Girls Trip During Egg Retrieval

Chelsey, a mom of five children ages two to nine, has a passion for helping intended parents create their families. She first served as a surrogate and delivered twins in February 2020 for an intended mother in China, who traveled to the United States for the delivery. Chelsey was motivated to become an egg donor because she knew it was another way to help intended parents who were not able to conceive on their own.

“I love being a mom, my motto has always been if you can, you should.”

Chelsey was chosen by a couple in Florida, and in December 2020, she traveled from her home state of Arizona to Tampa for egg retrieval. Her best friend, Marissa, joined her for the 10-day trip as her support person.

“Traveling for the egg retrieval allowed Marissa (who has three children of her own) and I to take a fun girls’ trip without the kids,” Chelsey says. “We went to the beach and Universal CityWalk, got massages and manicures, and ate ice cream sundaes in our PJs at the hotel. We didn’t want to leave!”

Chelsey created a video to document her experience and educate others about the egg donation process. She shared the video on her personal social media accounts after returning home from the retrieval.

“I know there is a real need for egg donors, so I wanted to share an informative video to open the door for conversations and to let people ask questions,” Chelsey explains. “I thought a video would be more impactful than if I just shared a general post about what I was doing.” She says several friends contacted her after seeing the video to learn more about her experience.

The video shows Chelsey giving herself injections to stimulate follicle growth for egg retrieval, which she notes was the only difficult part of the process. “I was always mindful of the injections because I had to do them at a specific time each day. If I was going somewhere, I had to make sure to take the injection with me and pack it on ice,” Chelsey explains. “Considering the end result, it was pretty easy.”

That end result was 37 eggs retrieved and a successful transfer for the intended parents. “The best part was hearing that the intended mother was pregnant,” says Chelsey, who plans to donate her eggs again to help more intended parents make their dreams of having children come true.

“It was a great experience, and Egg Donor Solutions made everything easy,” Chelsey says. “Kallie [her coordinator] was on top of things and great about communicating. The trip to Florida was flawless, and Kallie was always checking in on me.”

When asked what advice she has for other women considering egg donation, Chelsey says, “If you are hesitant, just go for it! It’s an incredible gift. Think about the families who are wanting a baby. They might be waiting for someone just like you.”