to school full time so staying on top of my appointments, injections, phone calls and emails with the clinic is imperative. As a donor we have to realize that there are intended parents paying a lot of money with high hopes to starting a family and they are counting on us to do our part to stay healthy and happy throughout this process so that everyone has a good end result.