If the doctor decides to begin developing eggs immediately, the donor will go into the doctor’s office for the drug syringes and a nurse will show her where and how to do the self-injection procedure. The needles themselves are similar to the ones used by diabetics to inject insulin and the drugs are injected just under the skin of the abdomen or thigh. The donor may be a little nervous giving herself the injections at first, but this is completely normal and fades with time. While she is taking the medication, the doctor’s office will closely monitor the donor to make sure her body is responding well to the treatment. This involves 5 or more early morning vaginal ultrasounds and blood work drawn.

If the doctor decides to synchronize the donor’s and the recipient’s menstrual cycles, the donor will begin Lupron injections to suppress her cycle until it is in sync with the recipient’s. Once this occurs the donor will begin the injections to stimulate egg development. Then the donation experience will follow the previous example. Once the eggs are sufficiently developed, the donor will receive an injection to trigger ovulation.

The eggs will be collected approximately 34 to 36 hours after the injection. This procedure involves anesthesia but no cutting will take place. The eggs are collected via the vagina. This is similar to the vaginal ultrasounds the donor received earlier. A needle is attached to the ultrasound probe. The doctor uses the ultrasounds to guide the needle for egg collection. After this procedure, the donor will spend one to two hours in a recovery room, then she can go home for further recovery.

It is recommended that a donor bring a friend to this procedure to drive them home, due to the anesthesia making it dangerous for the donor to drive after the procedure. An antibiotic is frequently prescribed to prevent infection and it is recommended that the donor schedule a follow-up exam and ultrasound for one week following the egg collection.

After collection, the eggs are examined and then mixed with sperm collected from the male partner of the recipient. The fertilized eggs are then placed in a special growing medium and incubated for three to five days. Several of the resulting embryos are then transplanted into the recipient and the rest are frozen.

Approximately 2 weeks following the embryo transplant, the recipient receives a blood pregnancy test. If the transplant was successful and the recipient is pregnant, she will receive hormone supplements for 6 to 10 weeks to maintain the pregnancy until her body begins producing hormones in sufficient amounts.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Infertility

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