My protocol was simple: 225 IU's of Gonal-F every evening, and a Ganirelix shot after Day 6. Gonal-F comes in the shape of a pen with a tiny, tiny needle to be attached, and I can't say that I ever even felt the needle go in when I did the injection on my belly. I was so relieved after my first shot that I laughed out loud. Ganirelix was not bad either.
I was a somewhat slow responder so I ended up stimming for almost two weeks, a bit longer than is common. I didn't really feel anything going on in my belly until two days before the retrieval, when I started to feel like a big stuffed goose. My hCG shot was subcutaneous (in the belly), so it wasn't a big deal after 2 weeks of the other injections.
I found the almost daily ultrasounds to be far more uncomfortable, particularly as I got closer to the retrieval date. During the last u/s, the technician noted that I had "tons" of eggs. I found that disturbing and at that point just couldn't wait to get rid of them!
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I'm considering donating; could you tell me more about feeling them in your belly? I'm a little concerned... did you look different? did it affect your activities in any way?
ReplyDeleteHow often did you have to have blood drawn? That's a major factor in my decision go through with this!
ReplyDeleteDear Golden Goose,
ReplyDeleteI am Lara Jacxsens, a PhD student in Philosophy and Moral Sciences at Ghent University, Belgium. Together with Professor Dr Veerle Provoost and Dr Michiel De Proost, we are conducting a study to understand the experiences of egg donors and have included your blog in our study because we believe that your blog offers invaluable insights for our research. If you wish, we can provide you with more information about our study. You also can contact us if you would want to withdraw your blog from our study.
With kind regards,
Lara Jacxsens, PhD student
Lara.Jacxsens@UGent.be
Veerle Provoost, Professor
Veerle.Provoost@UGent.be
Michiel de Proost, Postdoctoral researcher
Michiel.DeProost@ugent.be