Egg donation and losing weight

Scandinavianblonde
Scandinavianblonde Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I have a strange question seeing as how this only affects women and probably only a handful of people in here can properly answer me. Anyway, I'm on a weight loss program and I am also an egg donor. I am going to be donating in the month of April to a lovely couple who wants kids but can't have them because of their age. I have read everywhere that weight gain is a possibility but no one can tell me if it is a certainty. Two egg donors I spoke to didn't gain any weight throughout the whole process. One severely restricted what she ate to 1100-1200 calories while the other said the meds made her too nauseous to eat. The medication for those who don't know what it is, are concentrated hormone injections which make you mass produce eggs. My doctor told me weight gain is plausible but not guaranteed and that it is all water which leaves the body after you go through the surgery where they take your eggs. I can't back out and wouldn't over something so trivial. Just wondering if there are any egg donors on here who can let me know what I can expect and how much if any weight I will gain? And if dieting to 1200 calories will prevent that weight gain ( since I'm not allowed to exercise during the process). Thanks !

Also please don't answer if you don't know the answer ! Thank you

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Are you talking about Gonal-F or other drugs like it? I took it and did not gain weight. Didn't lose weight either. However, there is no way that you can generalize our experiences to make an assumption about what yours may be. As your doctor said, it might happen but it's not guaranteed.
  • DaisyHamilton
    DaisyHamilton Posts: 575 Member
    I was always under the assumption that you were born with as many eggs as you were ever going to have, so how is there a medication to "mass produce"?
  • WJS_jeepster
    WJS_jeepster Posts: 224 Member
    Instead of one (or two) maturing in a month, the meds make hopefully a few mature simultaneously.
  • WJS_jeepster
    WJS_jeepster Posts: 224 Member
    I've done the meds for IVF, and they didn't make me gain weight. On the other hand, I was so stressed out that I probably wasn't eating normally either and I was running a lot of miles.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    No clue about the process I'm afraid, but this is a really kind thing you're doing for them and I hope it goes well for all concerned.

    I wouldn't restrict yourself too much. Any weight which might go on as a result of the hormones you can take off later. Looks like by the end of next month it will all be sorted so I wouldn't think you could gain any more than a few pounds, which may well be water weight like you say? I'd just keep an eye on your intake so you know you aren't going wildly over.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    Every body reacts to the hormones differently. Once you've completed the donation process and gotten your body back to it's natural balance, any weight you gain, if any, should fade away. By the way, I think you're doing a wonderful thing!
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    There is no one answer--you are going to have to wait and see how your body responds.

    As long as you are careful and paying attention, you should be fine.
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
    First of can I say that you are doing something absolutely amazing for that couple! Be prepared for the hormonal roller coaster that will be injecting yourself with a ridiculous amount of hormones. The chances are that during the process you probably will gain some weight and balloon a little due to hyperstimulation of your ovaries. I gained on both occasions I went through IVF (the first time about 4kg (8.8lbs)) some of it stuck but not all of it.

    That weight that stuck was probably due to the moods wings and the general feeling crap that the injections cause, I didn't exactly feel like wanting to stick to my diet plan if you know what I mean, the rest was water weight and ballooned ovaries.

    The one thing I will advice you is to drink absolutely loads when it gets to the egg collection, you don't want ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome ugh!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    DaisyHamilton wrote: »
    I was always under the assumption that you were born with as many eggs as you were ever going to have, so how is there a medication to "mass produce"?

    Lol. Good point. It's not mass production, as in creation of the eggs. The meds stimulate egg growth. You're born with all the eggs. Normally each month some of them start maturing and then one is released during ovulation. With egg donation you have meds that suppress the maturing until the right time. Then you have meds that stimulate egg maturation. Then more meds to release the eggs from the follicle walls. Then they retrieve the eggs with a needle.
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
    I've just finished my 3rd round of IVF so probably have a similar protocol to what you will be doing. I bloated like mad but put on 0 pounds over those 3 cycles in a matter of 5ish months. Don't drastically cut calories and just keep up your workout regime as much as possible. Yeah, you're gonna look bigger for several weeks but it's due to the hormones, growing eggs, and then the bloat after the egg retrieval. Be kind to yourself and just know it's not true weight!
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    I can't answer your specific question, but as a mom to a miracle boy via IVF with a donor egg....thank you. Your gift to that couple is the most amazing gift they will ever receive. I hope everything works out and the procedure is sucessful!
  • Laura_Dennis12
    Laura_Dennis12 Posts: 3 Member
    I did a round of IVF in February and did not gain any weight at that time. My doctor did say not to try to loose weight though because that will affect your body's response and possibly the amount/quality of eggs. I didn't feel like I changed my eating habits any but I did also have to stop high impact exercise. It's my understanding things like walking/swimming and other low impact exercises are ok up until retrieval. After retrieval I wasn't allowed to swim and you'll likely still have swollen ovaries and will need to continue low impact exercise.

    That's a wonderful thing you are doing by donating your eggs. Try not to stress about gaining weight, just try to eat a healthy diet and it will all work out!
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member

    @Scandinavianblonde thanks for the gift you are giving and I hope it all works well for all parties. It amazes me how much others will do to help fill a deep need that otherwise would go unfilled. The others covered the range of answers to your question well. Again thanks for what you and others like you are willing to do.

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