Is she pregnant?

YES!!! She is pregnant. I received a call from OHSU today. I am very excited! It really makes everything worth it. I was having kind of a crumby morning and when I heard the news, all of that went out the window and I couldn't help but to be happy. I hope she is managing the pregnancy well. I know she has to take a lot of injections for the first 12 weeks and it's rough. I figure she will have the baby(ies) in or around August. I predict a baby girl. I've thought that for a couple months now, just one girl. I'll call in a few months and get updated on how things are progressing.

Two weeks after

Well, still now news on whether or not the recipient is pregnant. I hope to know this week! I did start my period on Friday night and all symptoms have gone away. My stomach is flat and I'm having normal bowel movements. All is well!

Peppermint oil & Follow up Appt

A lot has happened since my last post. The night I posted the bloated belly pictures I found a cure. I have a book about essential oils, I looked up bloating and found one of the oils that helps is peppermint, which I have. I rubbed peppermint oil all over my belly and instantly (within 20 minutes) my belly size decreased by half and felt much better. I was relieved. The next day I still felt a little bloating, but continued with more peppermint oil. I put a call into the doctors office on Saturday night and they called Monday morning to check on me. I told them I was feeling better, but still having some pain. My boyfriend was very concerned about my belly expansion and insisted I go to the doctor to make sure my inside were not exploding =) I made an appointment for Tuesday morning.

I was feeling fine Tuesday morning, just mild tenderness. They checked my vitals, weight and measurements and performed a pelvic ultrasound. I still have a few eggs in my ovaries that are quite large, but that is normal. When I start my period most if not all of my symptoms will go away. I should start my period within the week, hopefully!

They did implant the embryos into the recipient woman late last week. I won't know if she is pregnant until next week or a little later. I can't wait to find out! The nurse I spoke with told me that she and the other doctor told her (the recipient) how much they all fell in love with me and how wonderful they think I am. She was very happy and excited to hear that. The nurse told me that I gave that family a happy start already. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm so honored and grateful to be a part of this and have the doctors and nurses I worked with think so highly of me that they would share that with her. It's really important to me that she knows I was there for her.

I've felt pretty emotional this week. I'm coming down from all that hormones. The tenderness in my ovaries is not bad, I only feel it on impact, like when sitting down. Anyways, things are good and I'm just waiting for the news....

Post Retrieval - Bloating

I had my retrieval on Tuesday morning and it's Saturday afternoon right now. I have been experiencing stomach pain and bloating since Wednesday. At first, I figured it was just a reaction to the minor surgery preformed on my ovaries, but today I'm wondering if there is something else going on. These is a risk of getting ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. OHSU informed me of this a long time as a possible risk. I looked it up online and there are different levels of severity; mild, moderate and severe. I think I just have a mild case of it. I'm not vomiting or feel nauseous at all. Just extreme discomfort in my abdomen and bloating. I took a picture to show my sister and she said I should put it on here for you all to see. Because my hopes for this blog is that women considering egg donation will get a play-by-play of how it was for me.



I am not pushing out my stomach at all, this is what it looks like and feels like. For those of you who don't know me, I am 5'9 and weigh 125lbs. I have a nice stomach and muscles when I flex. So this is far from what my normal is. And I can NOT suck it in.

I plan on calling OHSU Monday morning if this continues and I'm sure they'll have something to help. I did read that symptoms should go away when I begin my period. I'm scheduled to start my period within a few days and I hope this does go away because I feel full and I want to pig out for Thanksgiving!

2 days after

Stomach pains are far less than yesterday. I was able to move around good at work today, but still the cramps are there. I do walk slightly funny. I went to Costco after work and had a rough time. After I was half way through the store I started to have pain with every step I took. It was very painful. Part of it could have been that my bladder was full, which intensifies the pain. I couldn't wait to get home it hurt so bad. I think I just over did it. I'm suppose to take it easy, but walking around shouldn't be a big deal. Anyways, I took some pain meds when I got home and I'm feeling much better. My stomach is very bloated, but a few more days and all symptoms should be gone. =)

The Day After

I felt good enough to go to work today. I have a low key job, so not a lot of activity. Getting up and down out my chair still hurts. My stomach was very bloated today, I had gas pains again. I was quite uncomfortable, but it nothing too bad. The clinic called today to check on me and said the stomach pains were normal, which I expected. All in all things are good. Can't wait to find out if she gets pregnant!

Retrieval Day

My mom and I got up and out by 6:20am this morning. I was not allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before. We arrived at OHSU early. We sat and talked and enjoyed the view. When it came time to call me into the procedure room they asked if I'd like my mom to join. Her and I both agreed for her to come with me and be in the room. I've been in this room before for ultrasounds, so it wasn't some scary operation room. The anesthesiologist and a nurse got me all set up. They put an oxygen tube under my nose that hooked around my ears. They put an IV into my left wrist. I was sitting in a reclining chair with knee rests under my knees.

While waiting for the doctor to arrive I noticed the probe that is used for the ultrasounds had an attachment on it. It was clamped to the base of the probe and was the size of a writing pen, slightly smaller, and ran up the side of the probe. It had a hole in the bottom and top part, so it was hollow. I figured it was used by locating the egg and placing a needle through the hollow metal pen thing and then extracting the eggs through it. I explained that to my mom and we both thought that was cool because we were not sure of the process.

My favorite doctor arrived about 7:45am and had a student with him. They always ask if its ok for the student to watch, I say the more the merrier, learning is good! It was kind of a small room, with me in the middle, my mom, doctor, student, nurse and anesthesiologist. My doctor explained the procedure, which my mom and I had just figured out and asked if I was comfortable or needed anything. I'm going to add this part in for comedy, but my be offensive to few. I had pains all morning in my lower abdomen and figured they were gas pains. I farted a few times in the waiting room. So I warned my doctor about my possible gas situation because I knew I would not have control of my body during the procedure. They all laughed and he told me he always wears a splash guard and that it wouldn't be the first time. I really like him and was happy he was my retrieval doctor.

So we begin. The anesthesiologist administered the drugs and the room started to room. They asked if I felt the drugs and I gave a definite yes. The room was moving up and down, so for example, if I were looking at a picture the picture would move up to the ceiling and repeat and repeat. Here's an add in from my mom, she said I looked up and said "sweeeet" and the doctor asked if I was talking to him, my mom said no and repeated what I said, he patted my leg and said well enjoy it because you only get it while in the hospital. I closed my eyes and relaxed. I could hear everyone talking, but I wasn't really paying attention. The doctor told me when he got the first egg and then when he was finished with the first ovary and moved to the next. Time flew by, literally, it was 15-20 minute procedure. They took me off the drugs and I was done. I was wheel chaired to the car an home by 9:00am.

I felt fine on the car ride and at home. Just pains and tenderness where my ovaries are. I decided to take some of the pain meds because my mom said it would be better to take now than to wait until I'm in pain. My mom and I sat and talked until 30 minutes after the pill I couldn't keep my eyes open. I fell asleep on the couch. Woke up abut 11:15am my mom was getting ready to head to the airport. She made me potato soup =) I was hungry when I woke up and I eat jello and potato soup. I stayed up for 2 hours and it was time for another pill, which made me pass out again. I woke up at 5:00pm to my sister calling to check on me and hear the details and then my mom beeped in she was at an airport due to a layover. It was time for my pill again and I took it at 5:45pm. I started to write this blog at that time and fell asleep while typing at 6:45pm. Just woke back up at 10pm. So I have been all day. I did eat again in between naps and am eating more jello right now. I feel pains, but really not as what I had expected.

After we got home this morning whiling talking with my mom, I shared with her that this was really a fairly easy process. I mean it had pains and weird effects, but all in all, it was far less painful and intrusive on my life than I thought it would be.

They took out 20 or 21 eggs from me today, I don't remember because of the drugs. I asked if they were going to call the woman who will have my eggs today and tell her, they said they would probably call her tomorrow. I wonder what she will feel. Relief? Joy? I imagine all kinds of feelings. It's hope, that's for sure. I hope so much that she becomes pregnant. I have been thinking about her a lot through this whole process. I don't know this woman or her life or her situation, but I do have a connection with her. All I hope is that they got enough mature eggs to give her a good chance of getting pregnant. I will find out in about 2 weeks if she does get pregnant on the first try.

This journey began with the hope of helping someone or couple to get pregnant because they so deeply want a child and also because I knew that $5,000 would help me get closer to my goal of financial freedom. It was never about the money, it can't be. Money isn't worth everything a donor goes through physically, emotionally and mentally. As the process progressed the small part that had a $ sign on it went away. The money had nothing to do with it anymore. Over this last week I felt slightly weird about the point when I was to accept the compensation. I discussed this with my mom this morning. It's a weird feeling. It became so much about me being able to produce good eggs for this woman than anything else. I was given my compensation check this morning. It's nothing that I will 'see' really. I don't spend a lot of money, I take pride in clipping coupons and saving money and I always tell everyone about the great deals I get. The money will pay off my car and the payment I would have put towards my car each month will now go to a credit card that I put my tuition on. So no fancy clothes or vacations for me. Now to clarify for the people who know me personally, I purchased a new motorcycle (2006) over the weekend, which I traded in my other motorcycle for and then used my savings to buy.

I hope women will read this that have considered egg donation. And I hope that you donate! It was a special experience that I am very proud of. It's not over yet and honestly probably never will be. I know I will think about the woman who has my eggs and when I find out that she IS pregnant and has a child, I will think about them often. This is one of the most important things I've done in my life.

Thanks for letting me share =)

Day 11 - Preparation

Tomorrow morning at 7:30am I will have my egg retrieval surgery. I've taken no medications today. I'm not allowed to eat after midnight. I have to take an enema this evening to clear out my bowels. I picked up pain medication today for after the retrieval. I'm bringing water, crackers, a pillow and blanket. I'm wearing loose comfortable clothes, I get to keep on my socks and t-shirt during the procedure. I couldn't be more ready. I'm sure I'll be nervous in the morning. My mom is taking me to the hospital, which is really special.

I have felt good today. Only minor pains in my abdomen when getting up out of a chair and sitting back down.

Wish me luck! =)

Day 10 - Last injection

I went to the doctor at 9:45am for yet another ultrasound and blood draw. I have 12 eggs in my left ovary and 14 in my right. They arrange in size from 11mm to 19mm. I have about 6 total that are over 15mm. Thats an ok amount. I was really hoping I'd have 10 or more that size. If the eggs are not mature enough the recipient cannot use them. Apparently if we wait another day for retrieval I would lose the larger eggs. After they reviewed my chart they called me and decided that I would take my final injection this evening and have my retrieval at 7:30am on Tuesday morning.

I attend a class on Sunday evenings from 6pm to 9pm. I knew I would need to take my injection with me and excuse myself from class to administer it. The injection had to be done 36 hours before retrieval. I pulled out this medication at about 5pm just to make sure I had everything covered. It's called Ovidrel, it's premeasured, so I just pull it out of the box and inject, easy. I read the directions, this medication has been refrigerated and I was hoping it would be ok to have it at room temperature for the injection. I then read that this injection must be done in the stomach. Umm... excuse me? Isn't this what I've been afraid of? I called the on-call doctor without hesitation. He confirmed I'd have to inject into my stomach, but that the needle was very fine. He also said it was fine for it to be at room temperature. I've made it this far, I'm not going to chicken out now. I took the Ovidrel with me to class and excused myself at 7:30pm to the bathroom. When I pull the needle out, I noticed it did look like the one I'd been taking in the mornings that doesn't hurt. I was relieved. I did not have a problem injecting this into my stomach. It pinched a little, but not like I had made it out to hurt in my head.

So I'm done with injections and all will be complete Tuesday morning. I was given a prescription to fill for pain after the retrieval and specific directions leading up to my final visit. I'll explain those tomorrow.
Physically, I have had a rough day. My stomach is very bloated and in pain. I have not eaten much and I am not hungry. My stomach moves around instead as if I have gas, and I do a little. I was not able to have a bowel movement today and yesterday I used an enema because I have been able to go. The pressure in my abdomen is weird and I do not feel comfortable pushing at all. I have been extermely tired, but also life has not allowed much sleep. I do think my body is working hard on these eggs and would like me to rest more. Mood is good, got a little cranky today because of the stomach pains and tiredness.

Day 9 - Not ready yet

Happy birthday to me!! It's late and I'm very tired, but dedicated to writting in my blog. I went to the doctor this morning and they determined my eggs needs another day or two to get a little bit larger. Most of them are at 13-14mm and need to be bigger than 15mm. I stay on the same meds for tonight and return to the doctor in the morning again. Hopefully I'll be ready tomorrow which would be retrieval on Tuesday. Injections hurt a bit, I had my mom and sister watch and take pictures =) Feel really full, lots going on in my tummy. Uncomfortable to get up from a chair. Mood is good, I mean it is my birthday! Will know more tomorrow, time for bed.

Day 8 - Bubble gut

I went to the doctor this morning for anothe ultrasound and blood draw. I still have the same amount of eggs in each ovary, they are just continuing to grow. My largest egg is 19mm. Which is a good size, but most of my other eggs are about 13mm and need to be a little bigger. They told me to continue the same dosage of medication for today and that I would be scheduled for another appointment Saturday morning.

I was surprised by my boyfriend with a night out, so I packed up my meds and took them with me. I was a nervous about doing the same injections as last night because of my not so great experience. I just went to the bathroom and injected the medication very quickly and without much pain. It was nice. All day my stomach has been bubbling. I still feel cramps and they are worse than yesterday. I really just need to sit. For my job I have to get up a lot and just that movement of getting out my chair was uncomfortable. I should have my retrieval on Monday, but that will be confirmed tomorrow morning (or today since its so late). I'll post up in the morning!

Day 7 - added meds, ouch!

Tonight I added a medication called Ganerilex. So I'm taking a morning injection and two separate injections in the evenings. Tonight was the first time I had a hard time giving myself the injections. First, I injected the Menopur. I must have went through a vein because blood came out with the needle, quite a bit of blood. It created a bruise instantly and a lump. It hurt and still does. I'll ask the doctor about it in the morning, I have an 11am appointment. Second, I injected the new medication, Ganerilex. The needle appeared slightly larger than the others... and it was. I tried to poke my left leg because I had just injected in my right. I couldn't even break the skin, it hurt, and I think it was a bad place. I didn't force it. Generally, the needles will ease into the skin without a struggle. So I found a new spot back on my right leg and prepared to force it in. I got the needle in and it hurt. A small amount of blood came out with the needle. Now both of my thighs are sore. I'm glad this happened on day 7 and not day 1. Only 2 more nights of the Ganerilex. I can get through that.

I had quite a bit of discomfort in my abdomen today. Felt like I had drank too much water and went running, but instead of the cramps in my side it was in my lower abdomen. Still feeling tired. Mood is still positive. =) I'm excited to see my progress tomorrow and find out when my retrieval will be.

Day 6 - eggs are growing

I went the doctor this morning for another pelvic ultrasound and blood draw. There is a tv screen for me to watch when the ultrasound is being performed. I could actually see my eggs this time. Before they were too small for my eyes to see, but the doctor could see them. She measures each egg, I believe in millimeters. Most of them were between 7-10mm and the largest is 13mm. I have 10 in my right ovary and 8 in my left. This is a good number of eggs that are all growing at a fairly equal rate. The clinic called me in the afternoon to confirm everything was going well. I do have a change in my medication, I'm taking one less dose of Menopur in the evenings. I add in a new medication tomorrow night, which I will only take for 3 days and then the retrieval will be shortly after. Next doctor appointment is Friday morning. I will find out on Friday what day the retrieval is.

Physically, I do feel bloating or fullness in my belly. That must have been what I was feeling yesterday. Seeing the growth of my eggs, I can understand why I feel full. I did notice that I have not had normal bowel movements in the past 5 days. I've had them, just not normally. Mentally, I'm good, still happy!

Day 5 - Pictures and Poking

Injections are going fine. I'm finding good areas to use on my legs and the bruises from the other day are going away. I think it was because I was not pulling the needle straight out. Still feel tired, but again I'm not getting the best sleep. I did feel some cramping in my lower abdomen today, but didn't seem low enough to be my ovaries. I have a doctor appointment at 7:15am tomorrow morning and will find out how I'm progressing.

I just did my night injection and I decided to take some pictures for visuals. I have different meds for evening and morning and different instruments, so I'll add some of my morning stuff later.

Below are my supplies for my nightly injection. From the far left: syringe, needle, alcohol wipe (top), medicine mixing tool, mediction.

Upclose of the medication. The one of the left is just water and the other two are the drugs, Menopur.

Below: I take the syringe and attach the mixing tool. I insert the water container into the mixing device as in the picture. I withdraw 1cc of water into the syringe. I take off the water and insert the Menopur container, then shoot the water from the syringe into the Menopur. The medication instantly dissolves in the water. I repeat this with the second container of Menopur, so that I have 1cc of water with 2 containers of Menopur.

Then I take off the mixing tool and insert the needle.

I use the alcohol wipe to clean my skin where I'm going to insert the needle. The picture below is not actual because I have to use both hands to inject the medication. I have to squeeze my skin and then inject, it makes the skin firm and less painful.

So thats the process. I have a hazard box for the needles so the garbage man won't freak out =)

Day 4 - Dr. Appt

Day 4 of the injections and my first doctors visit since beginning the medication. I had a pelvic ultrasound and a blood draw. The ultrasound was to count how many eggs I have in my ovaries, the number is up from last week, I have about 10 in each ovary. They measure them. The eggs have to be a certain 'maturity' in order for them to be good enough to take on donation day.

I received a call from the clinic this afternoon. They told me I am right on schedule and everything looks great. No need to change medication, so my dosage will remain the same for now. I have another doctor appt Wed. morning and again 2-3 days after that one. They are very careful about my health and want to monitor my progress closely.

My injection this morning went fine. I used my left leg again and that is helping with the brusing on my right. I could do it in my stomach.... yeah right! That just sounds scary.

Emotionally, I feel really happy. Not sure if thats because I'm off birth control or other things happening in my life. I am still very tired.

Day 3 of injections

I woke up at 7:50am on a Sunday... I think I'll take a nap later. My right leg was hurting as I slept on it. I have small bruises where I did the injections. They are the deep kind of bruises, so I decided to switch legs with my morning injection, which seems a lot harder to do on my left leg because being right handed it puts me at an awkward angle. But it worked fine and it didnt hurt except I didnt pull the needle straight out, so it scratched on the way out. I think that the needle I use for my night injection is larger than the one in the morning. The ones at night we the ones that have bruised. Anyways, I dont feel crazy and my body feels good. I have been pretty tired though, I'm not getting the greatest sleep. So far so good!

Injections

I went to the clinic on Tuesday to have another pelvic ultrasound and blood draw to screen for diseases. I also received all my medication and had a lesson on how to inject the medication and use the needles. I was sent home with a grocery bag full of medication, syringes and needles. (worth $3,000!) I was to begin my injections on Friday of the same week. I was highly anticipating this and thinking of how to put a needle in my skin. Thursday night I did not sleep well. I tossed and turned and kept waking up and dreaming of self injections. I had my alarm set early just in case it took me a long time to do this.

Finally, Friday monring arrived. I had already looked over everything the night before to prepare myself. I got the medication and needle ready. I have the choice of injecting on my thighs or my tummy, right where the little female fatty pouch is. I chose the outside of my thigh. I pinched the skin as instructed and held the needle an inch away.... I was ready at this point, I had been thinking about it for days and anticipating it hurting. With the needle right there I felt a rush through my body and I started sweating. Now I was psyching myself out and knew the longer I waited the harder it would be. So I plunged the needle in and to my surprise... I didn't feel a thing! I felt nothing. I'm looking at the needle in my skin, I push the plunger and inject the medicine, still no pain, I pull the needle out. That was so easy! I can do this. All the fear I had put in my head went out the door and I felt such relief.

So it's Saturday night now, I have given myself 4 injections. I have to give myself 2 per day 12 hours apart. So far I feel normal. No mood changes or body discomfort. I may experience period-like symptoms or a fullness in my belly. I go back to the clinic Monday morning to have my progress monitored. They need to make sure I'm on the proper medication dose and adjust it according to how my body is responding. I'm happy with how its going. I feel good.
At this point, it's not about me, it's about a woman (couple) who is counting on me to produce good eggs for them. They are counting on me and I'm not going to let them down.

Application Process

It took me about 3 months to complete my application and sumbit it to the fertility clinic. This was March 08. In April, I was invited to an orientation meeting to learn more about the process and make sure it was something I wanted to do. It was a special night at the orientation meeting; a recipient of egg donation showed up to talk to us with her baby twins. She told us her amazing story and how much she thinks about her donor, what a gift she gave them. After hearing her moving story I didn't have any question that I would continue on to donate my eggs.

Next, I was scheduled for a physical exam and pelvic ultrasound. They found some cysts in my ovaries and believed they were from the low-dose hormone birth control I was using. They switched my birth control to a higher hormone dose and within 3 weeks I returned for a follow up exam and the cysts had disappeared. I found that very interesting, I would have never known that low hormone birth control would cause ovarian cysts.

So then I had a mental evaluation. I met with a nice counseler that just asked me questions about my life. She was making sure I wasn't in financial trouble and didn't have any unresolved issues going on in my life. She also wanted to ensure that I wouldn't regret this later on. She gave me a positive recommendation and in about 2 months my profile was posted for recipients to view.

In August, I received a phone call that I was selected by a recipient. I was very excited and anxious! The clinic has to match our cycles together, the recipient was having a hard time starting her period, so it took a little longer, but now it's November and I'll begun the final stages...

Why I Chose To Donate

I started this process over a year ago. I thought about donating my eggs many months before I took any action. After seeing people I care about struggle with getting pregnant and wanting a baby so badly, I figured if I have good eggs, why not donate them? I'm not using them. At this point in my life I have no desire to have children. I can't imagine wanting something so badly and not being able to have it. The people that decide to use an egg donor must be serious about having children because it is a long and expensive process. I'm not sure if I'll ever have children and if I can offer that I'm happy to give that gift to someone.

I have had many questions regarding my decision to donate my eggs. Here are some of the questions and my answers to them.

Won't you feel weird knowing you have a child out there and you dont know?

No. It's not my child. Yes, biologically I would be considered the child's mother, but not their parent. Parents are far more important to children. I would not and could not ever even use the term biological mother, I am simply an egg donor. The woman who carries this child is the mother. She will give birth, care for the child, be there for all the ups and downs.

What if in two years you ran into a couple with a child that looks like you and they approach you, to ask if you were a donor and it ends up being the couple and their child?

That experience would make it all worth while for me. To see the happy family that I had a small part in creating. That would be amazing.

Won't you wonder about the kid, what it looks like, where it is, who the family is?

Maybe. But I know it'll just be a thought that makes me smile knowing I helped create a bundle of joy for a loving family. I don't believe anyone would go through this process if they didn't have a lot of love to give.

Basically, I'm more than happy to do this and I feel really good about it. I haven't done too many 'great' things in my life yet and this is my first step to doing 'great' things.