In this Q & A, Dr. John Norian shares information for pregnant women and IVF patients regarding the Coronavirus.

About the AuthorDr. John Norian is a Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist at HRC Fertility. Connect with him on Facebook @johnnorianmd.

So, you have leftover embryos after IVF and you’re now feeling the emotional burden of having to decide what to do. You’re not alone. According to a 2005 study, 71% of couples had not decided what they were going to do with their unused frozen embryos after storing them for an average of 4.2 years.

If you have decided that you have no use for the embryos, have you considered the option of donating embryos to other couples or individuals?

Summary: Although embryo adoption is sometimes used interchangeably for embryo donation, they do not mean the same thing. There are important differences to note between embryo adoption agencies and embryo donation agencies, which we explain on this page. At Donor Nexus, we offer embryo donation cycles. If you are seeking embryos available for adoption, we encourage you to learn more about the differences between embryo donation and embryo adoption before choosing which one is right for you. 

Donor Nexus’ embryo donation program is ranked among the top in the world 

IVF Over 40 Success Story

For intended parents interested in pursuing IVF over 40 or single moms who want another baby or want their first baby, we are excited to share Mary's beautiful success story. Mary is a single woman over 40 who achieved her dreams of parenthood using donor embryos.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to understanding how to deal with infertility emotions. We understand the feelings of loss and grief you may be experiencing, and we hope these simple reminders will help bring you some comfort during this time, especially #6 as it’s the most important for all parents-to-be!

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Although the holidays are focused on celebration and joy, this time of year can be hard for many people. Specifically for couples or individuals who are having a difficult time on their family-building journey. If you are in the midst of pursuing IVF treatments and find yourself dreading all the touchy comments and questions by friends and family members this holiday season, this post is for you. 

How to Handle the Question, “When are you Going to Have a Baby?”

Did you know that Donor Nexus offers a Premier Egg Donor Program? This program is an excellent option for intended parents who are seeking an egg donor with specific desirable traits or characteristics. 

For many intended parents, choosing their egg donor can be one of the hardest decisions to make. There are so many different factors to consider when trying to find an egg donor, and sometimes the entire process can become overwhelming. It is easy to get caught up in the specific characteristics of each egg donor such as her hair color, height, education, and special talents. However, there are a few factors that are important to consider before you even begin searching for an egg donor.

Currently, the Donor Nexus online database features over 250 egg donors available to be matched with recipients.

Epigenetics has been a fascinating and growing field of study over recent years, especially because of the implications it has for patients using donor eggs or donor embryos. In this blog, we will give a quick explanation of what exactly epigenetics is, and the incredible connections it establishes between a donor egg or donor embryo recipient mother and her unborn child.

Essentially, scientific studies of epigenetics are revealing that the activity levels of some genes may be “dimmed” or turned up in response to other external cues from the environment - even in the womb! This means that as a donor egg or donor embryo recipient, your body still influences the gene development of your baby. 

A woman who donates her eggs so that someone else can experience the lifelong joy of parenthood is incredibly generous. Without a doubt, this gift has to be one of the most meaningful you could ever give, but it does come with some risks that you should be aware of. These tips will help you make the right decision and prepare you for what’s ahead: 

1. Learn Everything You Can Ahead of Time

I chose to become an egg donor out of the blue. It wasn’t something that I had planned (or even knew existed truth be told). My roommate did it and I saw how she was able to help someone start a family and it instantly warmed my heart.

Due to my ethnicity and background, I was sure there weren’t a lot of women who were open to donating. This was when I knew I should just go for it because people never truly know who has a difficult time conceiving and starting a family.

Egg donors may or may not experience short term side effects from the fertility medications. Every body responds differently to the medications. We do make sure that all of our egg donors are monitored carefully to ensure minimal to no side effects occur. If an egg donor experiences any sort of side effects, she may feel symptoms similar to PMS; headache, mood swings, nausea, and bloating. A common question we are asked is if egg donation reduces your chance of having children in the future.

Some egg donors are concerned that egg donation will diminish their natural egg reserve; however, this is a common myth. Research has shown there is no link between egg donation and infertility. During a female’s regular menstrual cycle, about 15-20 eggs mature naturally in the follicles before ovulation, and usually only 1 egg makes it through ovulation. The remaining eggs are unused and absorbed by the body. When eggs are donated, the eggs that are retrieved are the ones that the body would have naturally discarded. The medications egg donors are on only ensures that the eggs produced will be mature and viable.

Fertility, and specifically egg donation, is often a private topic. There are some articles online, but nothing really captures the joys and pains of donating your eggs. I have completed my second donation in six months and am looking into a third, and final, cycle with Donor Nexus.

Egg donation is an extremely rewarding process, as ultimately you are giving the potential gift of life. Knowing that you helped someone start or add to their family is unlike any other feeling. The minor discomforts are well worth the end result. However, any female looking into egg donation should be prepared for the process. Egg donation is a job. You must be prepared to sign on for all the elements of the process. Daily injections, eating right, not exercising, and abstaining from alcohol are all things expected of a donor. Dedication is key. Honestly, the daily injections are minimally painful and, when done correctly, have no bruising or bleeding. I almost look forward to my injections because it means I am one day closer to giving my eggs to the intended parents. Not all donors will

I have donated my eggs twice now with Donor Nexus and I plan on cycling again when I can! Both times went a bit differently for me, but I seriously enjoyed each one of them. Yes, it can be a lot to deal with – daily injections, doctor’s appointments, and things you can & cannot do – but in the grand scheme of things it really isn’t so bad. The injections seem intimidating at first, but once you get the first one over with you realize it isn’t so bad. For me, the injections went for 2-3 weeks and I felt some bloating towards the second half of it, nothing extreme or unbearable. As long as you’re making sure you’re taking care of yourself, fueling your body with protein & electrolytes and keeping healthy everything is all good! The procedure itself can also feel

intimidating at first, but the nurses make you feel so comfortable and it’s over before you know it. I literally woke up from the anesthesia the first time saying, “let’s do this again!” The greatest part of it all is that you’re helping change someone’s life.  I still don’t know if I want to have my own children or not, which is initially why I was interested in donating. I thought, there are so many people out there who are trying so hard to have children, but they just can’t do it on their own. I’m young & healthy, why can’t I help these people? I think it’s an amazing thing. So far, I haven’t heard if a pregnancy has come out of my donations, but I am so looking forward to the day that it does!

Becoming an egg donor for Donor Nexus was such a gratifying experience for me.

The entire process was so put together and organized, even when there were bumps in the road Donor Nexus’ staff was able to quickly and efficiently smooth out those bumps so that there was minimal to no stress on my part.

Being a first time egg donor, I didn’t really know what to expect through the whole experience. I knew what was going to go on based off what I was told and heard from some friends of mine. Going through the experience was very rewarding to me and made me feel great that I could give someone the chance to have a child and to experience what I do everyday with my children at home. Doing the shots and taking the medicine was no big deal for me because I knew I was doing it for all the right reason. The day of donation I was very nervous but once I got to the facility and talked to all the nurses and the doctor, they made me feel so comfortable. The process was very fast and I would definitely do it again in a heart beat for anyone!

I recently completed my second egg donation cycle with Donor Nexus. It was slightly different from my first time around because I only had to give myself the injections for 14 days, instead of 22 days. In the grand scheme of things, even though I sometimes had to give myself 3-4 shots a day, I preferred the 14 day cycle. After a few days into the meds the doctor decided to up my Follistim dosage. It had me worried that maybe my body wasn’t responding to the meds or that I may feel more severe side effects. But everything went great. The only side effect I experienced during the cycle was bloating and very mild stomach cramps for a day or two after the retrieval. The doctor retrieved a total of 22 eggs from me and I just received the news that the IP is pregnant. My heart couldn’t feel

more full. I’m so happy I made this experience possible for them and would do it again, if given the chance.

Egg donation is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. It started off with a simple interest. I’ve always loved helping people and thought this would be a great way to do so. I spoke with my husband to see his thoughts on this and he and I both agreed that this could be an incredible experience. I applied to Donor Nexus and within the month got an email letting me know they found me a match! I was ecstatic! I did my psychological screening and my medical screening. I was so nervous to see what the results may yield. It only took about an hour to complete each screening, but I had to wait a few weeks for my medical screening results. Once I got the news that I passed, I was then able to move onto legal contracts. I was provided a lawyer who went over everything in detail

with me. I got everything signed and began my medications. I must admit that I was nervous about this. I wanted to be sure I did everything perfectly. I had to self-administer injections for a total of three weeks before they did the retrieval. The only thing I can recommend is to be sure you keep good communication with your coordinator regarding medications and syringes. It’s better to give them notice and get what you need than to not realize until you’re completely out. Then came the big day! I had no idea what to expect. This is considered surgery and it definitely feels like a real surgery. I was in a surgical room with a gown, cap and little booties. They put in an IV and the anesthesiologist came in to explain that they give me a medication that will put me to sleep for a very