By Alyssa Pence
Upon entering college, I had never donated anything before.
I have always had a big heart and wanted to help others in need.
I began donating blood at all the blood drives on campus at William Peace University. I found this so satisfactory and truly felt that I was making a difference in people’s lives.
After donating a few times, I wanted to do more. I looked into donated plasma and then soon came across donating my eggs.
That’s right, my eggs – produced by my ovaries, which will allow me to bear children someday.
After reading numerous testimonies and doing immense research, I embarked on the journey of becoming an egg donor.
This process was not easy and is not taken lightly. I had to complete 16 or more pages of genetic history, general information about both my maternal and paternal sides of the family and even describe in detail about how I acted as a child, which I needed my mom for, as well as baby pictures of myself and current pictures.
After completing and submitting the application, I then had to have an estrogen level test where they simply draw some blood that would tell me whether I have good chances of having children or not.
My levels were exceptional. After getting the “okay” with the first few steps, I was then placed in a “donor database” and had to sit and wait to be chosen by a recipient.
There is no way to to tell how long someone can sit in a database and can take anywhere from a few weeks to months, even years.
Two weeks. That’s all it took for me to get chosen. I was so excited that I was hand selected by a couple who thought I was such an upstanding person, on the inside and out, that they would want their children like me.
And so the process began. I had to get a genetic blood test done, a psychiatric evaluation and a baseline exam.
After all of these were completed, I had to begin a week long cycle of ovarian stimulants, go in for daily check-ups and track my estrogen levels.
Once they thought I had plenty of follicles -and big ones at that- they gave me a “trigger shot” and I was scheduled to come in exactly 36 hours later for the egg retrieval.
Full of emotions, happy ones, I arrived at 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, January 22, 2013, at the fertility clinic and was ready to give this couple what they have been dreaming of – a family.
The process was simple and painless and I was out of there, without my eggs, by 8:45 a.m.
If I had the chance to do it all again, I would. The act of giving and doing something that is so easy for me, that means so much to someone else, is amazing, heartwarming, and something that will be so cherished for years to come.
The family receiving my eggs sent a message to me through the fertility specialists that will eternally be in my heart: “Thank you for your kindness, spirit, and beautiful smile. We will be forever grateful!”
This is a great opportunity that not only leaves you feeling full-filled, but also comes with a large compensation.
Many college women become egg donors not only for the experience but, also for the money.
Eggs are special and limited to women, and they do not come cheap.
I encourage all women between the ages of 21-28 to look into this beautiful gift.