It's 1 a.m., your stomach keeps filling, and a deep breath feels tight.
The consent form named OHSS but never said what it feels like.
Here are eight symptoms, sorted into "call" and "go now."
Screenshot it now, or before your next trip.
1. Bloating that keeps growing (call the clinic tonight)
Bloating shows up for plenty of donors.
The signal is which direction it's heading.
One donor described looking three months pregnant.
Another sat alone in a hotel while fluid filled her abdomen.
If it's growing hour by hour, call the after-hours line.
You aren't bothering anyone.
That's what the line is for.
2. Fast weight gain on the scale (call)
Weigh yourself daily, same time, same scale.
Write the number down.
One donor said she gained 15-20 lbs of water weight.
A written log lets you tell the nurse exactly what changed and when.
Fast gain means call.
Keep the log open when you dial.
3. Vomiting or being unable to eat or drink (call)
One donor said she "couldn't eat, couldn't drink" during her recovery.
If you can't keep fluids down, call.
Another donor felt terrible for five days, with vomiting, and never went to a hospital.
Her symptoms still deserved a report.
A symptom can be real without needing an ER, and a call puts it on record.
4. New pain that's sharper than before (call, and ask directly)
Pain that feels different from the soreness you expected deserves a call.
One donor spent three days in the hospital with ovarian bleeding.
Another needed surgery to control internal bleeding after retrieval.
Ask the nurse plainly whether this pain could be bleeding.
If the nurse says come in, go.
5. Trouble breathing, or a tight feeling on deep breaths (go now)
If a full breath feels tight, this is your line.
One donor, after a 63-egg retrieval, ended up alone in a hotel with fluid filling her abdomen.
She struggled to take a deep breath.
Another said she was "literally drowning to death" from fluid around her lungs.
She spent four days in an ICU.
Don't wait it out.
Go to the ER now, then call the clinic from the waiting room.
6. Chest pain (go now)
One donor had 43 eggs retrieved, then went to the ER with chest pain.
Chest pain goes straight to the ER.
Skip the phone tree.
Don't drive yourself.
Order a ride or call emergency services.
7. Fainting, near fainting, or being unable to stand or walk (go now)
If you faint or nearly faint, go.
If you can't get up and walk, go.
One donor lay in bed for two weeks, unable to walk.
She only learned afterward which symptoms to watch for.
You get the list first.
If you go and it turns out to be nothing, you've lost an evening.
Local ER doctors may not know donor care, though, so the last item matters most.
8. The one thing to get in writing before you start
Ask your clinic to write down its own thresholds.
Which symptoms mean call, which mean ER now, in their words.
Nobody keeps a national count of donor complications in the US, so the clinic's written line is the best rule you can get.
Ask for a named after-hours contact and a number that gets answered.
Ask who pays if you're admitted, and whether the clinic covers emergency care.
Ask what happens to your payment if you pause mid-cycle.
Send it by email, so you have it in writing.
Asking isn't being a difficult donor.
You're planning for the outcome everyone hopes for, a smooth cycle that helps a family.
A clinic that welcomes hard questions is telling you something.
Local ER doctors may not know donor care.
One donor said they "didn't know what to do or how to treat me."
So carry the written plan, the nurse's number, your weight log, and your retrieval date.
Ask the ER to phone your clinic.
Screenshot this list, then send that email.
If you're mid-cycle, call the after-hours line and ask now.