10 Reason to be an Egg Donor

The following was recently published in our December Donor Enews...just thought I would share!

Financial Gain

Egg donors are compensated generously for the time and treatment required. In a short amount of time donors can earn several thousand dollars, which can give them a head start on personal and professional goals.

Helping A Couple

Your gift will change the lives of a couple who yearn to be parents and are unable to do so without your help. Your donation will help fulfill the life-long dreams of one very grateful couple.

Positively Changing the Lives of Many

The lives you change go beyond just the couple you help. Their aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, mothers, fathers and friends will be excited about the new family member they have the opportunity to love.

Get the 411 on Your Personal Fertility

While going to have your annual checkup keeps you healthy, women do not know the inner workings of their fertility unless they undergo detailed treatment. Through the process of egg donation, doctors are able to do an evaluation of your fertility and gynecological health and inform you of any potential roadblocks - or conversely set your mind at ease.

Join the Thousands Who Have Donated Before You

Sharing the Wealth Makes You Feel Good

Truthfully, you likely have more eggs than you will ever need. Rather than not use them at all, you can share the wealth and feel good about the positive impact you are making.

There is an Egg Donor Shortage

There are more families that need egg donors than there are egg donors available. Quite frankly, you're in demand!

Learn About an Interesting and Exciting Industry

The more you learn about the fertility industry, the more you will want to know. We have seen this with countless donors and couples. The intricate science and cutting-edge techniques have turned many into fertility industry followers and even fertility industry professionals. Just ask Egg Donor Coordinator Melissa Braden!

Make an Impact

The disease of infertility affects over seven million people of child bearing age. You can make a direct impact by personally changing that statistic through egg donation.

Good Karma

Karma has been described as such: "for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant." By becoming an egg donor you are giving yourself a strong and powerful dose of good karma - who wouldn't want that?

Log on and get started NOW...www.fcidonor.com

We want to hear from you...

Yes, you, we want to hear from you!  Have you donated with us in the past?  Are you currently a donor with us?  We would love to blog about your experience since every experience is different.  Also, if you're thinking about becoming a donor and are on the fence about, we would love to hear from you as well.  Sometimes talking to our staff or other donors can ease your mind about the process as well as get your questions answered.  Our staff at FCI is always there for you to answer any questions you have.  Please do not hesitate to visit our website at www.fcidonor.com, it is loaded with tons of great information.  Also, I would personally love to hear your story or questions, please email me at danielle.swanson@integramed.com. 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Comes to A Close!

As breast cancer awareness month comes to a close, I just wanted to share with you what FCI has been doing for it's patients to help.  Click Here to read about the amazing things that FCI is doing!  

We are not just using fertility preservation for breast cancer patients, but rather patients with any type of cancer. 

I have had loved ones pass from cancer but defiantly have the "that would never happen to me" mentality about it, which I know is not true.  As I head into my 30s it has become a scary reality that it can happen to me!  I was surprise to hear at my last pap exam just this week that since I am in the < 30 range they would be running extensive test for cancer cells or anything abnormal that they felt could potentially lead to cancer.  The plus side of hearing this news was that if you get the "all clear" you only need to have it done every 3 years, however it made me feel one step closer to the potential of having cancer or knowing someone who does.     

Why I Became a Donor!

I know that I already touched on this a little in the first section of my donor story, but thought that I would revisit what it was that made me become a donor.  I know that the first thing was the money, I fantasized about what my family would use it for, what we would pay off, how much it would help us get through this tough economy, etc. 
However, once filling out the application, turning in my pap and photos and being thoroughly pre-screened, it became so much more.  Once you get into the heart of egg donation it is hard to get back to "I'm just doing it for the money."  Don't get me wrong, the money is always and will always be a good thing, but there is so much more to egg donation that you only get from going through the process yourself. 
I think that the light bulb went on during my pre-screening psych appointment when she asked me, "why do you want to be a donor?"  I lead with the money thing but soon found myself talking about the meaning it would bring into my life.  I was a new mom and on cloud nine and just couldn't imagine for a minute not being able to experience motherhood. 
As a woman, our bodies are made to reproduce and carry a baby to term.  Imagine if someone told you that you were broken and wouldn't be able to carry your own child, give birth, have a first birthday party...the list goes on and on.  For someone outside looking in I think we just hear infertility, but for the hundreds of couples and individuals struggling with these issues they hear no baby, no giggles, no family...etc.
Being a mother is the single most rewarding thing that I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing and being an egg donor isn't too far behind on that list. 
Everyday woman are told that their dream of a family is simply that a dream, you can help make this dream come true.  We are in need of new donors everyday to fulfill the growing needs of our patients.  Please log onto fcidonor.com and find out how you can become a donor with us today.

What to do first...?

I know that when I was thinking of becoming a donor for the first time I really didn't know where to turn.  Our website, www.fcidonor.com,  is very helpful and has a quick and easily survey to fill out to see if you are eligible to be a donor with us.  We do have some height and weight requirements as well as you have to have a resent clean pap.  Once you fill out the online form you will receive one of two responses from us, basically accepting or denying you as donor. 
If you do get an acceptance email there will be an application attached for you to fill out.  It can be intimidating at first to fill out all that medical information as well as the family history but it's worth the time it will take you.  Once you return that to us with some photos, and your pap, we will review the application and if we like what we see then we'll set up a time to have you come in for a day of pre-screening.  Our pre-screening process takes about 3 hours.  At this appointment you will meet with our in house psychologist and be evaluated, have a physical exam, blood workup, genetic testing and an internal ultra sound.  We do advance you $300 from your final $7,000 at this time and the check should arrive to you within days of your appointment.
Results from this day will take at least 2 weeks to receive back and in some cases can take longer.  If everything is ok we will then upload your profile to the website to be viewed by our patients.  Since we have more patients looking for donors then donors, the time between when you're put on and when you're picked is usually very short.  From start to finish, once you are picked by a patient, the process takes about 3 months or so.  As I mentioned before, I have donated with FCI two times in the past and would be happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.  I can be reached via email at danielle.swanson@integramed.com.

Will Donating Now Have An Effect On My Fertility Later?

Many questions arise as potential egg donors consider the possibility of providing eggs to an anonymous recipient couple. Questions naturally arise as donors learn that they will be taking injectable medicine in order to generate multiple eggs during a single donation cycle. When the normal pattern in all reproductive age women is that only one egg comes to maturity and ovulates each month, it's logical to question whether retrieving multiple eggs during one cycle, will eventually result in decreased future fertility of the donor.

The good news is that there is no evidence to suggest that donors will experience a decreased potential for fertility and/or childbearing by donating eggs. A well documented decline in fertility naturally accompanies aging in women, and the occasional egg donation cycle among otherwise normal cycling women does nothing to alter their long-term fertility. By the same token, women may wonder that if by taking birth control pills and therefore inhibiting ovulation, they may have a longer fertility potential, but that is also false. The major correlation with fertility over an individuals' life-span is age and age alone.

In fact, the number of eggs any female has occurs even prior to birth. Female infant ovaries, at approximately 20 weeks gestation, contain roughly 5 million eggs. When the child is born, the ovaries contain roughly 2 million eggs. There is always a gradual decline throughout the life of the young female child such that by puberty, the ovaries contain roughly 400,000-500,000 eggs. Over the course of a woman's childbearing years, only about 400-500 eggs actually make it to maturity and get ovulated. The vast majority of eggs never reach maturing and never ovulate, but are gradually absorbed by the body between puberty and menopause. However, the age of maturity is 51+ years, and no evidence to date suggest that the use of fertility medication or egg donation will decrease the egg reserved to any degree that results in premature menopause. 

Jane Nani, M.D.

Fertility Centers of Illinois

Written by Jane Nani, M.D., FCI Medical Director,

2nd Time Around Part 4

So there I was going to Lindenhurst everyday, feeling boated and uncomfortable!  But at least I wasn't driving to the city, thank god for FCI's multiple locations!  Finally the day came, and man was I ready.  Unlike last time I was uncomfortable the majority of the time and just really crabby, which I am sure my husband loved!  But I assure you that the $7k was well worth the discomfort that I went through. 
The retrieval went just fine and this time 20 eggs were harvested.  I was told by the doctor that this was most likely why I was more sore and uncomfortable this time, but again, well worth it.  Also, something else happened this time that didn't the first.  Right before they took me back the doctor came in and went over the routine stuff with me like before but then took my hand and thanked me for doing this on behalf of the patients.  This really touched me.  Don't get me wrong, I was well aware of what an amazing thing I was doing and felt great about it, but there is something to be said for someone else giving your good deed some recognition.  I went home feeling ok and this time with pain medicine.  Spent the rest of that day resting and doing absolutely nothing at all.  The following morning I awoke to the worst period like cramps ever, took some pain pills and back to bed I went.  Throughout the whole day I felt really bad but by evening was feeling a little more myself and by the next day getting even closer to normal. 
Even though my recovery took longer this time and I was in more discomfort from start to finish I wouldn't take it back for the world.  I gave someone the chance to have a family, which without me would not have been possible.  I am moving on to trying for my second child and will be retiring from egg donation as I am getting too old LOL : ) (No really I am getting too old)!