An egg donation cycle involves self-administered injections that increase the egg yield in the ovaries. After ~10–14 days of injections, the physician overseeing care will perform a procedure to retrieve the eggs from the ovaries.

The retrieval procedure lasts around 15–30 minutes and involves anesthesia, so donors are typically in a nap-like state and shouldn’t feel much! It’s very normal to experience post-procedure discomfort and soreness. The physician overseeing the donation cycle will provide instructions on how to alleviate this, often with over-the-counter medications and plenty of good rest.

Some donors hardly have any side effects and return to work quickly following their procedure. Most commonly, it’s expected to have bloating, cramping, and moodiness (think PMS) during an egg donation cycle.

Nope! Egg donation is quite incredible, it only retrieves the eggs linked to that single monthly menstrual cycle. There are a number of eggs that try to reach a mature state in the body each month but never quite make it. Egg donation employs injectable hormones that give those eggs a boost, then the physician will pull them from the ovaries with a needle. The eggs get a good scrub in the lab and are used for the recipient’s IVF treatment cycle.

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine caps women at 6 egg donation cycles in their lifetime. This is a strict standard that is put in place to protect egg donors and ensures there’s not an overpopulation of genetically related children.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome is a condition that occurs when there’s a severe response to medications. While the risk is small on a percentage scale, it’s important to understand the symptoms that accompany OHSS, which typically fall on a spectrum of mild to severe. Donors should immediately contact the IVF physician if they experience chest pains, nausea and vomiting, trouble urinating, and/or rapid weight gain. The doctor overseeing a donor’s cycle will provide additional information on risk factors and symptoms to look out for.

Donors who wish to remain unknown to the recipients/intended parents are considered non-identified. Your profile is stripped of obviously-identifying information (name, date of birth, home address, phone number, etc.), but other information provided on your application is public for intended parents to view. ‘Non-identified’ means that Cloud9 Conception will not provide contact information to the intended parents. However, it’s important to note that with advancements in technology comes the risk of being identified (23andMe, family genealogy trees, etc.).

Tips for being as private as possible: use photos on your application that aren’t posted on your social media platforms and use generic terms in essay questions like ‘my aunt’ instead of ‘my aunt Sandy’. If you choose to blog or share your journey on the internet, compile your content and wait a few months to post!

Cloud9 Conception is a strong proponent of community, and we want this journey to be as thoughtful and fulfilling as possible. If a recipient selects your profile, we can offer a ‘Dear Donor’ letter. These are letters written to the donor from the recipients and usually say a bit about their background and why they were drawn to your profile.