Being an egg donor may sound like the perfect opportunity for a young college student. It’s an amazing way to help someone’s dreams of parenthood come true, as well as earn some money to help with student debt. But what is expected of an egg donor? And how can she balance her responsibilities as a donor with the demands of going back to college?
Time Responsibilities
Many young women are surprised by how much time is needed to complete an egg donation cycle. There are multiple visits to the fertility doctor that will be needed before she even gets started. In addition to visits for the medical evaluation and pre-cycle testing, all donors will need to meet with a nurse for a teaching session. This is important; it’s where she’ll learn about what to expect during the cycle and how to administer the medication.
Once the cycle starts, she’ll need to visit the clinic frequently and often with very little notice. She’ll also need to find time, at the same time, each night or morning to administer her medication.
While taking the injectable medication, she’ll need to go back to the clinic every few days to every day, perhaps even on the weekends or holidays. These visits are important because they help the doctor gauge her response to the medication.
In addition, the egg retrieval itself will require at least a day off from work and school. While the procedure itself is pretty easy, she’ll be unable to drive until the anesthetic medication completely wears off.
The amount of time needed to complete an egg donation cycle may come as a surprise to some women. There are multiple visits to the fertility doctor from before medication start through to egg retrieval date. Before starting the fertility mediations, a medical evaluation must be completed, which is generally a month in advance. Additionally, she will have an appointment closer to the medication start date for pre-cycle testing to ensure her levels are normal and it is a good time to begin. The appointment prior to medication start is especially important because this is when she will be given instructions on how to administer the medications and learn about what to expect during the cycle.
Once the cycle starts, she will need to visit the fertility clinic frequently, perhaps even on weekends or holidays, so the doctor can gauge how her body is responding the medication. Monitoring the body’s response to medication is vital and the medication dose can be adjusted as needed to produce the best possible outcome.
The egg retrieval itself will require at least a day off from work and school. While the procedure is pretty quick and easy, she’ll be unable to drive until the anesthesia completely wears off.
How to Make it All Work
Despite the amount of time needed to complete an egg donation cycle, it’s definitely doable and worth the time and effort! Here are 6 tips for managing this process along with your busy college schedule.
- Schedule your cycle: Waiting to schedule your cycle until your workload opens up a little bit can help you fit it all in. It may be possible to start your cycle so that the egg retrieval falls while you are on a break, or it may be easier to do the cycle at the beginning of a semester when the workload is lighter.
- Plan ahead: Before you start your cycle, speak with the doctor or IVF coordinator about the anticipated schedule of visits and possible egg retrieval days. Look at your syllabus and try to get ahead with the work that will be due during that time. This will take the pressure off when you are in the middle of your cycle and busy with office visits.
- Talk to your professors: Sure, you don’t need to give details (unless you want to), but you could speak with your professors about the need for a possible medical procedure. Again, make sure to give the anticipated date as a strong possibility, and stay ahead on your work. Your IVF doctor should also be able to give you a note confirming that you had a medical procedure and need to take a day or two off from school.
- Speak with your IVF nurse: Make sure to get all of the details about scheduling your morning visits. What time does the office open? Which hours are available for monitoring appointments? Is there an alternative office that may be closer to your school or home?
- Think about your social life:You will likely be asked to refrain from drinking alcohol during your cycle. If you know that you will want to go to a Greek Life rush event or go away for spring break, take that into consideration and plan your schedule around it. Having a social life in college is fun, but it is more important to comply with the instructions from the medical staff once you commit to an egg donation cycle.
- Be honest: It’s okay to say that finals week isn’t a great time for you to schedule a cycle or that you prefer to cycle over spring break. While a delay may be somewhat disappointing for the intended parents, it is better to really dedicate your time to the cycle instead of pushing through and needing to cancel partway.
Egg donation is a time-intensive process that requires a serious commitment. However, a few simple steps can make it easy to fit into a busy college student lifestyle. Make sure to ask your case manager for more specific suggestions on how you can schedule your cycle.
Extraordinary Conceptions is very proud of the care we provide all of our egg donors. If you are ready to get started on this journey, please get in touch with usto start your application.
