# When are you too old for Egg Share?



## RachL (Nov 22, 2002)

I am trying to find information for a friend, who doesn't have access to the net. She has been diagnosed with blocked tubes and endo. She is also 38 and wonders if she has left it too late to ask for help in starting her family. Can anybody help me to find more information for her?

Thanks

Rach


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## Mummytoone (Mar 23, 2002)

Hi Rach

Sorry I cant help you as Ive not done egg share at all and dont know much about it. I have heard a lot of the girls on here say that you have to be under 35 to donate your eggs, but dont quote me on that. im sure some of the others will be able to help more.
good Luck to your friend

Love Lou xx


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## RachL (Nov 22, 2002)

Thanks Lou

I have been looking on most sites and they all say the same. I will feel so bad when I have to tell her. I am ttc at the moment and have been diagnosed with pco although on a later visit to the doctor before I went on holiday he told me, without even examining me that it couldn't be possible that I had it.

I have spent most of today reading all the posts and have been crying for all the sadness there is. I hope you all have good news by now, as I know a lot of them were old posts.

Thanks for your help Lou.

Take Care

Rach xx


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## Mel (Jan 1, 2002)

Hi Rach,

I did egg share 3 years ago and they do normally stipulate that you are 35 or under to donate your eggs, i dont think there are any specific guidelines when it comes to the recipient, although im not really sure on that side of things. 
Different clinics use different guidelines anyway so it may be worth while if your friend rings a few clinics, or asks her GP.
I wish your friend all the luck in the world (i have no tubes and have been told recently that i have endo - IVF is our only hope too).

Love

Mel

x x x x x


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## peter (Oct 2, 2002)

Dear Rach,

I agree with everyone else on the egg share subject. HFEA has specfifc requirements which all clinics must adhere to, over and above these it is up to individual clinics.

Regards,

Peter



RachL said:


> I am trying to find information for a friend, who doesn't have access to the net. She has been diagnosed with blocked tubes and endo. She is also 38 and wonders if she has left it too late to ask for help in starting her family. Can anybody help me to find more information for her?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Rach


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## RachL (Nov 22, 2002)

Peter

Thanks very much. I had kind of figured that it was set in stone but had to ask. Thanks for taking time to reply though!

Mel
I hope your IVF is successful. It must be so hard to hear others good news!! This site looks like it is a very good sounding board for men and women. Keep up the good work!!

Rach


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## ask4help (Oct 29, 2002)

Hi,

I have donated my eggs twice now, once at 35 and again at 36. Apparently my eggs were of a good enough quality to donate at 36, also there is only a guiding age limit of 35; it is not written in stone. When I donated I had to fill in loads of forms and one of the things I had to say was to who I would like my eggs to go to, for example did the recipient have to be a certain age and/or of a certain marital status etc etc. Therefore so far as who the eggs go to I think it is partly up to the donor and then depends on the clinics own rules. If you check out the fertility clinics on the internet you should find out their own particular age limits.

I most certainly do not think that your friend at 38 has left it too late to receive donated eggs. The only problem I can see is finding a suitable donor - the waiting list for recipients at the clinic where I donated was 2 years and I am sure that is another reason why they brought me through again at the age of 36. I know that my recipients were very much aware of my age and on the last go there were two recipients who received my eggs.

Your friend should definitely get moving asap as the younger she is the more time she will have.

Wishing you and your friend every success.

Nadinecx


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## sharon oneil (Jan 7, 2003)

nadinec said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have donated my eggs twice now, once at 35 and again at 36. Apparently my eggs were of a good enough quality to donate at 36, also there is only a guiding age limit of 35; it is not written in stone. When I donated I had to fill in loads of forms and one of the things I had to say was to who I would like my eggs to go to, for example did the recipient have to be a certain age and/or of a certain marital status etc etc. Therefore so far as who the eggs go to I think it is partly up to the donor and then depends on the clinics own rules. If you check out the fertility clinics on the internet you should find out their own particular age limits.
> 
> ...


I have just read your reply to an email a while ago I am about to undergo egg/share donation can you please give me some information on it i.e. is it painful side effects anything you think may be important thanks alot

sharon oneil


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## ask4help (Oct 29, 2002)

Hi Sharon,

I am assuming that you are the donor here. As a donor you will go through the whole IVF procedure (just as if you were not donating eggs and paying the normal price for IVF).

I have done three cycles of IVF and have not found any of them particularly physically painful. I did experience some tenderness and bruising around the injection sites on my legs/tummy, although I would say it was more uncomfortable than painful. 

Giving yourself injections, especially for the first time, is not pleasant, although I would say to you to 'just get on with it' (in the nicest possible way). Just use firm smooth pressure and it should not hurt at all.

The monitoring of your hormones by loads of hospital appointments will be time consuming and that is probably the worst bit.

Egg collection for me was OK, although I cannot say for others.

I felt sick from the anaesthetic and apart from that did not even experience 'period like' pains. 

The physical side of the treatment is the easy bit, I feel. The emotions you will experience as each appointment with the nurses at your chosen hospital dawns may bring a raw nervousness - everyone of us going through the treatment must know what I mean - you wait to see whether the drugs have done their job in order that you may continue on to the next stage. Each stage is a relief but the next is quickly there to greet you. 

Try not to feel too alone as everyone of the women you will see at your fertility clinic will no doubt feel exactly as you do, although it is rare for the women at the clinics to discuss themselves with others in the waiting rooms who are almost certainly in the same boat. I found that side of it kind of funny/sad in a way, the very Britishness of it!

This site is brilliant and so helpful.

I wish you the very best of luck and will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Remember, keep your chin up and keep busy!

Good luck
Love
Nadinec
x


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## cathco (Nov 5, 2002)

Nadine

Thanks for all that helpful information. Please could you tell me how many times you visited the hospital for scans/tests between the pre-stim scan and the egg collection?

Also, did you have any side effects from the drugs - I'm worried that I will be able to carry on working?

Cheers

Cath


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## peter (Oct 2, 2002)

Dear Rach,

Your friend should see a consultant asap. It is not too late to start treatment.

Regards,

Peter



RachL said:


> I am trying to find information for a friend, who doesn't have access to the net. She has been diagnosed with blocked tubes and endo. She is also 38 and wonders if she has left it too late to ask for help in starting her family. Can anybody help me to find more information for her?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Rach


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## ask4help (Oct 29, 2002)

Hi Cath,

I think I visited for bloods and scans between 6 and 8 times on each cycle. I believe this to be a normal amount, although of course every person is different and the amount of times you personally have to attend may vary.

The annoying bit comes when you are close to the final stages and you are being monitored very closely. You really are hoping for the date to be set for egg collection and they scan and do bloods one day and say "we need to see you tomorrow" and there it goes - you have to go back the next day for the same tests.

However, as each stage of IVF is so time critical, and none more so than whether or not your hormones are OK and your eggs are of an optimum size to be ready for collection, it is obviously beneficial to you that they do call you back, if necessary, as the doctors/nurses do know best and if they believe that another day of drugs (or whatever) is beneficial to you then so be it. It may not happen to you, of course - it happened to me on two of my goes!

So far as your job is concerned, I carried on working as normal - with the exception of attending appointments. As I live in Hertfordshire and my appointments were in London, I more or less had to take a whole day for each appointment. I hope your employers will be as understanding as mine were, as IVF is emotionally very stressful and if you do have the added pressure of worrying about your job, it could be an additional burden on you, which I personally think could be very harmful (emotionally I mean), depending on what you do for a living.

My advice, and I can only go on how I felt, would be to carry on as normally as possible and keep yourself busy generally. 

I have horses and I kept riding and walking the dogs for miles, so there you have it, the drugs and so on could not have been that physically demanding!

I wish you every success and hope that you manage your treatment as well as I did.

Let me know how you get on and the outcome of your treatment. 

With every good wish.

Nadinec


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## ask4help (Oct 29, 2002)

Cath,

Sorry forgot to mention, after egg collection my tummy was rather large each time - sort of bloated, but not painful at all. I could not do my trousers or skirts up and I looked like I was 5 months pregnant (some wish!). 

My tummy went down completely after a week or two.

Nadinec


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## RachL (Nov 22, 2002)

Nadinec

Thanks for your posts they have been very informative. I was wondering if you would mind telling me which clinic you used so that my Friend can get herself an appointment there asap. It looks like there might be hope for her!!!! yippee!! 

Thanks again.
Rach


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## ask4help (Oct 29, 2002)

Hi Rach,

The hospital I went to was The Lister in London (Chelsea Bridge Road). I should forewarn you that if your friend wants a straight donor, there is about a 2 year waiting list. However, if she pays for part of some-one elses IVF treatment, she may be able to get on the egg share scheme, which if she could afford it, may be worth a look at.

Good luck.

Nadinec


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## RachL (Nov 22, 2002)

Nadinec

Thanks for that I will pass it on to her. I shall keep my fingers crossed for her!!!

Rach


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