Lele’s Egg Donation Journey 💕
An unexpected life event made me realize at the age of 25 that I would eventually need to consider egg freezing. However, because of the cost, I kept postponing it until I was 28.
One day, while chatting with my best friend, she suggested that I could donate eggs first and then use the nutritional compensation to help cover part of the egg freezing cost. We were only joking at first, but after I went home, I held my phone and thought about it for a long time. Finally, I typed “egg donation” into the search bar, and that was how my connection with Yun-I began.
On July 4 this year, I received a phone call from a nurse at Yun-I. In a gentle tone, she asked about my health condition and explained that during the egg donation process, aside from the first registration fee, I would not need to pay any additional costs. So, we arranged the examination appointment that same day.
In the days that followed, Yun-I became closely connected to my life. I am very grateful to every kind nurse, who gradually gave me the courage to face blood tests and injections.
The first time I visited Yun-I, the comfortable environment and private atmosphere quickly eased my nervousness. Talking with the nurses felt like chatting with friends I had known for a long time. When I met Dr. Li, he also made me feel very comfortable and approachable. Quietly, I made up my mind that one day, I would also come back to Yun-I for egg freezing.
After three follow-up visits for AMH testing, chromosome analysis, and health evaluation, my information was submitted to the Health Promotion Administration for review and matching with a recipient mother.
What surprised me was how carefully and thoroughly the government handles the matching and screening process.
It took about two months from receiving the examination results to being successfully matched. My period started on October 25 this year. During the first two weeks from the first day of my period, I returned to the clinic about three to four times. The main purposes were blood tests for hormone levels, ultrasound checks for follicle count, and ovulation injections to help this batch of follicles grow well 🥚🥚🥚 hahaha.
There was one time when I could not return to the clinic as scheduled. The nurse patiently taught me how to inject myself at home and carefully explained how to avoid symptoms of ovarian hyperstimulation caused by a higher number of follicles. As expected, before egg retrieval, I did not feel any significant abdominal swelling or pain. Instead, I experienced the largest bust size of my life 🤣🤣
On the day of the procedure, November 6, I arrived at the clinic at 9:20 a.m. I had my own small room, which felt very thoughtful and comforting. It did not feel like I was about to undergo a procedure at all.
Egg retrieval is performed under ultrasound guidance, using a special egg retrieval needle through the vagina to collect the eggs. There are no external wounds.
Aside from remembering the anesthesiologist’s preoperative explanation and Dr. Li’s encouragement, I completely lost memory of the procedure itself and felt no pain at all. I woke up in the recovery room at around 10:55 a.m., with only mild abdominal bloating. The nurse explained that this was a normal reaction after ovarian stimulation, and that the bloated feeling usually disappears within a week. Dr. Li also prescribed pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication for me to take at home.
Because I had to fast for 8 hours before the procedure, Yun-I thoughtfully prepared a sports drink, oat milk, and breakfast for me after I woke up.
Now, let me talk about how I felt after the procedure. That was probably the only period when I truly realized I had undergone a medical procedure 🤣
Aside from some pain after going home on the day of the procedure, for about three days, my lower abdomen felt similar to the second or third day of my period combined with a long period of constipation. There was a noticeable heavy and bloated feeling. Starting on the fourth day, my lower abdomen no longer felt swollen, and the breast tenderness gradually disappeared and returned to normal.
After that came my final follow-up visit, where the clinic checked my postoperative recovery and I received the nutritional compensation for egg donation 🤗
👉 Sperm and Egg Donation Registration