From Olives to Oranges: An Egg Donor’s Bladder

A guest blog by an Egg Donor

I took the shots every day and didn’t really have too many side effects. I’d heard of others getting headaches or mood swings, but I actually felt really good while taking the injections. I felt fertile and beautiful and glowing. I knew every injection brought me closer to developing all those eggs and giving the ultimate gift.

As I got closer to the big day of retrieval I could feel my ovaries growing. I’ve heard it described different ways- someone once said it felt like goldfish swimming inside of you. I always thought it felt more like someone gently blowing bubbles. Whatever it felt like, there were definitely stirrings and things happening in the ovaries.  I began to feel very full and moved a bit slower than my usual spry self. During the very last few days, I felt like a penguin.

I suppose there is only so much room in your abdominal cavity and when those ovaries grow from the size of olives to the size of oranges the room my bladder normally takes up gets a little bit smaller. I go from “hmm… I think I have to pee soon” to “OMG I’M GOING TO DIE IF I DON’T PEE NOW”. I made sure I knew where every bathroom was wherever I went.

Having those follicles drained and those eggs collected made me feel a lot less full and by the time my period came a week later I felt pretty much back to normal.

It’s amazing what our bodies can do. A few of those little eggs pressing on my bladder became embryos and eventually became real live babies! Seeing the families I’ve helped create with egg donation has made every moment of discomfort worth it one hundred times over.