What Are Egg Donation Side Effects?
What to expect during your egg donation process
Egg donation side effects tend to be mild, and vary from donor to donor. Some donors experience no side effects, while some have mild reactions that go away in a couple of days. In rare cases, a serious side effect might require treatment. If you’re interested in becoming an egg donor, take a look at these possible side effects of egg donation, so you can feel confident about your experience.
Egg Donation Side Effects Before the Retrieval
For the first two weeks of your egg donation cycle, you’ll take a few different prescribed medications, including self-injected hormone medications. Some donors experience bloating, mild abdominal pain, breast tenderness, or mood swings from the hormones. These symptoms are similar to what you may feel during your period. You may also feel sore or have some slight bruising or redness where you inject your medications. These symptoms are usually mild, and will go away either once you finish your course of medication or by your next period after the egg retrieval.
Egg Retrieval Side Effects
The egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedure that only takes about 20-30 minutes. The procedure is done at our partner clinic, Pacific NW Fertility, and involves light anesthesia. You may feel a little disoriented or foggy after the retrieval, as the sedative wears off. You can rest for a while in our recovery rooms; you will also need someone to drive you home.
For a day or two after the procedure, some donors have abdominal cramps (again, like a strong period), fatigue, or possibly light spotting. You can take pain medication like Tylenol or ibuprofen or use a heating pad to help with any discomfort. Typically, these symptoms go away on their own after a couple of days.
Rare Side Effects for Egg Donors
In rare cases, egg donors might experience more serious side effects. Egg donation can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). With OHSS, extra fluid collects in the ovaries and abdomen, which can cause pain and nausea. OHSS usually goes away on its own, but about 1% of donors can experience severe OHSS, which can involve extra monitoring or even a hospital stay. (Learn about signs of OHSS and other egg retrieval recovery tips here.)
Every medication and surgical procedure carries a small risk of allergic reactions, infection, or complications. With egg donation, these risks are extremely rare.
Lastly, the medications involved in egg donation make you extremely fertile. To prevent pregnancy, it’s very important to avoid sexual intercourse with partners with sperm until your next period after the retrieval.
Does Egg Donation Have Long Term Side Effects?
There is no current evidence to suggest long term health risks for egg donors, including infertility. With the available information, medical professionals (including our own SIMPLIFY and PWNF staff) believe the chance of any long term effects is extremely small, if present at all. Egg donation should not affect your fertility in any way. Similarly, the medications used in egg donation have not been associated with higher risks of cancer or other long term illnesses.
Our Donors Receive the Very Best Medical Care
SIMPLIFY was founded to give the highest quality medical care to both our intended parents and our egg donors. Our team works closely with each donor to personalize their medication plan and minimize side effects during the egg donation process. We are happy to discuss any of your questions or concerns throughout your application and donor cycle. To start your journey as a donor, apply today.