A New Nest

A few days after the break up I started searching for new opportunities as an egg donor. There are plenty of fertility clinics in Maryland, but I had trouble finding one that didn't lead me straight back to Shady Grove's donor application site. I felt as though I had been blacklisted in the entire state. I decided to apply to a clinic in a nearby state, and have had great luck working with them so far. I am officially on their database!

The application process was pretty similar to that of SG, but with a few interesting additions. I went through the typical blood work, ultrasounds, interviews, social worker visits... the works. I also had to get professional photos done - Glamour Shots!! (Paid for by the clinic.) Probably a little excessive, but the donor coordinator assured me that the girls who have them done typically get picked sooner. The most interesting part of the application was the audio interview. The questions were pretty basic - Who is your role model in life? How would you describe your personality? Goals in life? etc... After listening to my tape, and maybe a few from other donors, I realized how much you can really learn about someone just from listening to their voice. What a great idea...

After spending a few months working with the new and improved clinic, I feel a little cold towards SG. I never really felt like the doctors there truly cared about my well being... Saying that I felt exploited might be a little much, but I definitely feel like Clinic B has my interest and the recipient couple's interest equally balanced. During one of my first ultrasounds with SG, Dr. Yazigi noticed a small cyst on my right ovary. Laying vulnerably on the table and hearing this was both scary and shocking. Before I had an opportunity to ask whether I should be concerned, and whether I would still be going through with the donation, the Doc's were pretty much out the door and shooing me off. After doing my own research, and contacting my own OB/GYN I learned it was nothing to be concerned about.

While applying to Clinic B, I requested copies of my entire medical record from SG. Almost 50 pages of paper work documented every phone call, every email, blood test, ultrasound, etc. I knew from a previous blood test that I had high cholesterol, but it had been a few years since I got an updated test. Apparently SG had tested my cholesterol 5 times throughout my time with them, and each time it came back high - I had no clue. Not once was I ever told that I should be concerned by my test results. This was not the case with Clinic B - every time a test result came back good or bad, my donor coordinator emailed me an update with genuine concern.

Needless to say, I am glad I have found a better clinic to work with.