Egg Donation Update & FAQs

Several weeks ago, I had repeat labs to check the status of my FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and AMH (Anti-Müllerian hormone) levels. Click here to read my previous post about my initial labs and ultrasound. We rechecked these labs (with my functional medicine nurse practitioner) because we wanted to see if things were improving as more time passed since weaning Archer.

The results are in, and things are looking a bit better! My FSH level is now 11, which is at the desired level of <16 that the fertility clinic wants. This is important because if my level had remained too high, my body wouldn’t respond to the medications to develop the follicles (the sacs that contain the eggs) in the ovaries.

My AMH level is improving as well. It is still below optimal at 0.75 (above 1 is what they are looking for), but it is better than it was and I am hopeful that it will continue to improve with time.

The plan now is that I will go back to the fertility clinic in March and have an ultrasound again to check for follicles and repeat the labs. Fingers crossed things will look good and we can move forward with egg donation.

Since I had the initial labs in November, I have been going to acupuncture about every other week. My nurse practitioner is also watching my thyroid closely and has given me some replacement because I was a bit low. I also take several supplements for overall health and egg health/fertility (a few of them are linked below). I would like to say I have eliminated sugar, but that is an ongoing battle!

Sleep remains a challenge with my kids, but I will say things are slightly better. Archer has been sleeping until the 5 o’clock hour the last couple of weeks. Never did I think I would refer to 5:30 am as sleeping in! I am making a point to try to get to bed earlier at night since that’s the time the kids seem to sleep the best, although I admit this is difficult since I crave some quiet time in the evenings without them.

We also wanted to answer some frequently asked questions that we have been getting about this whole egg donation thing. Feel free to reach out if you have additional questions for us.

FAQs:

After Lindy donates the eggs, what is the plan?

If Lindy is a good candidate, the first step is seeing how many eggs are harvested (that seems like an odd thing to say about one’s body!). If the fertility clinic deems the number to be high, they would split the eggs in half. Then half would be sent for fertilization with Jeff’s sperm for Casey and half for fertilization with Brandon’s sperm for Jamie.

Is Lindy planning to be a surrogate for either sister?

No, Casey and Jamie are both hoping they will be able to carry their own children. If this isn’t possible, we will examine our options, including surrogacy if needed.

Is it weird to consider giving your (Lindy’s) eggs to be fertilized with your brother-in-laws’ sperm?

Not really. I don’t really think too much about that part. I feel like once I can (hopefully) give them the eggs and they are fertilized, those embryos become theirs. I am the closest that Jamie and Casey can get genetically to themselves, so it’s only natural we would try to use me. It sounds kind of Jerry Springer-ish, but really it is just getting a little help from science. As I’ve said all along during this, donating eggs to them is the most tangible thing I can do to help their situations, and I know they would do it for me if things were reversed.