Selecting an Egg Donor

Fairfax EggBank has partnered with Parents Via Egg Donation (PVED) to launch a blog series written by Heather, a recent egg donor recipient at Fairfax EggBank. Our hope is that through PVED, Heather’s voice can be shared with others who are just beginning their donor egg journey and are seeking authentic experiences of others who have been through it.

Stay tuned through either PVED’s website or ours to read Heather’s upcoming blogs.

Selecting an Egg Donor

Fairfax EggBank made it easier than anticipated to find an egg donor who was right for us, not just because how awesome my donor coordinator was, but also because of how detailed the donor profiles were. I was able to dig into each donor I liked, learning her and her family’s detailed medical history, her hobbies and achievements, childhood and current photos (professionally shot, no selfies!), and personal essays. I especially liked the audio interviews between the donor and Fairfax EggBank coordinators; while I wanted our donor to be anonymous, I loved that sense of connection I felt through hearing the donor’s voice.

My husband and I narrowed down our choices to four donors based on our priorities: preferably, the donor would look like me, have at least a college degree, have the same blood type, and be similar in age.  We learned two of these donors had proven success (meaning recipients before me had used their eggs and conceived) and decided to sleep on the decision to figure out which donor we should go with. Alas, good donors can go like hotcakes, and by the time we contacted our Fairfax EggBank coordinator, only one of the two donors still had eggs left. Figuring fate had made the decision for us, we chose to move forward with the one.

Undergoing the Best Transfer Yet

I will never forget the message “your eggs have arrived safely and are anxiously awaiting transfer!” This was the note my fertility clinic sent, letting me know the eggs were tucked away in their lab and ready for me. To say I was excited was an understatement. I remember doing my baseline, and my reproductive endocrinologist telling me all systems were ready to go. I started my meds and everything went well. I was not used to cycles going smoothly; I was used to many heartaches and setbacks just trying to even start. This was all something new to me.

In fact, this IVF cycle was unlike any other; it was super simple. My clinic’s lab was able to create 4 blastocysts from my 6 eggs. They even moved up the transfer of our embryos two weeks as my body was responding so well. Uh, what?? This never happens! I just knew this was going to be my miracle cycle. When we did the transfer I remember feeling very relaxed, which was nothing like the previous times. Everything from the get-go was smooth, and I was very thankful for that.

Getting the BFP

Let’s be honest – how many IVF patients actually have the patience to wait until their blood test to confirm if they’re pregnant or not? I know I couldn’t resist, especially given how positive I felt this time around.

About a week after our transfer, I cheated and took a home pregnancy test. That’s when I saw the words “PREGNANT” for the very first time in my entire life. I repeat, my very FIRST time. I had never been pregnant in my life.

How Pregnancy Feels

I’m still waiting for my baby to arrive, and it’s still a surreal feeling to have a baby in my belly. While it wasn’t my first choice to choose donor eggs in order to have a baby, now I often forget that donor eggs were even used. We simply can’t wait to meet our baby, and are so thankful there are companies like Fairfax EggBank out there to make our dreams a reality.

They say that the idea of parenting never happens the way you want it to. I think that’s true in every case; however the outcome is always the same. If a donor egg baby is the outcome for you, you will have so much joy in your life that you will never look back, I promise.

I’ve waited to tell you the best for last, we’re pregnant with twins! Both embryos took, how amazing is that!

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Heather’s Blog Series:

#1: Intro to my Donor Egg Story

#2: First Comes Love, then Comes Marriage, then Comes…Infertility?

#3: Our Decision to Use Frozen Donor Eggs

#4: Selecting an Egg Donor

#5: Three Resources to Use for Your Donor Egg Research

About PVED

Parents Via Egg Donation, or PVED, was created to provide an informational and supportive environment where parents and parents-to-be can learn and share information about all facets of the egg donation process.

Our mission is to educate, support, and empower families and individuals at any stage of the process who choose to use egg donation to build a family. We share information about agencies, legal and medical professionals, treatment centers, mental health therapists, pharmaceutical companies, and other resources.

PVED is a national, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Scappoose, Oregon

Their website contains a wide variety of information and ideas to help you in your family-building journey. If you can’t find what you are looking for, our listserves can link you to others who may have had similar experiences and are happy to share their knowledge.