Egg Donor Blog

Welcome to our Egg Donor Blog. This is a place where you can share your experiences, encourage other donors, and ask questions. Feel free to connect with other donors and our staff. We want this to be a positive resource for you!

COMMON MEDICATIONS REQUIRED FOR EGG DONORS

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As an Egg Donor some of the medications and protocols may be all new information. Do not let it overwhelm you. Here is a list of the new terminology. We are always here to assist you along the way, in addition to your clinic. No question is too small!

In simplest terms, an egg donor goes through the same medication protocol as any woman does when going through IVF (In-vitro fertilization). These are hormones and there are some potential side effects. Egg Donation is a huge gift and it is a commitment. We never recommend you make the decision lightly. There are a few medications that can be used with different protocols but this should give you an idea.

Please note, you wouldn’t take all of these. There are just different combinations of medications doctors use based on their preferences as well as how they feel your body will respond to them after you complete further testing.

  • Ovarian Stimulation: When a donor starts medications, the first goal of those medications is to stimulate follicle development. Each clinic uses different medications at different dosages to facilitate follicle growth. Common medications-Lupron, Gonal-F, and Follistim
    • Lupron- also known as Leuprolide Acetate(Lupron®) acts on the brain to suppress the body’s own hormone production, thus preventing follicle development and egg release. Doctors use it in combination with other medications to improve their control of the woman’s cycle.
    • Gonadotropins- hormone medications that directly stimulate the ovaries. When you directly stimulate the ovaries, a donor produces more follicles, thus increasing the number of eggs.
      • Menopur and Reproex are a combination of FSH and LH
      • FSH-Follicle Stimulating Hormone
      • LH-Luteninizing Hormone
    • Follistim and Gonal-F-only contain FSH
    • GnRH-antagonist (most common medications are Ganirelix or Cetrotide)-these medications are used to prevent premature ovulation. They are usually given several days after the donor has started medications, but prior to retrieval.
  • Trigger shot-hormonal drug that stimulates the final maturation of the eggs (oocytes). Determining this timing is critical to the success of the cycle. Different clinics use different protocols. The trigger shot is completed 34-36 hours before retrieval.
    • HCG Shot is also known as Human Chorionic Gonadotropin(Profasi®, Ovidrel®, Novarel®,and Pregnyl®) is a hormone that matures the developing follicles and triggers release of an egg from its follicle. It is taken as an intramuscular (IM) injection.
      • The HCG trigger is being used less and less these days due to high rates of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). HCG trigger stays in the donor’s system for up to 10 days which is why it can cause more side-effects.
      • HCG trigger will be used if the Lupron trigger fails or if the donor’s E2 and P4 levels are lower than expected after several days of medications.
    • Lupron Trigger-induces a surge of LH and FSH hormones from the pituitary gland that induces egg maturation.
      • The Lupron trigger is, at times, administered in two different phases. 1 dosage approximately 36 hours prior to retrieval and the other 12 hours later.
      • The morning before the retrieval a donor will complete a LH and Progesterone blood work to determine if the trigger “worked.” In 1-5% of cases there is an inadequate response to the Lupron trigger and adjustments have to be made last minute.
  • Combination-Some fertility specialists give a donor the Lupron trigger with a small amount of HCG (1000 or 1500 units) to reduce the risk of inadequate responses.

That was a lot of information! And again, we will be here & help to guide you through this journey! If there are any questions at any time, please reach out! Thank you so much for your willingness to help create a family through Egg Donation.

Lupron Trigger-induces a surge of LH and FSH hormones from the pituitary gland that induces egg maturation.The Lupron trigger is, at times, administered in two different phases. 1 dosage approximately 36 hours prior to retrieval and the other 12 hours later. The morning before the retrieval a donor will complete a LH and Progesterone blood work to determine ifthe trigger “worked.” In 1-5% of cases there is an inadequate response to the Lupron trigger and adjustments have to be made last minute. Combination-Some fertility specialists give a donor the Lupron trigger with a small amount of HCG (1000 or 1500 units) to reduce the risk of inadequate responses.

TIPS FOR GETTING SELECTED AS AN EGG DONOR:

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The single most important thing you can do to help increase your chances of getting matched with a family is to have a good, detailed profile with high quality photos.

Intended parents need to feel like they have a connection with you, so you need to give them the content to do that. Don’t be shy!

Elaborate on all your answers and be thorough. Be sure to use correct spelling and capitalization as we do not edit your profile in any way. Intended parents will read your answers exactly as you type them.

Photos: Numerous high quality photos will always increase your chances of being selected. All headshots should be chest and up and include your full head, smiling with teeth showing and have NO filters. Its best to have photos from across your lifespan, but if you don’t have access to childhood photos right now, you can always add them later.

Be sure to label all photos with which person you are in the photo and your age at the time the photo was taken.

Updating: Profiles that get completed and then ignored never get selected. Your profile should be a fluid, ever-changing reflection of you. You should log in regularly to update any new information and always add a fresh new headshot. Adding that new headshot will bring more traffic to your profile (even intended parents that have seen your profile before) and therefore increase your chances of being selected.

We require you to update your profile every 6 months, but the more often the better. Each time you update and add a new headshot, we can highlight your profile to our intended parents. Our staff is here to help you get matched. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out to us if you’d like us to review your profile and give you specific tips for improvement.

We are so thankful for you & your willingness to help create a family! With these tips, you will increase your chances of getting matched with a family quickly!

Egg Donor Testimony

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I first learned about egg donation and that it was a possibility when my friend opened up to me about her donation with Egg Donor Solutions! 

I had known surrogacy was an option but never knew I could donate directly to a family. 

I just completed my first cycle and will be opening my application up again to donate this year! I hope to donate several more times. The journey and knowing what I have helped create makes my heart so full. Although, the perks of compensation are amazing, but nothing beats helping create a family. 

While we traveled to Texas for my retrieval, we crossed a huge thing off our bucket list and visited the Silos! We LOVE fixer upper and always dreamed of getting to visit Waco. It was such a great time that we got to enjoy thanks to the donation cycle! 

Then there’s the compensation, this has allowed my husband and I to do more renovations on our farm! Overall, the whole cycle was so amazing for beginning to end.

The team at Egg Donor Solutions is phenomenal and I feel so blessed I found them to donate through.