Most of our egg donors come to us on some form of birth control. This is normal and expected and most times has no impact on your donation journey. However, certain methods of birth control can cause your donation journey to slow down. Here’s a look at what those birth control methods include and why they’ll cause us to hit “pause” on your journey.
Depo-Provera.
More commonly referred to as, “the shot”, Depo-Provera delays the egg donation process for a period of six months. This represents the longest halt caused by birth control. If you are on the shot, we will ask you to discontinue use and contact us again in six months. The first six months following discontinuation have been shown to lead to a lower fertility return. We want to make sure there is ample time for all of the medication to exit your system before attempting to stimulate your body to produce a large number of eggs. You should also be having regular and normal menstrual cycles before we’re able to move forward.
Norplant/Implanon.
Commonly called implants, this method of birth control will delay your donation by about two months. Once the implant is removed, your normal hormone concentration will return within two weeks. A general guideline is to wait an additional four to six weeks to ensure that your body’s fertility potential is at its optimum rate before starting your stimulation cycle.
Hormonal IUD.
There are two types of intrauterine device used to prevent pregnancy. The first, Paraguard or other copper based products, may be left in place during the entire donation process. The second option is a hormone based IUD, commonly the Mirena. This type of birth control does need to be removed, but the process of removal will vary from person to person. Some egg donors may be able to leave the device in until their medical screening. Occasionally those with a low Ovarian Assessment Report (OAR) will need to have the device removed sooner and wait for two normal menstrual cycles to pass before we can move forward with the donation. The OAR is a simple test completed in order to give doctors the best possible assessment of your reproductive health.
If you have additional concerns about your method of birth control and how it will impact your donation you should speak with your admissions specialist. If you are interested in becoming an egg donor with Growing Generations apply here.