My Egg Donation Experience
21.06.2022
An Egg Donation Success Story
In this egg donation success story, read about how one incredible donor started their journey to becoming an egg donor at the Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health, allowing them to help other hopeful parents achieve their dream of creating a family.
“My egg donation journey began in the summer of 2020. Initially, I was unsure if I would even be able to donate due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The donation team at CRGH were very quick to respond to my initial query and booked me in for a telephone consultation with one of the doctors.
“Everything was explained to me in great detail, but in terms that I could easily understand, so I knew before I had even stepped foot in the clinic exactly what would be happening at every stage in the process and the estimated timeline of my donation.”
Communication throughout the exerience
“The team was very good at keeping the lines of communication open, responded quickly to any questions I had, and were always at the other end of an email.
“I had a telephone appointment with a counsellor, and we talked about the outcome of the donation, be it a successful birth or not, and how I was feeling about every scenario. I was frustrated at this point that it was taking so long to get into the clinic and start the treatment, but I understood that there were legalities and paperwork to be considered. Not to mention my own body, as the process can only start when a period arrives. Like all good plans, what can go wrong will, and my period (usually like clockwork) arrived two weeks early, and I had no time to donate at that point, so the waiting game remained.
“The donation team were understanding and patient, so when my next period finally arrived, it was very exciting for me. I contacted the team and had a scan and blood test booked for the very next day.”
The process of egg donation
“Internal scans sound incredibly daunting, but they are an inconvenience at worst. For me, it was just “part of the job”, and the staff were incredibly sensitive to my modesty at all times, so nobody actually saw my lady parts. The probe looks terrifying but is covered in plenty of lubrication, so it is painless. Everything they were doing was explained at each step, and the scan lasted just a few minutes.
“Blood tests are just as they can be expected, although I found them to be some of the least uncomfortable I have ever had, so I praise the nurses for being gentle!
“Everything sped up at that point. I had gone from twiddling my thumbs and waiting for two months to on a very intense course of scans, blood tests and medication for the following 10 days.
“I was horrified by the idea of self-injecting the medication twice daily (twice daily!). How could I ever do that? Well, it was a lot easier than your brain makes out. The nurse went through the process in detail and sent me on my way with the thinnest needles I had ever seen. At my first injection, I was terrified, but I thought of the reason I was going through this, and it gave me courage. It turned out it was easy and virtually painless; the needle went into the fat of my belly, and that was that. Thankfully, I was given a print-out detailing my medication, the doses to take and the time to administer them – the process is very time-critical, so there were lots of alarms set on my phone to keep track of what to take and when!
“I also had the journey to Great Portland Street every other day to have scans to check on my egg development and also blood tests. It was very interesting to hear how things developed so fast, and I felt like I was on a rollercoaster!
“Reaching the final injection – the trigger for the retrieval – was a relief. It was the most important one, and everything balanced on taking the right dose at the right time (11 pm on a Friday night of all times!). But I managed it and made it to the egg collection on Sunday morning. I have never had a procedure like it before, and I should have been nervous, but I honestly wasn’t. Everyone I had met up to that point had been so amazingly kind, patient and honest that I knew I was in incredibly good hands for the procedure. I was right; the nurse was very gentle in inserting the cannula and took what was left of my blood! The whole procedure was explained to me beforehand and also what would happen in recovery.”
After the egg donation experience
“I was given heavy sedation for the procedure and was only asleep for about 20 minutes. The best part was the cup of tea and biscuits I had immediately after – I had been fasting for over 12 hours and was absolutely ravenous! Within half an hour of waking up, I was ready to go home (accompanied by somebody), and I felt amazing. Well, I was hungry, groggy and had a bit of a belly ache, but it was nothing to write home about. I felt absolutely amazing knowing the gift I had just given somebody.
“After a day of eating chocolate (I deserved it!) and a good night’s sleep, I felt totally back to normal. I had forgotten all about the daily injections and the six blood tests I’d had in 10 days – I was keen to get the process started again.
“My body needs to recover for a month or two but I am itching to go through the process again. The feeling it gave me is almost indescribable and the staff at CRGH are just some of the best people I’ve ever met and had care for me. Their kindness and professionalism are just part of the reason I’m going to donate again!”
Undergoing an Egg Donation Experience with CRGH
If you’re interested in undergoing an egg donation experience, please book an initial consultation with a member of our team to discuss your goals today. Our counsellors and consultants are proud to have a plethora of experience helping egg donors navigate this type of journey and will be thrilled to have a conversation with you about doing the same.
Many hopeful egg donor recipients are waiting for the right donor to provide them with the little bundle of joy they have been waiting for. At CRGH, we attribute our outstanding success rates to a steadfast upholding of clinical excellence and solid support.
We’re always thrilled to hear back from our past patients, so please reach out if you’d like to share your egg donation experience with us!
Become an Egg Donor