Last Shot: Triggering shot before retrieval

Today I went in for the same sonogram and blood work. My follicles are big enough and hormone levels right to trigger the retrieval. I found this sonogram picture at the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago which shows about how my ovaries look now. The black spots are follicles, and the one with the markings is mature.



This is the time sensitive part of the egg donation. This last shot - different from the ones over the past week - has to be taken *exactly* 35 hours before the retrieval. That means I will take mine tonight at precisely 8:30 and have the retrieval at 7:30 Tuesday morning.

Unlike the other shots, This one has caused me some discomfort on my last two retrievals. The injection site gets VERY sore, and I've found that I couldn't stand to have anything touching it for about 3 days. On the first cycle, where I had Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), it was sore for about a week, and bothered me almost as much as the other OHSS symptoms. When you take this shot, my advice is to put it somewhere that the waistband of your clothes won't touch it. That will save you some aggravation.

At this point, my ovaries are really big. I can feel them all the time, and when I go to the bathroom or move in a weird way, I can feel them readjusting themselves in there. This will last for a bit past the retrieval.

Overall, though, I'm excited. I really enjoy this part of the process. I'm an anonymous donor, so I never get to know anything about what happens with my eggs. However, I bring a congratulations card with me for my recipient family and write them a little note signed "Your Donor" at each retrieval. One of the people at the clinic keeps the card and gives it to them if they have a successful pregnancy. I feel so happy for the families who have kids this way, and the card makes me feel like I can share my enthusiasm at their success, even if I can't know about it.