Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A: My sister asked me to donate for her. I am a mother of three, I babysit 3 toddlers during the day and work 2-3 at night. My concern was the effect of the hormones and the frequency of doctors appointment during this procedure. How did this procedure effect you both emotionally and physically? What was your success rate, how many attempts were made before the egg became fertilized? The literature that I read states a 30% chance of success. Sharing your experiences will be a big help to me.

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Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A

Q & A: Egg Donation In General

Miscellaneous egg donation related questions that do not fit under any of the other categories

3. My sister asked me to donate for her. I am a mother of three, I babysit 3 toddlers during the day and work 2-3 at night. My concern was the effect of the hormones and the frequency of doctors appointment during this procedure. How did this procedure effect you both emotionally and physically? What was your success rate, how many attempts were made before the egg became fertilized? The literature that I read states a 30% chance of success. Sharing your experiences will be a big help to me. - Annie in Albany, NY - Top

Dear Annie,

Being an egg donor takes a considerable amount of time during the process. You will have to go to the Dr. every other morning before 9:00 am for blood work and ultrasounds. This is during the time you are taking the meds to stimulate your eggs, which takes between 7 to 11 days. You will then be given an HCG shot and will have the egg retrieval 36 hours later.

Between 10 -20 eggs will be removed from each ovary. The stimulating meds can make you have headaches, and cause mood swings. You are looking at about 2 months of your time, depending on where you are in your cycle, and matching you to your sister. I think you will need someone to help you with the Daycare, while you are in the monitoring phase of the egg donation. There is some pain involved, but not alot (unless you have donated more then three times). Recovery time is quick, but you can't lift anything heavy for two weeks.

Once the eggs are removed, they are mixed with the sperm. Depending on whether or not the father has good sperm, you should expect about 70% to fertilize(maybe more). Once the embryos are created, they will start to divide into many cells. They are usually transfered
into the recipient's body on the third day, but some clinics are doing five day transfers called "Blastocysts" (embryos are at 16 cells).

I felt no sense of loss, just happiness that I had been able to help another couple create their family. In both of my donations, the recipients became pregnant on the first attempts.

Lisa - Updated: February 13, 2000
Miscellaneous egg donation related questions that do not fit under any of the other categories

3. My sister asked me to donate for her. I am a mother of three, I babysit 3 toddlers during the day and work 2-3 at night. My concern was the effect of the hormones and the frequency of doctors appointment during this procedure. How did this procedure effect you both emotionally and physically? What was your success rate, how many attempts were made before the egg became fertilized? The literature that I read states a 30% chance of success. Sharing your experiences will be a big help to me. - Annie in Albany, NY - Top: Dear Annie,

Being an egg donor takes a considerable amount of time during the process. You will have to go to the Dr. every other morning before 9:00 am for blood work and ultrasounds. This is during the time you are taking the meds to stimulate your eggs, which takes between 7 to 11 days. You will then be given an HCG shot and will have the egg retrieval 36 hours later.

Between 10 -20 eggs will be removed from each ovary. The stimulating meds can make you have headaches, and cause mood swings. You are looking at about 2 months of your time, depending on where you are in your cycle, and matching you to your sister. I think you will need someone to help you with the Daycare, while you are in the monitoring phase of the egg donation. There is some pain involved, but not alot (unless you have donated more then three times). Recovery time is quick, but you can't lift anything heavy for two weeks.

Once the eggs are removed, they are mixed with the sperm. Depending on whether or not the father has good sperm, you should expect about 70% to fertilize(maybe more). Once the embryos are created, they will start to divide into many cells. They are usually transfered
into the recipient's body on the third day, but some clinics are doing five day transfers called "Blastocysts" (embryos are at 16 cells).

I felt no sense of loss, just happiness that I had been able to help another couple create their family. In both of my donations, the recipients became pregnant on the first attempts.

Lisa - Updated: February 13, 2000

Unless stated otherwise, all responses in the SMO Q&A are courtesy of one or more of the following hosts:

Sherry - Experienced gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement

Linda - New Mommy to twins born via gestational surrogacy and egg donation

Jennifer S. - Experienced AI surrogate

Lynn - New Mommy to a daughter born via traditional surrogacy

Tracie - 5 time egg donor (triplets, 2 sets of twins and 2 singletons) and 3 time surrogate (2-AI, 1-IVF).

Lisa - Experienced egg donor and previous gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement (Lisa was our former ED host, prior to July 1999.)
Disclaimer: Responses from SMO Q&A Hosts do not necessarily represent the opinions and ideas of SMO. Neither the Q&A hosts nor SMO guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the responses given here. As such, neither SMO nor the Q&A hosts are responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. Neither SMO nor the Q&A hosts shall be liable or responsible to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly by the information or ideas contained, suggested, or referenced in these responses.

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