I haven’t donated eggs but I have had two egg collections. The physical side is not that big a deal if you have no fertility problems. You self inject (for days, not months!) and they do an internal ultrasound every few days to keep an eye on what your ovaries are doing - imagine a well very well lubed dildo, it’s not uncomfortable! Basically they are looking to see how many follicles are developing and they measure them to see how big they are.

Once enough get to a certain size you go in to have the eggs removed from the follicles. I had this done under sedation and was completely asleep and unaware of what was happening, but you come round much quicker than you would from a general anaesthetic. This seems to vary by clinic as I know people who have been conscious throughout.

They remove the eggs by sucking the the liquid out of the follicle with a needle which sounds horrific but really wasn’t! The next day or so I felt quite tender but was fine to go back to work etc.

So for me it was one day off for the day of collection and maybe four or five scan appointments leading up to it which are the most inconvenient as they are a bit unpredictable and have to be arranged at the last minute. Also you won’t know what day the collection is going to be until the last minute because it depends on the follicles. Havig said that I managed to do it with a busy full time job about 30 mins from the clinic without anyone noticing. I just said I needed a minor surgical procedure the days of the egg collection and that it was nothing for anyone to worry about but as it was under sedation I’d need the day off.

I was under the impression the drugs would drive me mad but I can’t say I notified any effect whatsoever!

Any reputable clinic will INSIST on counselling to check you have thought about the implications. I really wouldn’t donate via a clinic that doesn’t. It may be a legal requirement, I’m not sure.

I used the London Women’s Clinic and had a very good experience. You don’t have to be fully decided before you approach them. I’d suggest contacting a clinic and getting them to talk you though how it would work.

It’s a very generous thing to do, good for you!

By the way they won’t generally take them once you are over 35 so if you are nearing that age then it’s worth having a chat with a clinic sooner rather than later.

Hi ShootingStar

I’ve not donated eggs but have had 5 egg collections and I finally became a mum earlier this year through egg donation.

Witchmountain has covered exactly what happens during the ivf/egg collection process. I found the process fine and apart from a few cramps was back to normal next day. The clinic I went to for my last own egg & donor egg ivf also did blood tests at the same time as the scan to check your hormone levels but the first clinic I went to did not do this. I know that if you are wanting to donate your eggs; you will need counselling, various screening tests for genetic, hormones & infections and have approved medical and family history. Each clinic is different in their age cut offs, my one was under 34 but some are 35/36 but not sure if that is relevant for you.

I am really grateful for the lovely lady who donated her eggs so I could finally become a mum. It’s been a long 13 years to get there!! She did a really selfless act so that we could have our much wanted baby. I don’t know the lady as it is anonymous but I know hair/eye colour, height, hobbies & interests, age and why she wanted to donate. I also knew whether she had proven fertility & any live births. I’m not sure if donors are told anything about the recipients.

Thank you so much for thinking about doing this, you don’t know how much this will mean to someone who is unable to have a child of their own. xx