Preparing for Ovulation
Egg donors must take medication to stop their normal ovulation and menstrual cycle, then another medication to increase their fertility, says the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). These are hormone injections that are comparable to what your body releases naturally, only much more of it. These medications increase egg production, so that there are more eggs released and more available to collect at the time of the egg retrieval and donation.
An egg donor will need to continue these medications for around 10 days, and may suffer from some side effects like moodiness, retaining water and soreness of the ovaries. During this time, she should not have unprotected sex because she could get pregnant, says the NYSDOH.
Egg Removal
The name for the egg retrieval procedure is called transvaginal ovarian aspiration. Retrieval will take around 30 minutes, during which the patient will probably receive pain medication, some anesthesia or a sedative. A tool called a probe, affixed with a very fine needle, is inserted into each ovary. Then, the needle will suction out the eggs from the ovaries until all the eggs have been removed.
Recovery and Donation
Recovery generally takes no more than a few days after egg retrieval, says the NYSDOH. Antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent an infection and protect the donor's fertility. Unless there are complications, donors can generally become pregnant later--the donation shouldn't cause problems with fertility.
Then, the eggs are frozen and given to the recipient of the donation. They are introduced to the sperm, and if fertilization occurs and embryos form, those embryos (one or multiple) are implanted in the mother.
