Surrogacy Info

1. The Egg Donor will typically be put on birth control pills to help regulate her menstrual cycle and to coordinate it with the recipient’s (gestational surrogate) cycle.

2. If a "Lupron Cycle" is used, at (approximately) the end of the third week of her cycle, the Egg Donor will begin taking Lupron (daily self-administered injections) to stop her ovaries from ovulating. Prior to beginning Lupron, the Egg Donor will likely be monitored via a blood test and vaginal ultrasound to confirm that she is ready to administer injections. If an "Antigon Cycle" is used, the Egg Donor will not take Lupron, but will begin with Step 4 (see below).

3. After taking Lupron for 7-14 days, the Egg Donor will then begin taking stimulation medication (self-administered injections), which will cause her egg follicles to grow. This medication is generally taken for 8-11 days. Though FSH comes in many different brand names, Fertinex, Follistim, and Gonal-F are the most often used brands (these are also self-administered injections).

 

 

4. The Egg Donor will be monitored during this 8-11 day period (via blood tests and vaginal ultrasounds) to ensure that her follicles are growing at an expected rate and to monitor medication dosages. This monitoring will help the physician determine what day the final HCG injection should be administered (see next step). Some clinics require that most of this monitoring be completed at their site, whereas other clinics will allow the Egg Donor to be monitored at a clinic convenient to her until the last few days of the cycle. The Egg Donor will also be screened for STDs (via blood tests) again during this period.

5. When the follicles are determined to be “ready” for retrieval, the HCG injection is given, which prepares the Egg Donor's ovaries to release the eggs. This injection is generally injected in the muscle (clinical requirements may vary), so the needle may be somewhat longer than it has been for previous medications.

The physician will inform the Egg Donor of the exact time she should administer this injection. The timing of the HCG injection is crucial, so it is important that the Egg Donor take the injection exactly as instructed.

6. The retrieval is scheduled for 36-40 hours after administration of the HCG injection. During the retrieval, the Egg Donor will usually be under light anesthesia and the eggs are retrieved from the Egg Donor's ovaries via a "vacuuming procedure:" a tiny needle is inserted through the vaginal wall into the ovaries and the eggs are vacuumed from each follicle. While under anesthesia, the Egg Donor should not feel anything during this procedure. The entire procedure itself takes only 15-30 minutes.

7. After the procedure, the Egg Donor will remain at the clinic for 1-2 hours to recover from the anesthesia, after which she can return home. The Egg Donor will be expected to rest for the remainder of the day, as she may feel some bloating, cramping and other side effects the day of the retrieval. It is required that the Egg Donor arrange for a companion to drive her home after the retrieval. Further, it is highly suggested that her companion stay with her throughout the day, in the event that she experiences unexpected complications.