What Does Egg Donation Do to My Body?
Egg donation can seem like an intimidating process. After all, how else does someone find themselves researching egg donation and the effect on the body? It’s important to understand the science behind ovulation and its relation to the egg retrieval process before making this decision.
By the time a young woman reaches puberty, she has over 300,000 eggs in her body. Approximately 400 of those are ovulated between puberty and menopause, meaning they will mature and be expelled from the ovaries and travel down the fallopian tube for possible fertilization each month. During each menstrual cycle, about 15 eggs develop inside the follicles in the ovaries. Usually, only one reaches maturity per cycle. If the egg or eggs are not fertilized, the egg disintegrates, and the uterine lining is shed during a menstrual period.
Now that we’ve done a brief overview of ovulation, we can further discuss the effects of egg donation on the body. Egg donors will likely take birth control to stabilize emotions, then take medication for about a week leading up to the egg retrieval. This medication will cause all of the eggs in the follicles during that particular cycle to fully mature, rather than just one egg. It’s important to remember that no more eggs are eliminated than what your body would naturally produce per cycle. The donor will take another medication to prevent the premature release of hormones during the cycle and one final injection about 36-40 prior to the retrieval. This will help the eggs become fully mature.
As you administer medication leading up to the egg retrieval, you are likely to experience a feeling of fullness or bloating due to enlargement of the ovaries, and abdominal cramping. These symptoms are likely to end within a few days or weeks after the retrieval. Other side effects donors may experience as a result of their birth control and medication include nausea, breast tenderness, mood changes, hot flashes, headaches, and fatigue. Not everyone will experience these side effects, and the severity will vary. The physician can provide guidance on whether the medications should be stopped or if the side effects are normal.
After the egg retrieval, be sure to get plenty of rest to allow your body to recover from working hard to mature more eggs than it normally would. Taking at least one day to rest after the retrieval generally makes the recovery process much smoother. The effects of embryo donation are unlikely to be long-term, but talk to your physician if you have any concerns or to discuss specific long-term concerns you may have. The process should not have any effect on the body’s ability to become pregnant in the future, and many women have donated multiple times.
Egg donation is a wonderful gift you can give to someone else. Without donors, many couples would not have been able to have children. If it’s right for you, look into the process. Of course, don’t feel pressured if you are still concerned about the effects even after speaking with your healthcare provider.