Spare Your Eggs

I have a request looking for a Surrogate Mother to carry the pregnancy on behalf of the childless Chinese couple. This is because the wife has uterus weaknesses and is unable to carry a baby in her womb.The wife is in her 40s and really wants to have a child of their own. Appreciate if anyone out there willing to be a Surrogate Mother, kindly drop me a note at http://spareyoureggs.com/contact/

The Surrogate Mother will be paid RM5,000 at the beginning of the pregnancy and after the child is delivered, the balance will be paid. An agreement will be signed between the surrogate mother and the couple and both parties will remain anonymous.

Help a childless couple with the gift of life

What is a Surrogate Mother?

A surrogate mother a woman who agrees, usually by contract and for a fee, to bear a child for a couple who are childless because the wife is infertile or physically incapable of carrying a developing fetus. Often the surrogate mother is the biological mother of the child, conceiving it by means of artificial insemination with sperm from the husband. In gestational surrogacy, the wife is fertile but incapable of carrying a growing fetus; the child is conceived by in vitro fertilization using the wife’s eggs and her husband’s sperm, and the resulting embryo is implanted in the surrogate mother’s uterus.

Before I decided to become an egg donor, many thoughts came to my mind. i.e. What is the egg donation process like? Is it painful? Is it legal? There were so many things that I wanted to know and ask.

It is important to familiarize yourself with more information; especially with people who have been an egg donor before. They will be able to answer all your questions based on their personal experience. I was unfortunate as I didn’t know anyone who have gone through such program then. I found many facts on the internet but I didn’t know what exactly is involved in the process. I couldn’t find any personal stories from people that I know.

That is why I’m writing these to share information to all future egg donors.

Here is a basic step-by-step process of the egg donation program.

The day after the egg collection procedure, I visited the fertiliy centre for a post-procedure check up and to collect my compensation as an egg donor. Dr T did an ultrasound at my abdomen to make sure that my ovaries are back to the normal position & condition. I was glad that everything was fine. I had slight discomfort this morning but Dr T assured that it’s normal as the anesthetic has worn off. He then gave me antibiotic pills to be taken for the next two days. The purpose of the antibiotic pills is to prevent post-procedure infections. 

Then I was handed a cheque of RMx,000 as a compensation for my time, effort & (pain) as an egg donor. Dr T thanked me for my willingness to donate my ovums.

My Compensation as an Egg Donor

The final step of the egg donation program is the egg collection procedure. This is where the matured eggs are retrieved from the ovary using an ultrasound probe attached with a needle. The thought of having a needle inserted into the vagina seems scary at first, but I was glad to know that I would be unconscious during the process. The technique is called Vaginal Ultrasound-Guided Egg Collection. It is a minor and safe surgical procedure usually performed under a general anesthetic; where the patient is unconcious. 

A vaginal ultrasound probe with a fine hollow needle attached to it, is inserted into the vagina. Following the ultrasound guidance, the needle is moved from the vaginal wall into the ovary to suck out the fluid from the follicle which contains the egg. Each egg is removed through the needle by a suction device. The whole procedure takes about 20-30 minutes.

This thing fixed on my hand

I was scheduled to have my eggs collected on the 17th of Sept 08, 8.30am but I was required to check into the hospital at 7am. Imagine how early I had to wake up that morning. I arrived at the Admission counter at 7am and I handed them a letter of instruction signed by Dr. T.

The admission officer knew straight-away what to do as I believe it’s a normal procedure at the hospital. The whole admission process took about 20mins. I was then directed to a 2-bedded ward room and asked to change to the surgical attire. As I sat on the chair, waiting for time to pass, I began wondering if I’m doing the right thing. At around 8.00am, a nurse came into my room. She asked me to fill up my breakfast & lunch menu and she went on to fix this thing on my hand. Later, I was given an injection. A bit painful as the needle was a big one. 

Dr T arrived at about 8.10am and I was happy to see a familiar face. It’s about time for me to go to the operation theather. It’s the first time i’m going into an operation theather and it feels really cold inside. I was put on the operation bed. Some electrical monitoring devices was put on my arms and body. I waited anxiously. There was another doctor present & a few other assistants. One of them came to put an oxygen mask over my face & told me to relax. Then I saw Dr T came into the operation theather.

I was injected with a white fluid through the thing on my hand and I could immediately feel the cold fluid travelling from my hand up my shoulders. Then I felt the fluid went through my body. The nurse told me that it’s anesthetic & I will feel sleepy after a while. I was being put into Anesthesia which is a drug-induced loss of consciousness where patients are not arousable, even by painful stimulation. During this situation I will need the oxygen mask to maintain normal breathing. Before I know it, I felt sleepy & I closed my eyes.

The first thing that I remembered after that, was the nurse asking me to move from one bed to my ward room bed. I felt really tired, I couldn’t open my eyes wide and I could only hear their voices. They told me that the procedure is done & I can now rest. I don’t remember anything & I didn’t felt any pain. I just went back to sleep. 

I woke up again at 11am, this time feeling much better. I couldn’t believe that everything was over, it was easier than I had expected. After a while, Dr T walked into my room & chatted with me for a moment. He then said that he has made payment to the hospital & I can check out as soon I feel better. He also asked me to drop by his centre the next day to collect my compensation cheque. 

Before I left the hospital, I enjoyed my lunch. Everything tasted so delicious as I was hungry.

I felt relieved that it’s over. No more injections and no more folic acid pills. I felt a sudden sense of happiness, knowing that I’ve helped a couple achieve their dream of having a baby. I hope that more people can get to know about ovum donations and help more infertile women have babies. 

Ovidrel Prefilled Syringe

Towards the end of the 12-14 days egg donation cycle, a few dosages of Ovidrel is required to mature the eggs. This injection is to be taken in the morning. It is a prefilled syringe and has a slightly bigger needle compared to the Gonal-F injection pens. It works just like any normal syringe injections.

Personally, I felt that this injection was slightly more painful than the Gonal-F injection & it was quite difficult to pull it out the first time. It was sort of ‘stuck’ on to my stomach skin the first time I used it but I found it easier to pull out after the subsequent injections. 

This injection is required to mature the eggs & also to stimulate the release of the eggs from the ovaries. The final jab is to be taken exactly 36 hours before the egg collection time. This is very important as even a variance of 10 minutes can affect the egg collection procedure. As my egg collection time was set at 8.30am in the morning of day 15, I took my last Ovidrel injection at 8.30pm on day 13.

Gonal–F is a highly pure, recombinant form of human follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH), which is the hormone responsible for stimulating the production of egg-containing follicles in women. This hormone will help to induce production of more eggs in the female production system.

As Miss D was about to show me how to perform the daily Gonal-F injections on my own, I was still feeling nervous because i’ve never done any injections on myself before. I’m not sure if I can even hold it firmly.  

Miss D brought out a rectangular-shaped ice bag, with a gel-type ice pack inside it. There was a white box which contains Gonal-F injection pens inside. The ice bag is to keep the injection pens cool at all times. The ice bag can last up to 12 hours, so the injection pens will still be cool when I reach home at night. The ice can be refrigerated and be reused again the next day.

The Gonal-F injection looks like a big pen with a cap. It has a dial at the tip of the pen to set the dosage of the substance before injection. The end of the dial has to be pulled out before an injection, and there will be clicking sounds as the dial is being pressed & as the dosage goes into the body.

The right place to inject is at the stomach, near to the belly button. This is where there are layers of fat, that is why it is not painful. First, you need to insert the disposable needle on the pen & clean the stomach area with an alcohol swab. The correct way to inject is to hold the pen at 90 degrees from the skin, poke into the stomach (1-inch right or left away from the belly button) & press the dial. After clicking sounds stop, the dial cannot be pressed in anymore. This means that the whole dosage has been injected. Hold for another few seconds to ensure all fluid has completely flowed into the body. Then, the pen is pulled out quickly from the skin.

I was also given an injection schedule (as shown on the right) so that I remember to take the right dosage at the right time. I’m suppose to take the Gonal-F injections just before I sleep at night, preferably at the same time every night. I was started on the highest dosage of 300IU to activate my ovary system. This dosage will then be adjusted; either increased or reduced in the following days; depending on how my ovary react to the injection.

The aim is to produce about 8-10 eggs mature eggs at the end of the cycle. Not to produce 20 eggs, as some irresponsible doctors do, which can weaken the egg donor’s health. I was told complete an injection schedule form after each shot. US Scan means Ultra Sound Scan, which is done every 2-3 days during the egg donation cycle to check the growth of the eggs; making sure that they are growing at healthy levels. My first Gonal-F injection was done for me by nurse Miss D. I asked her to demonstrate once to me so that I could do it myself the next time. This is how it is done…

How to give yourself a Gonal-F Injection 

I was surprised to find that it’s not painful at all! After the first injection demonstration by Miss D, I felt more confident of doing it myself. phew***

It’s the second day of my menstruation & i’m now ready to start the egg donation cycle. It will take between 12-14 days from today. The eggs will be collected on the last day of this cycle. I was excited & also worried at the same time.

Dr. T gave me a short briefing on the egg donation cycle. He assured me that I will be fine if I follow his instructions correctly. I was told that I will need to inject myself with fertility hormones to increase the production of eggs. This process will not harm my body & will not have any side effects to my future pregnancies.

I am one person who don’t like to have injections, it’s not a nice experience. So i don’t know how I could inject myself everyday for the next 12-14 days. Eventhough Dr. T said that it won’t hurt at all because the needle is as small as a pin, not like the usual blood-taking shringe injections.

The first phase of the daily injections begin with injecting myself with a follicle-stimulating hormone, the brand used is Gonal-F. Fertility nurse Miss D showed me how to perform the injections.

About one week later, i returned to the fertility clinic for my pap smear & medial check-up. I’ve never done any pap smear before & I thought that it’d be painful, having to insert a metal tool into the cervix to gather skin  cells. I was totally surprised, that it was NOT PAINFUL AT ALL!!

Dr T was so professional, he was asking me a few questions as he was inserting a tiny tube into my vagina and before i could answer him, he was done with the Pap Smear! He did it so quickly & so smoothly that i didn’t even realized that he had started the procedure. This experience has given me greater confidence on Dr T’s expertise in the area of women’s health & fertility.

After the pap smear test, my ovary was scanned. Everything was normal. Later, my blood was taken for sampling to make sure i’m free from diseases.

One week later, i was informed that i’m perfectly normal & 100% eligible to be an egg donor. I was told to return to the clinic to start the egg donation program on the second day of my next menstrual cycle. Before I left the clinic, I was given a bottle of folic acid to be taken once a day until the whole egg donation program ends. Adequate folic acid taken will ensure a healthy egg & a healthy baby for the future ivf parents.

7th July 08. It was my first appointment with the gynaecologist/infertility expert doctor. Let’s call him Dr T. I was there to find out more about the egg donation program. I needed to know the risks & benefits of the whole procedure. The clinic was very well furnished with modern sofas & contemporary tables. Not like the usual clinic ambient. I waited anxiously for my turn as the queue was long. This doctor must be good to have such a long beeline of patients waiting to see him.

Finally, my name was called. In the doctor’s room, I see a man in his 40′s, the famous Dr T. He was friendly and understood that it’s my first time at being an egg donor. He explained that he has done numerous procedures in the past decades & it is a very safe procedure.

I asked him some questions (most of them are found in FAQs) & he answered all my questions patiently. Most importantly, i am convinced that donating my ovums/eggs now would not affect future pregnancies. Those eggs would have been destroyed anyway, if not taken out & donated to others.

I was comfortable with his replys & confident about being an egg donor. I agreed to go ahead with a paps smear & medical check-up.