Recovery

The recovery from the retrieval proved to be my least favorite part of the cycle. I developed a moderate case of OHSS and wasn't able to even stand up straight without a knife-like pain in my ovaries and side stitches in my rib cage for a week. I even had to cancel a job interview! Of course I was terrified that I would somehow end up in the hospital and have to tell my parents about the donation. Luckily, that didn't happen.

All in all, I was happy and proud that I had donated. There was something very gratifying about being able to give a childless couple hope that they might become parents after all. A day after the retrieval, I received a lovely thank you note from the intended parents, along with a gift card for a book store. I cherish that note and still look at it once in a while, nearly three years later. 

I enjoyed my first cycle and loved the intensity of the experience, although it was also stressful. I moved abroad for a job soon after the donation and did not think I would donate again. I was wrong....