When donating your eggs, how will the hormones given affect your body before & after donation? Any other side effects associated with egg donation?

I am interested in donating my eggs. Due to my active lifestyle and professional restrictions concerning my weight, I need to know how the hormones given will affect my body before & after donation? Are there any other side effects associated with egg donation?

Answers from doctors (1)


Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group

Published on May 05, 2016

The egg donation process is actually very short. You may be put on birth control pills for a few weeks before you start the injections. Birth control pills are known to cause some side effects such as headaches, moodiness and weight gain, but you would only be on them a short time. The injections you would take to stimulate your ovaries to produce the eggs would only be needed for about 2 weeks. They may produce similar side effects as the birth control pills. They also will cause enlargement of the ovaries, which will result in bloating and swelling in the abdominal area. The swelling and bloating should resolve within about 2 weeks of finishing the injections and having the egg retrieval, and you should be back to normal.

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Answered by Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group

The egg donation process is actually very short. You may be put on birth control pills for a few weeks before you start the injections. Birth control pills are known to cause some side effects such as headaches, moodiness and weight gain, but you would only be on them a short time. The injections you would take to stimulate your ovaries to produce the eggs would only be needed for about 2 weeks. They may produce similar side effects as the birth control pills. They also will cause enlargement of the ovaries, which will result in bloating and swelling in the abdominal area. The swelling and bloating should resolve within about 2 weeks of finishing the injections and having the egg retrieval, and you should be back to normal.

Published on Jul 11, 2012


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