Written By: Hillary Redwine
Completing your sixth and final cycle as an egg donor can feel bittersweet. It’s closing the door on an important chapter in your life while knowing you’ve made an incredible difference in the lives of the families you helped create. That’s certainly the case for Marissa*, who completed her sixth cycle (the maximum number recommended by the ASRM) with Egg Donor Solutions (EDS) this spring and says she would continue donating if she could.
“I started researching egg donation when I was 22 or 23 and donated as many times as I could,” Marissa says. “In my culture there are a lot of arranged marriages, and you’re pushed to get married and start having kids at a young age, but I chose to focus on pursuing my career. I wasn’t using my eggs, so I thought, ‘why let them go to waste?’”
Marissa enjoyed all her cycles, but two stand out because of the thoughtfulness of the intended parents (IPs). She received a gift basket following the retrieval for one of her cycles and a letter from another set of IPs. “The gift basket wasn’t extravagant, but I appreciated it so much that the IPs thought to do that for me,” Marissa says. “It was nice to get the letter because it allowed me to learn about the IPs motivations, why they needed an egg donor, and how they planned to raise their child. I know IPs are going through a lot to have their child, but when they take the time to write a letter, it really goes a long way in helping you feel comfortable and good about what you are doing as the donor.”
When asked about complications with any of her cycles, Marissa explains that she had mild ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) during her second cycle, but it was easily remedied thanks to the education she received from EDS.
“EDS is always there for you. They make sure you are fully educated so you know what to expect and what to look out for,” she says. “I recognized the signs [of OHSS] early on and knew that I needed to drink lots of liquids to get my body back to normal.”
She shares that while being an egg donor is a lot of work, it’s worth it because the result is knowing you helped create a happy family.
“Being an egg donor requires a lot of time, dedication and mental focus, but it’s 100% worth it. You know you’ve done something completely selfless,” Marissa says. “There’s no greater feeling than knowing that IPs who couldn’t have children on their own or wanted to complete their family were able to because of me.”
*Name changed to respect privacy.
Our team at Egg Donor Solutions is dedicated to educating, supporting and advocating for donors as they help intended parents create their happy families. Want to learn more about the egg donation process? Please reach out to our team at info@createahappyfamily.com.
We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.
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