From our companion site, Ask Kate:

Q: I am currently researching whether I want to start donating my eggs, and I have a concern: I have a full time job that doesn’t offer a whole lot of paid time off.  Looking at the egg donor information section, I see that there are many AM doctor’s appointments.  How often are they?  Daily?  Weekly?  Is there ever an option for late afternoon appointments?  I really want to do this, but I don’t see it working if morning appointments are all that are available.  Can you advise?

A: It’ll be tough if your job is inflexible.  However, you chances of success are extraordinary if you sit down with your HR department or boss and explain to them that you need some leeway for upcoming doctor’s appointments.  There’s no harm in laying it out there, and you likely won’t even have to go into specifics.  That said, you will need quite a bit of time away from the office.  While most clinics do have 7:30am appointments, most doctors don’t arrive until 8:00am and you aren’t seen until 8:30 sometimes.  I never got to work before 8:45/9 on any given day of a doctor’s visit.  And these appointments have to happen first thing in the morning.  There’s no way around it.  You need to be monitored early in the day so that your doctor can make any necessary changes to you medication before you do your afternoon injection.  Also (and this is more unusual) I was at the doctor every morning during the last week of a few of my cycles because I ran the risk of overstimulating.  In that case, the doctors wanted to keep a very close eye on my estrogen levels and ovaries.

Not everyone can make this work, it’s a commitment and you have to make it a top priority.  Not doing so could jeopardize the entire cycle.  It’s very do-able, just make sure you have a solid game plan going in.  Good luck!!