Becoming an Egg Donor

Thank you for showing interest in our egg donor program. You are giving a wonderful gift to couples who may not be able to have children of their own.

If you are a couple looking for an egg donor, click here.

Egg donation candidates are required to fill out our egg donor application forms. The application will need to be returned to the clinic via mail, email or hand delivered to the office. A photo should accompany the application form. It is very important that the application forms are answered completely. Click here for instructions on how to fill-in and submit our egg donor application forms.

Egg Donor Application Forms (PDF format)

Egg Donor Application Process

An ideal donor must be between the ages of 21-32, be height and weight proportionate, attractive, and reasonably intelligent. No history of psychological problems with in the family and no history of genetic health conditions. All egg donor candidates must be physically and emotionally healthy. Non-smoker and drug free, and at no risk to all infectious diseases.

Once determined that an egg donor has met the entry qualifications, a medical history form will be mailed to you for your completion. This includes: Medical history on the egg donor herself, siblings, mother, father, grandparents (both maternal and fraternal), aunts and uncles.

An infectious disease questionnaire will be included in the egg donor's application. All questions must be answered completely and honestly.

Testing will be done for all infectious diseases, drug screening, and basic endocrine testing (TSH, Prolactin, FSH, LH and estradiol) as well as a complete blood count. Vaginal cultures will be obtained as well as a baseline vaginal ultrasound.

Legal Consents/Insurance

Egg donation is anonymous. Your identity is kept very confidential. Both the egg donor and recipient couple will need to sign consent forms. This is a legal contract. The consent forms protect the egg donor as well as the recipient couple.

Travel/Hotel Accommodations

If you are from out of state and must travel and stay in a hotel, all cost of airfare and hotel accommodations are paid by the recipient couple.

What the egg donor should expect during the donation process

DONORS ARE EXPECTED TO BE COMMITTED TO THE PROGRAM. Egg donation is a very emotional and financial process. The infertile couple has spent a lot of time and money before reaching this step. The egg donor is expected to be reliable and responsible once accepted. The egg donor is expected to have frequent office visits, exams, and travel. Medical appointments must be kept and instructions are essential and an important part of the egg donor treatment process. Any egg donor with a partner must be screened for infectious disease as well. It is very important that the egg donor abstain from sexual intercourse during her cycle of donation, until after the egg donor has started her menstrual cycle after the egg retrieval. This protects the donor from infection as well as pregnancy. Multiple gestation (multiple fetuses) is also a risk for egg donors.

Compensation

All donors are compensated for their time, effort and travel. The recipient couple pays for compensation. This compensation must be reported to the IRS. Compensation to the donor is $3,000.00 and is paid at the time of completion of the egg retrieval process.

Screening Process

You will be required to undergo screening and a full medical work- up as well as a psychological evaluation.

Medical screening includes, vaginal cultures, baseline ultrasound, infectious disease blood tests, and basic blood testing as mentioned above. The infectious disease testing is done twice. Once at the initial screening and then again within seven days after egg retrieval. If applicable, your husband or partner will be tested for the infectious disease screening. The FDA requires all infectious disease screening.

Psychological evaluation is also conducted. You will discuss the issues of egg donation and to evaluate that there is no family history of psychological illness.

Medication and Monitoring Process

The monitoring process requires frequent office visits. These visits are done in the morning during the medication stimulation process. At these visits, the egg donor will have vaginal ultrasounds and blood work done. The clinic informs the donor that day of her blood test results and her instructions on her medication dose and when to return to the clinic for her next exam. Approximately 5 to 8 visits to the clinic are to be expected prior to the egg retrieval.

The egg donor is placed on birth control pills at the onset of her menstrual cycle. The recipient will also be placed on birth control pills. This allows the two to be synchronized in their cycles.

The donor will be instructed to use a medication called Lupron®. This is an injection that is given everyday. The route of administration is by use of a small needle of ½ inch going into the subcutaneous tissue. This injection can be given in the abdomen or thigh. Lupron® is a hormone. This medication can cause side effects which includes, vaginal dryness, headaches, hot flashes, mood swings, and irritation at the injection site. Some donors using Lupron® will not experience any or all of the side effects. Lupron® is a medication that puts your body into temporary menopause. Lupron® helps your body get into synchronization with the recipient.

Lupron® injections alone will last anywhere from 10 to 14 days, and will make you have a period. Once the donor starts her period, she is then asked to come to the office for an ultrasound and begin the follicle stimulating hormones.

Follicle Stimulating Hormones

Follistim®, Gonal-F®, Repronex®, Menopur®, Bravelle®. These are medications that stimulate the follicles of the ovaries to maturity. These injections are given subcutaneously with ½ inch needles. Some medications come in a pre-filled syringe or mixing is required. All instructions on the injections are given in detail and adequate training is done to make sure that the donor is giving the injections correctly. It is recommended that you have a friend or family member join you in your training class so that they may assist you in injections if needed.

This cycle of medication will last approximately 10 days, along with taking the Lupron® injections at a lower dose than the previous starting dose.

Side Effects of Fertility Drugs

Side effects include: being emotional, bloating, irritation at the injection site, and slight nausea. Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is another side effect that can occur, which rarely happens. Signs of Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) are: abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, shortness of breath, and ovarian pain. In severe cases of Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation, the ovaries become enlarged and disproportionate, twist themselves, cut off blood supply and damaging, or killing the ovary. Again this is a rare complication. Close monitoring of the egg donor is imperative. Treatment in cases of mild to severe OHSS is with IV fluids, protein such as albumin, and rest.

Once the follicles are stimulated to a size of approximately 17 mm in size or larger, and estradiol levels are in range you will be instructed to stop all your medications and take a hCG injection (trigger shot).

hCG Injections

hCG is a hormone that will cause you to ovulate. This injection is given into the muscle using a 1-½ inch needle. It is very time specific. Side effects of human chorionicgonadatropin include: pain in the pelvic area, headache, bruising at the injection site, irritation at the injection site and Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome. After taking your hCG injection, you will return to the clinic for egg retrieval.

Egg Retrieval

The egg retrieval process is done using sedation. An IV catheter is inserted into the hand or the arm for route of anesthesia. This is conscious sedation, amnesia like. The egg retrieval process takes about 15-30 minutes. Once the egg donor is sedated, a needle is inserted through the vaginal wall into the ovary, this is all done by ultrasound guided needle aspiration. Each follicle is aspirated (fluid from the follicles) and is given to the embryologist to check the fluid under microscope to see if there is an egg present. All eggs retrieved will be placed in an incubator for insemination of sperm later that day.

You will remain at our clinic for a minimum one hour to recover. YOU MUST HAVE SOMEONE WITH YOU TO DRIVE YOU HOME. You will be given discharge instructions.

Post Egg Retrieval

It is required to have a follow up visit with the fertility specialist in one week. At this appointment you will have a vaginal exam with cultures and blood work. You will get your period in this time frame.

Take the first step to become an egg donor with us today! View and download our egg donor application forms.

 

Last updated: August 11, 2008
Reviewed by Dr. Rachel McConnell and her medical staff