Egg donation is a serious procedure that requires dedication to recover after the retrieval process. Egg donors must be careful and kind to their bodies for several weeks after donating. Below is a description of the lifestyle for donors after donation.
Medications
The medications taken prior to and during egg retrieval will not be immediately discontinued following the procedure. Many of these medications will be tapered off over a period of a few weeks, while others will need to be continued for up to a month or more. Immediately discontinuing these medications could lead to complications with hormones crashing to lower levels than the body has experienced for several months, as well as other problems. Post-donation, therefore, egg donors should expect to continue to inject and ingest medications as prescribed and directed by the specialist.
Be Kind to Your Body
Most likely your physician will recommend a prolonged period of rest and little to no exercise. Egg retrieval is an invasive procedure and the more rest you give your body, the faster it will heal. Be kind to your body after the procedure and get lots of rest, drink fluids and do not engage in intense exercise. Follow your doctor’s orders to enable your body to rebound as best and as quickly as possible.
Check-Ups
Donors will need to be checked following the retrieval procedure at least once, if not twice by the performing physician. This checkup can be scheduled anywhere from a few days to a few weeks after the procedure. Make sure to keep these appointments so that you can address any problems or questions about your body’s behavior following the retrieval and so the specialist can make sure you are progressing in healing as you should.
These checkups will also be dedicated to reducing and stopping some of the medications you will have started prior to the retrieval procedure. Again, keeping these appointments will allow the specialist to check your progress and need for these medications.
Relationship with Recipients
Some donors may have a relationship with the couple that received their donation. This relationship can take many forms and may continue after the child is born. Maintaining this relationship may be important to all parties involved, and it is therefore important that you give it the attention and time it deserves. However, if at any time the donor feels uncomfortable with the relationship with the receiving party, she should discontinue contact.
Repeating the Procedure
Many egg donors donate more than once. Depending on age and the specialist, some donors may not require any time off of the medications between donations. Possibly, therefore, a donor could stay on the medications and under the physician’s care for several weeks until it is again time to donate. Repeating donations very closely together could raise several problems, and so any donor planning on multiple donations should approach this topic and discuss any concerns she may have prior to beginning the first cycle.
