Egg Donation and My Personal Tax Hell

I have been avoiding writing this post for over a year now; I am so full of love and joy when I think of the gift that I have been able to provide so many families with. I am writing about the anxiety and disappointment that I now feel about the after effects of this process.

I am happy and healthy and otherwise pleased with my decision to donate eggs. I am not happy with the way that the financial compensation works. After researching the process for months I was under the impression that the compensation was not taxable income. I was wrong, very wrong.

After completing each cycle I was given a check, out of each check I rewarded myself with a reasonable gift; purse, massage, skates, etc the rest of the money was used to pay various bills. I paid off a couple school loans and paid down a credit card still left over from college. I wasn't using this money to go on vacations, purchase extravagant items or buy a fancy car, I was using it to make life a little easier. What I didn't realize is, the IRS categorizes this money differently. It's taxed at a very high rate- essentially they want 33% of what I brought in- when the compensation gets into the thousands this is devastating.

I have now been audited twice- I was quiet and did not blog about my issues in 2011 with my 2010 taxes; i cried- i stressed- i refiled- i paid BIG and I moved on. I have been audited a second time and the IRS wants what I feel is a very large sum of money for 2011. After deducting tolls, gas, wear and tear on my car, missed work (not to mention the toll on my body) I actually don't make any money on these donations. Each requires upwards of 12-16 trips to the clinic (over an hour away), missed work, injections, tanks of gas, keeping my body healthy, etc.

I have been researching this online and spoke with a tax lawyer (through a work program last year)based on this I shouldn't owe anything I should be able to write off everything from gas, tolls, vitamins, missed work, etc and not owe the IRS a damn thing. I just don't know how to make any of this happen- the tax software I am wrestling with isn't set up to deal with egg donations.

I am very anxious, very stressed and looking for some advice. I have reached out to a friend that prepares taxes. Instead of dealing with this on my own I hope he can help with the whole deductions and tax law stuff.

Egg Donation Round 6

I started the egg donation process a few weeks ago. After my period in February I began taking birth control pills so the clinic can regulate my cycle with the recipients. After 3 weeks of pills I began taking Lupron . This is supposed to repress my body's usual menstrual cycle. I administered this through injection in my stomach- I could have administered the shot in my booty or thigh, I choose the stomach each time.

After my first ultrasound the clinic discovered that I have a few oocytes (eggs) growing in my ovaries , my body should be producing one, maybe two eggs at a time, I have at least three maturing. Also the lining of my uterus is getting thick, this means that I should be ovulating soon and having a period. The clinic ups my Lupron dose in hopes of stalling the egg production. I return the following week and I have even more oocytes! Some how my body began producing a bunch of eggs with out the hormone injections.

The clinic isn't sure why my body has decided to do the work for the clinic- they decided to mail me an HCG shot- this will cause the eggs to mature and make my body ovulate so I can can restart the cycle.

I am getting ancy- I want my period so I can get this show on the road. I was hoping to be done by the end of April. Oh well, you can predict nature or control it fully, right? I called the clinic today, the fertility nurses said that my period should come 7-10 days after the shot. I took the shot last wednesday. If I haven't bled by then I have to call. I'm crossing my fingers that all is well.

Each cycle I usually take some of the money and I buy myself a little gift- like skates, a purse, boots, etc. This time I have to pay taxes! That is a whole other story- one directly related to my egg donations. I am going to make a separate post about that. Egg donation = hard work, egg donation = extra cash, egg donation = MUCHO TAXES, approximately $2400 worth of taxes from 2009. I will write about the taxes in a post titled, the IRS can kiss my hormone injected/bloated/baby making ass. :)


*photo- one of the MANY bruises on my belly from this cycle

Hello Aunt Flo I've Missed You! (updated)

Wow it's not often a gal is this excited to get her period. Either a gal's period is late and she's afraid she's pregnant or she needs her period before she start some fertility treatments.

I've become paranoid about my cycles since I began donating eggs. I feel so good about giving someone a shot at being a parent, the money is SO helpful- but I am worried about my own ability to get knocked up someday. Everything that I read about fertility after egg donation seems to say that I will be fine. Some sources even say that the whole process of egg donation is too new to know for sure. I know that I want to do this a few more times before I become ineligible due to age. 32 is the magic number, after 32 I can no longer be a donor. So soon after my 32nd birthday I'm thinking I might like to have a wee ginger kid of my own.

A few years back 30 looked really far away, now its almost here. That means that 32 is just around the corner. I don't think I have the baby urge, unless you count getting other ladies pregnant. I'm not ready for my own wee one, but I think I'd like one someday. Up until a couple of years ago I didn't want any. I've come a long way, my mom is thrilled.

I called the fertility clinic this morning around 9am to let them know that I still didn't have my period. I don't want to waste their time with another visit if they are still waiting for me to bleed. Around lunch time today I had cramps. I was actually getting excited about menstrual cramping. A little while ago I finally got my period it wasn't going to come early for anyone. This clinic wanted it 3 weeks ago, my uterus decided that it would bleed when it was ready (or the progesterone shot finally worked).

I'll be back in the saddle tomorrow morning! I will try to update y'all tomorrow night.

Update: 9:26pm I came home from dance class and I tell my BF that I finally got my period. He says "oh honey, your uterus is no longer holding your eggs hostage, now you can start the rest of the shots" I love that man, yup my uterus was holding mt reproductive cycle hostage.

Oh I've been slacking and round 6.

It looks like I started a cycle a few months back and dropped off the face of the earth. I will try to be better this time. My last cycle was awesome, the same issues popped up. I had a cyst and had to have it drained, ick. It's basically par for the course at this point. I missed a day and a half this time of work after the retrieval, my number 1 problem was the problem with number 2 again. If that is the worst of my problems constipation is a small price to pay.

I began preparation for my sixth cycle in September, I began with 2 packs of birth control pills. My Lupron Shots began after that. I am currently on .10ml of Lupron one time daily by injection before bed. I have been at the clinic twice in two weeks for baseline blood tests and ultra sounds. The blood tests were good to go, but I have another cyst and the lining of my uterus is super think. I need to shed it before I can start the next round of shots. Since my body isn't cooperating I was given a shot in the butt of progesterone oil. This is supposed to help regulate my girlie parts and cause the lining to shed (i'll get a period). I'm so bloated and cranky. I also feel bad that i am holding up the show, so to speak. I want my period NOW, but the shot could take up to 10 days to work its magic.

I have an appointment at the clinic on Tuesday, if I haven't started my period by Monday morning I have to call them and likley reschedule until I have my period. I'll be bummed if i have to wait. I am pretty sure the recipiant and the lab will be bummed as well.

I will try to be better when it comes to updating the blog this time around. I want to make sure I share all the fun with all of you.

"Super Fertile Derby Girl" The Short Film

The Chosen One

So a couple months ago I announced that I was selected to help another couple make a ginger baby. This cycle was going to be a "double" which means in order to cut costs for the recipient I would undergo the treatments and 2 couples would split the eggs. Due to my "high quality" reproductive materials each couple would end up with loads of viable eggs. I was chosen by one couple and they were waiting to find another couple. As of a month ago they hadn't found an additional couple.

Last week I received an email asking me to donate again. I'm game! I am not sure if I am doing the double, or if this is a new couple. I've been selected 6 times for this process. This will be the 4th cycle I've started.

New week begins the birth control pills, followed by a couple of appointments to check out my bits and pieces, they want to make sure that I am in tip top shape. Cycle begins in June, with a retrieval date in July. Can't wait, hopefully everything goes smoothly. I will be skating/competing during this cycle.

More to come!

sorry traffic was a little backed up, i was late dropping the browns off at the superbowl

Ok here goes.

I am four days post retrieval and I still feel, pardon the pun - shitty. Or lack there of. I called the clinic this morning and they confirmed what I learned in some online articles this weekend. Sometimes this procedure, or more so the sedation can cause bowels to slow. Ugh.... I didn't want to write about this, but this will support my case that egg donation is not easy. It's time consuming, painful, inconvenient and it temporally upsets the lives of family, friends and co workers. This is why egg donors are compensated the way we are.

So back to the down and dirty, I haven't been able to go number 2 in days, somehow number 2 has become my number one priority. I've been eating salads, using benefiber, trying to walk / some ab exercises, massaging my tummy, applying heat all to get stuff moving. Nothing works, I am still super incapacitated.In between seemingly crippling pain in my belly I am googling phrases like "constipation after retrieval" "what does it mean when I rabbit poop" "what side do you lay on to relieve constipation" and so on. Basically I am "shit" outta luck till I can get my bits to work properly.

Yesterday the long suffering BF bought me some "poop tea" a natural laxative, i drank a cup of it and waited for the magic to happen. Other than some horrible gas, nothing. I was still distended and unable to walk upright. It still felt like I was going to explode. Oh boy, happy valentines to him! this was not how we wanted to spend the day. He's amazing, super supportive and super adorable to boot.



I decided that it might work over night, so I went to bed, hoping that the tea would help by dawn. Nope, wrong again. So now I've moved to the heavy guns, the laxative, some nasty pink pill that I have had sitting in my medicine cabinet for a long time. Get me a little tipsy I might tell you about that horrible experience, although when I bought that I had no clue what real constipation really was. It's now approx six hours later and I am waiting. I've felt a little gurgle here, and little gassy there, all false alarms.

Don't worry, when it finally happens I will leave out the nasty details, this post has at least been funny and somewhat informative.

To top all of this off, I am going through a set of pajamas a night and a set of sheets, hot flashes (night sweats) started on Wednesday. Wednesday was the first full day I went without the hormones, they have gotten worse as the days have progressed. This unlike the constipation is usual for me and the egg donation process. It usually takes me two weeks of soaking the bed with sweat until I am back to normal. The difference is this time, the BF is here full time, trying not to drown or cook because of this overheated ball of hormones. Again he is wonderful, helps change the sheets, washes the laundry and brings me glasses of cold water to rehydrate myself. I don't know what I'd do with out him.

He woke up at 7, so he could get ready for work (not all gov't employees have the day off, like I do) as soon as he got up I moved to his side, his non-sweaty side of the bed. He returned to kiss me goodbye an hour or so later and i had created a perfectly mel shaped wet spot in the bed. I soaked the fitted sheet, the top sheet and the light blanket on top. I am a sweaty mess, he gave me a kiss and told me to rest up. Oh and had me drink some more water. He was off to work.

I took the sheets off the bed tossed on some new pjs and snuggled in with a blanket on the bare mattress, to my surprise I soaked the mattress pad too. An hour later I woke up and had sweat through the pjs. At least the mattress was ok. Nothing feels better than a hot shower after you've sweat out 1/2 your body's water. Oh wait, going number two might feel better!



I didn't think to get a pic of the spot, but this is my generally tidy and relaxing bed all rumpled up, until I get the cover and blanket out of the dryer.

a Side note, that seems funny now but not at the time.... the first time I experienced these night sweats I thought I was peeing the bed. It didn't smell like pee, but it covered me from the waist down nightly after the first retrieval. I went to Rite aid and bought some incontinence briefs and wore one to bed. It was dry the day morning but the rest of me was soaked. that was a relief but I wasn't happy about the night sweats.

Thanks for reading....