Diary of an Egg Donor

Needles Needles Everywhere

eggdonorjourney — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:07:30 +0000

Just over a year ago, before I started my very first donation cycle…one of my main concerns was “will I be able to handle the daily injections?” I was NEVER a fan of needles (but who is, right?) and relied on the fact that my husband agreed to administer the medications, as relief to my concerns.

After cringing in anticipation before the first few injections, it wasn’t too long before I was giving the injections to MYSELF! Because my family knew about my ‘fear’ of needles, they were shocked to find out I had no problem with them anymore…and I was quite proud of myself for overcoming my ‘fear.’ One constant thought that played over and over again in my mind was…”think of how much pain the recipients have gone through….you surely can handle a little needle!”

So, now that all of my medications for this CURRENT cycle have been delivered, I am anxious to get them all organized and ready to go! I also had my FDA labs done this week at my local monitoring clinic.

Because my menstrual cycle needs to be ‘synched’ with the recipients, I have been taking a birth control pill, which will allow the nurse to schedule when my next period will be. The last pill will be taken next week, and then I will go back into my monitoring clinic for a baseline blood and ultra-sound appointment. This gives ‘baseline’ figures for a starting reference to the cycle. Once that appointment is completed, then its time to start the meds!!

Through all of the ‘directions’ to follow, and appointments to go to, and medications to start and to stop….I always make it a point to remember WHY I am doing this…to remember that at the end of all of this, we will have hopefully made someones dreams come true…and thoughts like that make it nearly IMPOSSIBLE for me to have a bad day.

Until next time…

We’re all in this together…

eggdonorjourney — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:37:20 +0000

The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have. ~Leonard Nimoy

Everything is moving along so quickly! I now have my schedule all planned out, which includes my doctors appointments, medication start days, and a three-day window when the actual retrieval day will happen!

It’s at this point in the process when things become so exciting for me…I am the type of person that LOVES to be organized and have things planned out… so its great to see exactly when everything will happen.

My first doctors appointment will be next week, for FDA testing. This required test will include a blood draw, as well as a urine sample, and will check to be sure that no diseases will be unknowingly passed along to a potential child. Since I am an ‘out of town’ donor, the kit is being shipped to my home, and I will bring it to a local clinic to have them run the tests. I am so grateful to have found a great local clinic, with staff that is extremely helpful and supportive every step of the way. It never fails to amaze me how many people work together on a single donation cycle…

I continue to be EXTREMELY excited and thrilled to be going through this donation process…and my hope is that the recipient couple is staying strong and confident. We’re getting closer and closer to the retrieval, we’re all 100% committed to this cycle, we’re all in this together!!

Until next time…

We’re On Our Way!

eggdonorjourney — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:34:36 +0000

“Life is about giving, and the rest is taken care of.” ~Peter Cajander

Everything is moving along SO smoothly with my upcoming cycle… its evident how passionate and devoted everyone is!

This week I was sent a Universal Genetic Test kit…to complete and send back to the lab. The test is used to screen for dozens of serious diseases, including cystic fibrosis, sickle cell, and Tay-Sachs. Doctors are able to use the results of this test to determine if a pregnancy will be high risk, and take appropriate actions. It’s incredible to know that the 2 minutes it took me to complete the test, could prevent a child from developing a deadly disease.

The test consisted of me spitting into a tube, sealing it up, and shipping the envelope back to the lab. Modern medicine is so awesome!

The next step (and one of ‘pre-retrieval favorites) will be to get my cycle schedule, which is currently being created by the nurse at the clinic. The schedule will outline the next few months, and let me know when I will be starting injections, monitoring, etc. It will also have a 3-5 day window when the retrieval day will happen.

For me, it always seems like once the schedule is made, time passes so quickly, and before I know it, my retrieval day is here! I can imagine, however, that the next few months will pass by like snails for the recipients…and it is in those never-ending days that I wish I could climb the tallest mountain and shout to them: “Stay strong…we’re on our way!!”

Until next time…

And the journey begins…

eggdonorjourney — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:07:54 +0000

July 23, 2010

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” ~Buddha

Yesterday I received a call from the AMAZING ladies at my egg donation agency, to discuss a possible egg cycle. I had a huge smile on my face as they started to discuss the details of the cycle with me…but as they continued to share the recipients heart wrenching story of failed donor egg cycles, complete heartbreak, and utter desperation, my smile faded and tears begin to fall down my face.

Is it fair that two people who so desperately long for, hope for, and deserve a child are unable to conceive on their own? Absolutely not. Is it fair that those same two people pour their entire hearts and souls, as well as their bank accounts, into several failed donor egg attempts? It most definitely is NOT.

The recipients had nearly given up…their hearts, minds, and souls had nearly given up. After trying donor cycles and failing several times, they are ready to give up. But how do you ‘give up’ on your dreams of holding a precious child of your own? Whatever spark that they have left inside of them, is the spark that is telling them to try ONE MORE TIME….

There is a place in my heart that breaks each time I hear of people who experience infertility; there is another place in my heart that quickly responds with “I can give them hope…I can be their missing link.”

After discussing financial options with my agency coordinators, the 3 of us came to the conclusion that we NEED to help this couple…not only by doing a cycle with them, but by doing it to meet their budget.

So many tears have been cried the past two days…my agency ladies have cried, my recipients have cried, and I have cried…

As I embark on this amazing egg donation journey, my only goal is to change the tears of sorrow into tears of absolute joy…”I have given them hope…I will be their missing link.”

Until next time…

My Story

eggdonorjourney — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:57:55 +0000

June 10, 2010

“Happiness is not so much in having as it is in sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” -Norman MacEwan

I always knew there would be some way, some very special way, for me to be able to fulfill my life by GIVING. I knew how much I had been blessed in my own life…with an amazing family, friends, health… and that being able to help those who were not as lucky would be something I HAD to do.

A few years ago, after seeing a talk-show focused on infertility, and the medical options now offered for those who suffer from infertility, is when my journey began. After countless hours of research, e-mails, phone calls, nervousness, tears, and pure joy…I registered for, was chosen, and completed my FIRST egg donation cycle.

Fast forward to the current day….I am 25 years old…I am married to my very best friend…I am happier than I’ve ever been…and I am a 4-time egg donor.

I will be documenting my NEXT journey, as I wait to be chosen by deserving recipients, and once again complete the AMAZING process of egg donation…

My hope is that I can offer insight into a process that is unknown to most people, but is a saving grace for those who are able to make their dreams come true by experiencing it!

Let the journey begin….

Until next time,