Egg Donation

Many couples struggling with infertility are having a hard time getting pregnant because of an egg quality issue they can't seem to overcome. Egg donation is one way to help these couples fulfill their dream of having a baby of their own. Many egg donors consider the positive emotional impact of egg donation a valued addition to their compensation, citing the knowledge that they've helped someone have a family as highly rewarding.

For any couple or individual who cannot use their own eggs, an egg donor can help make the dream of a baby come true.

What is an Egg Donor?

An egg donor is a young person, usually between the ages of 19 and 30, who donates their healthy eggs to an individual or couple known as the intended parents for them to use in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle in the hopes of having a baby. The intended parent will carry the pregnancy that results from the donor eggs or they will have a gestational carrier (surrogate) carry the pregnancy. Donors typically receive financial compensation for their egg donation, with the amounts varying by area, clinic, and individual legal agreements.

Egg Donation FAQ

If you're considering becoming an egg donor for couple fighting with infertility, you probably have multiple questions on how to donate eggs. Read on to learn about the process through these frequently asked questions (FAQ).

Question #1: How Do I Become an Egg Donor?

The requirements will vary depending on the clinic or agency you apply to. In general, to become an egg donor, you'll need first to complete a family medical history form. This will be a thorough questionnaire on your and your family's medical history. Most clinics or agencies will also want a recent photograph submitted. A reproductive specialist will review your information, and if approved, you'll be contacted to set up a consultation.

At Advanced Fertility Care (AFC), to qualify as an egg donor, we are looking for young women between the ages of 19 and 30 who reside within the Phoenix metropolitan region and have dependable transportation to our office. Additionally, candidates must be non-smokers, abstain from psychoactive or recreational drugs, have no past issues with substance abuse, and have not been diagnosed with Chlamydia or Gonorrhea in the past 12 months. Furthermore, responsibility, ability to follow instructions, and meeting height and weight requirements are also important factors considered during the screening process.

You'll receive in-depth explanations of the egg donation process, including required medications and lab testing. You may be required to meet with a psychologist to discuss the psychological aspects of being an egg donor. You'll receive instruction on properly administering the required medications, some of which may include self-injection.

Question #2: Is Egg Donation Safe?

There are risks associated with any medical procedure, but there are currently no documented long-term risks involved in egg donation. There is a potential for side effects from the medication used to stimulate egg production and from the retrieval process itself, but the risks associated are low. Before a person can begin the egg donation process, they receive consultations with qualified doctors who provide specific information on the possible risks.

Question #3: What is the Time Commitment for Donating Eggs?

After acceptance as an egg donor, the process doesn't usually begin until you're matched with a recipient. Once that happens, the time requirements will usually involve up to six or more clinic visits over a two-week period. This may vary between individual clinics. The fertility clinic you choose will cover the time commitment in your pre-donor consultation. You'll need to arrange time off from work or school on the day of the actual retrieval because you'll require sedation for the procedure.

Question #4: As an Egg Donor, Will My Identity Remain Anonymous?

Donors generally fall into two categories: known to the recipients or unknown (anonymous.) Whether your identity as an egg donor is revealed to the intended parent(s) will depend on the clinic's policy or the agency involved. With recent advances in genetic and DNA testing, and its widespread use, it is no longer possible to assure our egg donors that you will remain anonymous, even if you yourself don't do one of these DNA tests. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends a discussion of the considerations for egg donation with a mental health professional before treatment begins.

Question #5: Can I Donate My Eggs More Than Once?

There are no strict rules governing how many times a person can donate eggs, but programs and state laws often limit the number of repeat donations. On average, this limit is a maximum of six times. The reason for this limit is to curtail the number of children possibly created from a single donor. Since these children will be genetic half-siblings, the limit on donations is to decrease the already small chance they could meet as adults and develop a relationship. This hypothetical situation would raise health concerns for their potential offspring.

Question #6: Will I Be Compensated for My Egg Donation?

Egg donors are typically compensated for their donation, and medical expenses are at no cost. The amount of compensation varies widely, depending on the clinic or agency used. Payment is usually not made until the completion of a donation cycle. You can request a copy of the results of pre-donation medical screening tests for your own records or give it to your primary care physician for his/her records.

At AFC, egg donors' compensation starts at $5,000. Donors who participate multiple times can earn up to $30,000 by donating eggs up to six times.

Question #7: What Are My Legal Responsibilities to Any Child Born?

When you sign the documents agreeing to donate your eggs, you give up all rights and responsibilities associated with or connected to the eggs retrieved from you. You have no legal responsibilities for or rights to any child born because of the use of your donated eggs.

Question #8: Does Egg Donation Cause Early Menopause?

No, there's no evidence that donating eggs or using the medications required for egg donation triggers premature menopause. Human ovaries contain a large number of eggs at the time of puberty — between 400,000 and 500,000. Only 400 to 500 of these actually develop to the point of ovulation. That leaves, at the least, over 399,000 "spare" eggs.

In a natural cycle, you only ovulate one egg but there are other eggs that could potentially have been ovulated that month if they had been given a chance. In any egg donation cycle, the eggs we obtain are eggs that would have "died" that month anyway, so we are not depleting your egg supply but rather rescuing eggs that would have been lost.

Question #9: Does Egg Donation Cause Infertility?

Egg donation has been possible for over 25 years. Studies over the years have shown no increase in infertility among those who donate eggs over those who don't. During a person's normal monthly cycle, only one egg is released during ovulation. The rest that matures during that cycle becomes non-viable and no longer available for fertilization. The egg retrieval process simply removes the eggs that would not be utilized during that month's cycle.

Ready to Be an Egg Donor?

If you're ready to give the gift of parenthood to someone else, apply to become an egg donor today.

Reach out to our team at Advanced Fertility Care if you have any questions about egg donation.

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Navigating fertility challenges is a long and complex process that millions of people face every year worldwide. It is for these reasons that if you are going through challenges with fertility you will have numerous questions that need answers. Questions come up anywhere between how painful will the process be to questions about bonding with a baby conceived with medical help. For those who have chosen for one reason or another to utilize an egg donor to improve conception outcomes, one of the most typical and recurrent questions asked is "if I use Donor Eggs Will The Baby Look Like Me?" The short answer to that question is this; it depends. There is not a simple answer to this question much like there is not a simple answer to the question "will i love my donor egg baby?"

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Most are quick to say the answer is no when they are asked, "does a baby conceived via donor eggs resemble birth mom?" However, a simple 'no' is the wrong answer. What does it depend on exactly? There is a number of factors that independently and collectively influence how much donor egg babies will resemble the birth mother physically. A major factor playing a role in this is the means of which you use to choose your egg donor. The most commonly used method of doing this is to use an agency to search for a donor. Egg donors who donate through agencies are heavily screened and evaluated in aspects such as physical features, personality, family history, health records, etc. What this does is allow recipients to search for and browse through donors, enabling the recipient some autonomy in what the door looks like, how their health is, what their family history shows, what skills they have, etc. By having control over the physical features of the egg donor, you then have some control over the physical features of the donor egg babies. In a way, you are able to choose what will make your babies personality and what predetermined traits they will have. You can even take it a step further and use some natural methods to increase your chances of having a specific gender.

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Another practice frequently seen with egg donation is when the recipient receives donor eggs from a biological family member of theirs. While reasons to use this method vary and are not isolated to physical appearance, one reason is to ensure that the egg donor baby will carry some portion of the same DNA as the recipient. This method does not always guarantee that the child will resemble you, as even genetically related full siblings can come out not noticeably resembling each other in physical appearance. Even without the presence of fertility challenges and interventions, often times physical traits can be known to skip a generation as well. So when using this method for picking out your egg donor, the answer to the question of "if I use Donor Eggs Will The Baby Look Like Me," is that they probably will but there are no guarantees.

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Even if criteria based searches through an agency and family member donation are not used, there is still no guarantee that your egg donor baby will not look like you. There is also the possibility that you will be asking yourself, how is it that my donor egg baby looks like me? Due to recent research and development in the area of fertility, it has been discovered that even if the egg has completely different genetic material then the recipient, they still have influence on the genes of the baby between conception and birth. This is all thanks to the embryonic fluid that the baby lives in for nine months. Micro RNA's or molecules that double as a communication system between the mother and the baby actually have the ability to moderate the presentation of the babies genes. However this process is not isolated to just physical trait genes, but also has an influence on personality genes, reproductive predispositions when it comes to the possibility of multiples, and genes that carry disease from one generation to another. Armed with this information, you now have a better understanding on the topic if someone were to ask you about "how my donor egg baby looks like me."

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Often times having no certain answer to questions about interventions for fertility challenges can stop a recipient from considering egg donation as an option. Now when your nosy Aunt Gertrude asks you "does a baby conceived via donor eggs resemble birth mom," you can soundly answer yes and know how to back that up with facts. After having read this information you can also silence doubts associated with having a baby that is not your DNA. You will be able to bond with your baby and have peace of mind that the answer to the question "will i love my donor egg baby?" will always be yes.

Are you interested in donating your egg or sperm? Well, it is a good idea when you can assist the couples with no children to have one. Most times the people who opt to use donated eggs and sperms are those with the inability to produce their own. Infertility treatment cannot work on individuals without any functional ovaries or uterus. Egg and sperm donation is an anonymous and free activity that you can do to help others.

Where Can I Donate Eggs/Sperms?

When you start thinking “I want to undergo the egg donation procedure”, the first thing would be to visit a fertility center near me. An advanced fertility care clinic is the best place to go to when you want to begin orale steroide the process. There are various checkups you may have to undergo before finally donating the eggs or sperm. The first thing the medical experts will do is to check your overall health and review your genetics. The fertility clinic Phoenix AZ will help get you started with the fertility egg donation.

The Legal Considerations

How does egg donation work? It first starts by understanding the legal implication that comes with your commitment. The legal requirements will help avoid future complications and issues that may arise. Uniform Parentage Act (UPA) dictates that children born out of donations have their rights. You as the donor will need to sign an agreement with the medical facilities receiving the egg/ sperm.You will need to relinquish any ownership over the egg or the sperm after giving it away. Confidentiality is another document you will need to adhere to in the contract. You will have no parental rights or responsibilities. The recipients of the egg or sperm will have the financial and legal responsibility for their children.

The Process

Straight to the question, “how do you donate eggs?” The process begins with you applying for the program. You then have to undergo screening and testing to make sure you have viable and healthy eggs. You have to pass the screening test to qualify to donate.

• Egg/Sperm Donor Matching

Most hospitals would want to keep the process anonymous. The donor will decide with the doctors if they're going to pick you as a donor. You will then receive notification to come to the hospital and start the process.

• Ovarian Simulation

The procedure entails injecting you with daily medications to suppress the natural cycle. The process stimulates your ovaries production as you remain under close monitoring. Meanwhile, for the recipient, she will prepare for the endometrial lining. The endometrial lining helps in making her ready for the implantation process after transfer. She will receive doses of estrogen and progesterone to help with that.The doctor will trigger ovulation in the recipient once the eggs have developed to the required maturity. Donor IVF procedure will allow the doctors to retrieve the eggs from your ovaries. The ovary will fertilize with the sperm in the laboratory. The doctors will then incubate the fertilized egg for some time before transferring it.

• Transfer to recipient

The doctors will likely transfer the fertilized egg to the recipient after 2-5 days. Meanwhile, the doctors will continue running some tests on you to make sure your recovery is going on well. After two weeks, the doctor will conduct a pregnancy test on the recipient to make sure the procedure was successful. Our program has proven to be one of the most successful in the country for this.

• Frozen Donor Egg Program

FDEP is another type of procedure that donors use apart from the conventional method described above. In FDEP, the process of monitoring, screening, and retrieving the egg happens before donor matching. The donors can then choose from the frozen eggs already collected. Learn more about our long term program.