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Egg Donor Medication

Egg Donors use the same medication as all other fertility patients undergoing IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). The fertility specialist will carefully plan the sequence, dose, and schedule of administration for each Egg Donor and a specific calendar will be set up to guide the Egg Donor throughout the process. The Egg Donor will be instructed on how to self-administer the medications with small needles, which are injected into the fatty tissue off either the thighs or abdomen.

GNRH AGONIST – Leuprolide Acetate

Drug names: Lupron

Frequency: One injection per day for approximately 12 days, then one injection per day in conjunction with gonadotropin therapy for a total of approximately 22 days.

What does it do? The administration of GNH agonist medicine like Lupron is used to prevent the release of eggs and to control some of the female hormone levels. Specifically, it affects the pituitary gland and results in lower luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the body. This approach is used to achieve a more uniform and predictable response to the IVF medicines and reduce the likelihood of an egg donation cycle being canceled.

Is it Safe?
Extensive studies on non-human primates, as well as limited human evaluations, suggest that leuprolide acetate is harmless. The medication is rapidly (within hours) eliminated from the system upon discontinuing administration.

Possible Side Effects (no long-term side effects have been reported)

  • Moodiness
  • Hot flashes
  • Headache
  • GNRH Antagonist

Drug names: Ganirelix acetate or Cetrotide
Frequency: One injection per day or every 3 days taken with gonadotropin therapy. Usually it is added after being on the gonadtropin therapy for 4-5 days. It is taken for approximately 5-6 days)

What does it do? This may be used instead of the GNRH agonist medicine Lupron to prevent the eggs from ovulating during the stimulation and also allows for more control of the cycle. It is a newer medicine and is not given for as many days as the Lupron.

Follicle Stimulating Hormones (FSH or Gonadotropins)

Drug names: Gonal F, Bravelle, Follistim, Memopur, Repronex)
Frequency: One injection per day for approximately 10 days)

What does it do?
FSH is the very same hormone produced by a woman’s body to mature the eggs within the ovaries during her reproductive cycle. Each egg in the ovary sits in a sac called a follicle. In the treatment of egg donation, FSH medicine is given to developing many sacs or follicles and thus make many eggs. The more ovarian follicles produced, the greater chances are for a successful outcome.

Possible Side Effects (no long-term side effects have been reported):

  • Headache
  • Moodiness
  • Fatigue
  • Bloating

Rare Possible Side Effects OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) The incidence of severe OHSS is 1-2% of IVF cases. OHSS means essentially that the body has “over-responded” to the FSH and the ovaries become excessively enlarged. Great care is taken by the physician to minimize the chances of this occurrence. Treatment for this condition may include hospitalization and a minor procedure. Forgoing proper treatment can result in extremely serious complications including blood clots and stroke. Also, there is a rare risk of the ovary tearing open or twisting on itself so decreasing physical activities during the time on the FSH medicine is important.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG or “Trigger shot”)

Drug Names: Ovidrel, Profasi, Pregnyl
Frequency: One injection approximately 34 hours prior to egg retrieval

What does it do?
hCG is the name of the pregnancy hormone and is produced by the human placenta. The purpose of administering hCG is to mature the eggs before they are retrieved, like when the sun ripens a fruit. Once the follicles are the right size, then the egg inside needs to ripen or become mature so hcg medicine makes this happen. It is very important to take this because without it, the eggs would not be usable for IVF.

Possible Side Effects (no long-term side effects have been reported)

  • Headache
  • Moodiness
  • Fatigue
  • Bloating

For More Information About Being An Egg Donor, Contact Us Today

EDSI (Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute) is a leading surrogacy agency and egg donation resource in Los Angeles. Starting in 2002, our agency always has a focus on making surrogacy something that is attainable for all families. We work with Egg Donors and Surrogates to make dreams come true – and help those women earn some extra money too.

Being an Egg Donor has many requirements, including limits on what medications you can be taking. If you have any questions or concerns about being an Egg Donor while taking a certain medication, feel free to reach out to our team. We are here to answer any questions for you and work so that you can be an Egg Donor if you want to be one. As always, your best interests are our focus.

Throughout the surrogacy journey, we recruit Egg Donors and Surrogates to match them with Intended Parents. From there, we seamlessly orchestrate the fertility journey through pregnancy and delivery. We make it a rule to be active problem solvers and advocates for our clients, making their experiences pleasant and hassle-free.

Contact
Egg Donor and Surrogacy Institute (EDSI)
8624 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(866) 344-3662