Intercourse and alcohol use while donating your eggs

Hello, I’m in the middle of the my egg donation process and wondering if I can continue to drink alcohol occasionally even if I’m with the trigger shots for ovulation induction. And also could I have sex with my partner at the same time? As for this question, the psychologist at my clinics says I could, but it’s risky and she warned me not to have sex while taking the shots. I asked my gyn for a second opinion and she agrees w/ the psychologist, guessing I’ll have no choice but to refrain from sexual intercourse, or at least using a barrier method. Am I right? TIA xx

Dear Lucy Jr,

As for engaging into sexual intercourse while donating your eggs, you should know that it is a non-advisable practice indeed. For example, a condom breakage could lead to the need for canceling the whole process in order to avoid the risk of getting pregnant with twins or more. It could even cause the twisting of an ovary. To sum up, having sex is not recommended until you have had your eggs retrieved, and your next period has started.

Regarding alcohol consumption, well, no donor should drink alcohol while donating her eggs. Again, once the egg retrieval has taken place, you can resume for your usual habits, including alcohol use, but not earlier, as it could have a negative impact on the quality of the eggs you produce. Smoking or consuming any type of drug must also be avoided, since it may have a negative impact on egg quality.

I hope I have been able to help,

Regards