TFC provides support and guidance during each fresh egg donor cycle

Congratulations on beginning your journey to welcome a baby through a fresh egg donor cycle. When using fresh eggs, this process takes approximately four to six weeks at our Austin fertility center. For a donor, this multi-step process begins with calling our office when her period starts and ends with an egg retrieval.

The first steps of a fresh egg donor cycle

The egg donor will call our Austin fertility center once her period starts. If her screening is normal, she will come to our office for another sonogram and physical exam. From there, the donor can take the next steps of a fresh egg donor cycle.

Start taking birth control pills and other medications. At the beginning of her period, the donor will start taking birth control pills along with antibiotics and folic acid or a prenatal vitamin.

Schedule appointments for the cycle. The donor will need to attend certain appointments during her cycle. She will work with our team to schedule them. Keep in mind that each donor will need to be somewhat flexible because these appointment dates may change based on sonogram and lab results.

Get medications and attend a pre-Lupron sonogram. At this appointment, the donor will receive a medication called Lupron and learn how to administer it. Near the end of the birth control pack, the donor will have a sonogram to make sure she didn’t develop ovarian cysts. If the sonogram is normal, she will begin taking Lupron and take it for about four weeks.

Come in for a baseline sonogram. The donor will finish her birth control pills about four to five days after starting Lupron. A few days later, she will have a period. She will then come to the office for another sonogram to ensure she did not develop any cysts since starting Lupron. If that sonogram is normal, she will receive her FSH medication and learn how to give it to herself during the fresh egg donor cycle.

The final steps of the cycle

While taking the ovarian stimulation medications for about 10 to 12 days, the donor will undergo regular monitoring. She will come to our Austin fertility center about every three days for sonograms and blood work. When the donor’s eggs are mature, we reach the final steps of the fresh egg donor cycle.

Take an Ovidrel injection. The donor will receive instructions about when to administer an Ovidrel injection. The timing of the injection is very important because the donor will need to have her egg retrieval 36 hours later.

Attend the egg retrieval. This outpatient procedure only takes about 20 minutes, followed by a one-hour recovery. The donor will receive IV sedation, so she will need a ride home after the procedure. She can expect to be groggy and have some cramping for several hours after the procedure. We will give her pain medications to take at home to minimize discomfort.

The eggs the doctor retrieves from the procedure will then be used to help hopeful parents conceive. If you’d like to become an egg donor or learn more about building your family through egg donation, contact us. Our Austin fertility center looks forward to helping you on your journey.