My Journey Through Egg Donation

So my baseline ultrasound appointment went alright.

Upon being called back, I was weighed (112 lbs) and had a vial of blood drawn to test my hormone levels, etc. I undressed from the waist down and proceeding to see on the table awaiting my nurse practitioner to begin the exam.

Feet up in the stirrups, I wasn't as nervous as I was the first time around. Obviously already experiencing a vaginal ultrasound before made it easier to know what to expect this time around.

She counted my resting follicles and was so-so about how many she counted. Apparently 4-5 on one said and 5-6 on the other. She said typically 10 resting follicles is the least they want to see, so I'm slightly over that number, but they prefer 15+ total. She said they would do the blood work and the agency would call me sometime this week with the results.

She said donation was still a possibility, but it wasn't a "for sure" chance. :(


... so I guess we'll wait and see...

I started my period this morning!

As instructed by the gal at the agency, I called the clinic to make an appointment for my baseline vaginal ultrasound. I'll be going in today at 1:30PM!

Let's hope no random ovarian cysts pop up this time. ;)


Other than that, I'm really excited to start this journey all over again. I really hope I am able to go all the way through this time. Cheers!

I got an email today from the donation agency informing me that all my medical records have been received and approved! I'm ready to start the process again!


They asked me to stop taking my currently birth control so when I go in for my baseline tests, they can get an accurate reading. This was actually pretty convenient because I had only taken my first pill of my new pack - so I wasn't in the middle of a pack or anything. I was asked to call the offices on the first day of my period to schedule an ultrasound on the 2-3rd day of my period because they need to take it during the day of my heaviest flow.

I'm really excited!

Alright, it’s been a LONG while since I’ve last updated.

I hit a snag once my ovarian cyst was gone. From the birth control being out-of-whack and just normal fluctuations in hormone levels, I was unable to donate due to my numbers being outside the clinic’s parameters. :(



NOW TO BRING YOU UP TO CURRENT:

It’s been a few years and I have decided to give egg donation another try. Right now I am currently in a stable enough part of my life to allow me the time and flexibility it takes to be a successful donor.

I contacted an agency I found on my local Craigslist and they have been incredibly helpful and responsive so far. I filled out their online application and was contacted within the same day to fill out a more thorough application – including medical history, family history, etc.

Right now I am just in the waiting process as they get all my paperwork together, and my medical records from my last donation attempt ordered from my previous doctors.


Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to friend this journal. We are all special people and I wish each of you the most success possible in your own donations! Keep checking back, as I will, again, be updating as I go through this process.

I had my appointment on Monday the 19th and the good news is - my ovarian cyst is gone!  I had my gynocologist fax the ultrasound report to the Fertility Center to show them and I should be rescheduling to go back in to start the process again!  I'm excited!

Good news!  Headed over to my regular gynocologist this morning to have her check out my cyst and recommend how to make it go away.  Had ANOTHER pelvic exam [I swear, there has been more poking and prodding of my vagina going on in the last two days than all year!  LoL] and she said the cyst is pretty small and she's not very worried about it.  She said to continue taking my birth control like normal and she referred me to get another ultrasound in about a month to check to see if the cyst is gone.  Apparently your body rids itself of the cyst on its own.  So, that's definitely good news!  :)

She also told me to avoid strenuous everyday activity along with strenuous sexual activity - as this could cause the cyst to burst, which would cause a lot of pain.  [Although, it does make the cyst go away faster]  Butttt I think I'll avoid all the pain associated with that.

I'll check back in about a month after my follow-up ultrasound. :)

Alright, so I just got home from my first donor appointment.... it was... interesting to say the least.

We got to the appointment a little early and sat in the waiting room for a few minutes while the office staff did what they do. We were called in and our donation coordinator asked some more questions. General stuff - stuff about recent tattoos & piercings, medical history, family history, menstural history, etc. I was surprised when she said they were going to do a vaginal ultrasound today to take a look at my uterus and ovaries.

After filling out some more paperwork I headed over to the exam room where I undressed from the waist down. My boyfriend was there and he was allowed to stay in the room during the entire exam. It was comforting :) The nurse came into the room and showed me the little ultrasound wand that they use to exam your insides. It was kinda like a thin dildo with a little curved head. It didnt hurt or anything and they dont stick it very far in you. It was really wierd and interesting to be able to see your body from the inside.

First she showed us the uterus, which looked normal and healthy. YAY! Then she looked at the right ovary - which had 8 folicles! Folicles are the little "blister-like" things on the outside of the ovary that grow during your cycle and eventually one of them bursts to release an egg for ovulation. The more folicles you have, the better - because the more potential you have to release more eggs during donation. The number of folicles you have varies from month to month too. Next it was on to the left ovary where we found - DUN DUN DUN!! An ovarian cyst.

I know it sounds really gnarly and scary - but they're actually quite common. Literally, cysts are merely liquid-filled sacs. Ovarian cysts form on the outside of an ovary when the folicle fills with liquid until it gets abnormally large and does not burst to release any egg. Usually your body takes care of these cysts and naturally gets rid of them. Unfortunately, this means that I cannot donate during this menstural cycle since they won't let you donate if you have a cyst. :( The nurse printed out a copy of my cyst so I could take it to my regular GYN to see what she recommends for treatment. After the cyst is gone, I will be able to donate! :) I have an appointment with my regular GYN tomorrow to have her check it out. WEE!

Here is a picture of the cyst:


I'll let you know what happens tomorrow after my appointment with my GYN. :)

So, today is the big day.  I will be heading over to the fertility clinic to meet with my Donation Coordinator.  I'm assuming she's going to walk us through the process, answer any questions, ask a lot of family history, and maybe even take some blood or something.  I received a packet in the mail last week asking more about me and my family history.  It was pretty long - like 10 pages.  I also got a W9 form for tax purposes, since the reimbursement money I receive for the donation will eventually have to be taxed at the end of the year.

I'll update everyone as soon as I get back!  :)

Welcome to my journal about my journey through the process of egg donation!  When I first decided to become an egg donor, I scoured the internet [much like you may be doing] trying to get as much information as possible.  I wanted REAL first hand experiences from women who have gone through the process so I could know what to REALLY expect.  I found a great blog by a woman from the east coast that really helped me learn more.  [http://eggdonor.blogspot.com/]  So to help other first-timers, I figured I would record my process as well to give others another point of view.  Hopefully this helps!  Please feel free to leave any comments you have.  I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have or to elaborate on something if you want more info!

Who Am I?
To keep things annonymous and safe, I won't reveal my name.  I am 22 years old and live in Southern California.  I am currently working full time and going to school part time.  I live with my boyfriend of over a year and we both really dig our family and friends.  He is completely supportive of my becoming an egg donor - although he was a little skeptical at first because he didn't want anything to happen that would effective our ability to have our own children down the line.  We are both avid car enthusiasts and both own trophy winning show cars.  When we're not working, going to school, or sitting around the house, we're usually out at a car show.  It's great having someone that you have so much in common with!


Why I Became a Donor:
I originially started out wanting to be a surrogate mother.  I spend endless hours researching surrogacy and learning what was involved.  After discussing the possibility with my parents and boyfriend - I realized that surrogacy might not be the best option for me at this time in my life.  On most sites about surrogacy, I saw information about egg donation.  I soon began reaserching donation and decided that it was a great option for me.  Family has always been a very important part of my life and I have always wanted to have children of my own someday.  When I thought about the thousands of couples in the world today that are unable to have their own children, it just makes me so sad for them.  I can't think of anything more magical than bringing a new life into the world and shaping and forming it into a brilliant individual.  I won't lie - the financial compensation is a great touch - but even if there were no financial gain, I would still donate my eggs.


How I Became a Donor:
While googling egg donation, I came across a website for a local Egg Donation Agency.  I filled out their online application.  The application was pretty long and took me about an hour.  It asked all sorts of questions about me, my family, my family's medical history, my hobbies, personality, etc.  I was also able to upload several pictures for recipient couples to browse through.  A few weeks later, I got a call from the agency saying they had a couple who was interested in me and would like to see a few more pictures.  I gladly sent more pictures and a few weeks later, got a call that I had been selected for my first cycle of donation!  Boy was I thrilled!


So, Now What?
I spoke with the fertility clinic today that would be handling my donation and I have an appointment for next Wednesday afternoon for my consultation.  Basically they will be asking me more questions, getting more medical history, and maybe even performing some tests.  They will explain the entire procedure and I will get to ask any questions I may be wondering.  I will keep you all updated on what goes on at the first appointment!  I'll update again on Wednesday night.  :)