One friend did 2 rounds of egg donations in her early 20s. She made a lot of money for it, especially at the time. She’s now 40, desperately wants a child of her own, and had far less successful egg retrieval for her own IVF than she had in her 20s. She’s struggling to build the family she always wanted.
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I didn’t donate, but one of my friends did several rounds. She got paid a pretty penny for it, using that money to save up for a down payment on a house. She did say that it was *wildly* uncomfortable, as she could literally feel how full of eggs she was, which immediately put me off of the idea forever.
I donated eggs once after having my own child a few years prior. I was 28 and a single mom struggling to pay my student loans and it was about a 3-4mo process from start to finish so I thought why not!
The only part I struggled with was the mental gymnastics during the week of egg retrieval. I didn’t know I’d look pregnant from all the fertility medications so I had to constantly remind myself I wasn’t pregnant and that inside were eggs for families in need. This was hard for me because in my personal life, I really wanted a partner and to build a family and at this time in my life it wasn’t in the cards for me so the fake pregnant belly was a harsh reminder that I was alone.
But other than that I don’t regret it and def recommend it! I don’t think about it that much. It’s one of those things that I go “oh yeah, I did that!” And then move along with my day.
I’ve done four rounds of donations. It’s an odd experience – having to give yourself injections, going for lab work at weird intervals and times, and feeling like your body is part of a science experiment. I had a good bit of bloating while on the medication which was expected. By the last day or two prior to retrieval day, I was ready for it to be over as I was uncomfortable. Retrievals were always easy – quick sedation and wake up about an hour later high AF. I only had one retrieval where I felt anything during the procedure itself and that was due to a lower than usual dose of sedation that they gave me for some reason.
It’s important to find an organization with a good reputation and client care team. My nurse coordinator was as sweet as they come, and walked me thru every step of the process before, during, and after the retrievals. I always had the option to opt out at any point, but never had to.
I’ve never wanted children and still don’t now. I am glad that my donations have helped other families create the family unit they so desperately want. I opted for no updates of any sort (Beyond a quick “Hey it was successful on their end!”) but if the child opts to reach out when they turn 18 that is in the contract that they may do so.
I’m happy to answer any specific questions.
It’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I now have a beautiful nephew and a beautiful niece, and a happy sister.
I’ll never regret it. I’m in a loving marriage and neither of us want children. I did it several times to pay off student debt and continue my higher education. After the first round the process was much faster and easier (first time requires a lot of tests, psych eval, etc).
I had no issues arising from the injections or retrieval, the only uncomfortable thing was the bloating in the week leading up to retrieval, and the frequent blood samples (I hate having blood drawn).
I’m so grateful I had the opportunity and have my degree as a result. I hope I was also able to make some other family very happy. It’s a private donation so I will never know if it resulted in children unless they choose to contact me after reaching adulthood. If they do, I’ll wish them well and share any info they want about my family history.
For a different perspective, my sister did it once and experienced a rarer issue (OHSS) which was serious enough to get her in an emergency room. She has a lot of other health issues though, which I don’t.
Why is it called donation if they get paid for doing it? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say “sell”?
I did this in the olden days. I do not regret it, but not knowing whether the couple achieved a successful birth (or births) used to bother me a lot. With the advent of online genealogy, I wondered if I would find out that way. (I haven’t submitted my dna to any site but immediate family members have).
I recall being in a lot of pain afterwards (hyperstimulation?) but it subsided in a day or two. In my early 40s my ovarian reserve was tested and it was high for my age according to my doctors. If I could do it over again, I probably still would donate but would require them to disclose the outcome.
I donated twice, both in my mid 20s. I had a good experience and I was paid roughly £750 per donation. I believe they retrieved 23 eggs the first time, and 15 the second. There were a lot of appointments, especially the amount of scans running up to egg retrieval day, and the side effects from the medications made me very bloated and uncomfortable. I have no regrets though and I’d likely donate again once I’m done having my own children.
I ended up very sick and in pain from endometriosis, which I did NOT have before and doesn’t run in my family. I gained 30 lbs on a small frame and overnight became unattractive to men I’d normally easily attract. I left a job because I was too ill and uncomfortable to give it my attention. My family dynamics shifted in a negative way. I never had my own children.
I discovered two offspring and am somewhat distantly connected to them at this point.
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I’m 24 and I’ve been thinking of doing this, as I’ve never wanted kids. People who have done it, what is your advice?
My close friend donated eggs at 26. She researched clinics abroad because US pay was similar but Europe had better reviews for donor care. She looked at prices and experiences on egg donation friends, saw Portugal had packages around €1,000-1,500 compensation with good medical support and shorter waits, so she chose a clinic in Lisbon.
I donated in England where your expenses are capped at £750 (jealous of all the non-Brits on here making bank!). It went ok until post-op. They told me I’d be recovered in a day, but by day 4 my pain was getting considerably worse. Nurse called me in, doctor scanned and said I was being silly because of course it’ll be painful after an op. Their brochure literally said a day.
I lost business because of it (I’m a photographer and had to cancel a wedding) and two of my ribs got trapped in a horribly uncomfortable position a week later because I was overcompensating for the pain, leading to expensive osteo appointments.
They asked me to donate again 3 months after, even though I didn’t give them permission to keep my profile live, so I assume the donation didn’t amount to anything (6 viable) and the original family wanted to try again (I didn’t want to put my body back through that).
15 comments
One friend did 2 rounds of egg donations in her early 20s. She made a lot of money for it, especially at the time. She’s now 40, desperately wants a child of her own, and had far less successful egg retrieval for her own IVF than she had in her 20s. She’s struggling to build the family she always wanted.
[removed]
I didn’t donate, but one of my friends did several rounds. She got paid a pretty penny for it, using that money to save up for a down payment on a house. She did say that it was *wildly* uncomfortable, as she could literally feel how full of eggs she was, which immediately put me off of the idea forever.
I donated eggs once after having my own child a few years prior. I was 28 and a single mom struggling to pay my student loans and it was about a 3-4mo process from start to finish so I thought why not!
The only part I struggled with was the mental gymnastics during the week of egg retrieval. I didn’t know I’d look pregnant from all the fertility medications so I had to constantly remind myself I wasn’t pregnant and that inside were eggs for families in need. This was hard for me because in my personal life, I really wanted a partner and to build a family and at this time in my life it wasn’t in the cards for me so the fake pregnant belly was a harsh reminder that I was alone.
But other than that I don’t regret it and def recommend it! I don’t think about it that much. It’s one of those things that I go “oh yeah, I did that!” And then move along with my day.
I’ve done four rounds of donations. It’s an odd experience – having to give yourself injections, going for lab work at weird intervals and times, and feeling like your body is part of a science experiment. I had a good bit of bloating while on the medication which was expected. By the last day or two prior to retrieval day, I was ready for it to be over as I was uncomfortable. Retrievals were always easy – quick sedation and wake up about an hour later high AF. I only had one retrieval where I felt anything during the procedure itself and that was due to a lower than usual dose of sedation that they gave me for some reason.
It’s important to find an organization with a good reputation and client care team. My nurse coordinator was as sweet as they come, and walked me thru every step of the process before, during, and after the retrievals. I always had the option to opt out at any point, but never had to.
I’ve never wanted children and still don’t now. I am glad that my donations have helped other families create the family unit they so desperately want. I opted for no updates of any sort (Beyond a quick “Hey it was successful on their end!”) but if the child opts to reach out when they turn 18 that is in the contract that they may do so.
I’m happy to answer any specific questions.
It’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I now have a beautiful nephew and a beautiful niece, and a happy sister.
I’ll never regret it. I’m in a loving marriage and neither of us want children. I did it several times to pay off student debt and continue my higher education. After the first round the process was much faster and easier (first time requires a lot of tests, psych eval, etc).
I had no issues arising from the injections or retrieval, the only uncomfortable thing was the bloating in the week leading up to retrieval, and the frequent blood samples (I hate having blood drawn).
I’m so grateful I had the opportunity and have my degree as a result. I hope I was also able to make some other family very happy. It’s a private donation so I will never know if it resulted in children unless they choose to contact me after reaching adulthood. If they do, I’ll wish them well and share any info they want about my family history.
For a different perspective, my sister did it once and experienced a rarer issue (OHSS) which was serious enough to get her in an emergency room. She has a lot of other health issues though, which I don’t.
Why is it called donation if they get paid for doing it? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say “sell”?
I did this in the olden days. I do not regret it, but not knowing whether the couple achieved a successful birth (or births) used to bother me a lot. With the advent of online genealogy, I wondered if I would find out that way. (I haven’t submitted my dna to any site but immediate family members have).
I recall being in a lot of pain afterwards (hyperstimulation?) but it subsided in a day or two. In my early 40s my ovarian reserve was tested and it was high for my age according to my doctors. If I could do it over again, I probably still would donate but would require them to disclose the outcome.
I donated twice, both in my mid 20s. I had a good experience and I was paid roughly £750 per donation. I believe they retrieved 23 eggs the first time, and 15 the second. There were a lot of appointments, especially the amount of scans running up to egg retrieval day, and the side effects from the medications made me very bloated and uncomfortable. I have no regrets though and I’d likely donate again once I’m done having my own children.
I ended up very sick and in pain from endometriosis, which I did NOT have before and doesn’t run in my family. I gained 30 lbs on a small frame and overnight became unattractive to men I’d normally easily attract. I left a job because I was too ill and uncomfortable to give it my attention. My family dynamics shifted in a negative way. I never had my own children.
I discovered two offspring and am somewhat distantly connected to them at this point.
[removed]
I’m 24 and I’ve been thinking of doing this, as I’ve never wanted kids. People who have done it, what is your advice?
My close friend donated eggs at 26. She researched clinics abroad because US pay was similar but Europe had better reviews for donor care. She looked at prices and experiences on egg donation friends, saw Portugal had packages around €1,000-1,500 compensation with good medical support and shorter waits, so she chose a clinic in Lisbon.
I donated in England where your expenses are capped at £750 (jealous of all the non-Brits on here making bank!). It went ok until post-op. They told me I’d be recovered in a day, but by day 4 my pain was getting considerably worse. Nurse called me in, doctor scanned and said I was being silly because of course it’ll be painful after an op. Their brochure literally said a day.
I lost business because of it (I’m a photographer and had to cancel a wedding) and two of my ribs got trapped in a horribly uncomfortable position a week later because I was overcompensating for the pain, leading to expensive osteo appointments.
They asked me to donate again 3 months after, even though I didn’t give them permission to keep my profile live, so I assume the donation didn’t amount to anything (6 viable) and the original family wanted to try again (I didn’t want to put my body back through that).
Don’t actually regret it though.