The Egg Donor Process: A Step-by-Step Overview

Deciding to become an egg donor is a tremendous act of kindness. The process can be overwhelming, and you may have a lot of questions before you apply. You may not even be sure if you qualify to become an egg donor, so first, let’s look at the qualifications to become an egg donor.

In order to be considered as an egg donor candidate with Family Source, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be between the ages of 20-30
• Be overall healthy
• Have a BMI (Body Mass Index) between 18-28
• Have a minimum of a GED (higher education preferred)
• Be willing to take medications via injection
• No nicotine or illegal drug use
• Have had a pap-smear within the last two years – results must be normal
• Know at least one half of your genetic makeup/family medical history
• Have reliable transportation (you will have several appointments as you get closer to the retrieval date)
• Not have had the Depo Provera shot for at least 8 months
• Not be on (or be willing to remove) Nor-plant/Implanon/Nexplanon birth control device
• Have a genuine desire to assist a couple or individual in creating or adding to their family

Once you’ve established that you could be a candidate, the next step is to submit an application. Yes, the application is lengthy, but it’s important that we have all of your genetic history in order to match you with the appropriate recipient parent(s). Don’t worry, if you can’t finish it all at once, you can save your application and come back to it later!

The Intake Phase

If your egg donor application is approved, you’ll get an invitation from our Egg Donor Team to take part in the Egg Donor Intake Webinar. During this webinar, you’ll spend about half an hour learning about the egg donor process.

You’ll need to provide our team with at least 20 quality pictures of yourself that we can share with potential parents who might select you to become their donor.

We’ll also need a copy of your driver’s license or other photo ID, and a copy of the results from the most recent Pap smear you’ve had. If you’ve donated eggs before, you should also be prepared to provide us with a copy of the donation record.

Once we have all of these items, we’ll send you some documents to sign before we create and display your profile in our egg donor database, which is viewed by potential recipient parents.

The Matching Phase

It’s important to be patient during the matching phase. Waiting to be chosen as an egg donor can be a long process, but keep in mind that there’s no single recipe for the perfect egg donor. You are as unique as the recipient parents who are looking for a donor. Some recipients base their donor choice on physical characteristics, while others are interested in specific personality traits. You may be chosen quickly by someone who is seeking someone with your exact qualities!

Now is the time to decide if you want to have an open, semi-open, or closed egg donation. We’ll make it clear on your profile which type of donation you’re open to.

This is a crucial step in the process because it defines what type of contact you’ll have with the recipient parents after your donation is complete. If you choose to have a semi-open egg donation, you’ll get some basic information about the potential parents, such as names and ages. And if you choose open egg donation, you can meet with the potential parents virtually or in-person to learn a little about each other.

Medical & Psychological Screenings

Once you’ve been selected by a recipient, you’ll undergo a medical screening to ensure you’re in healthy physical condition and are in fact a good candidate for donating eggs. This process involves a medical professional evaluating your reproductive health by giving you an ultrasound, testing for STDs and genetic diseases, and checking your hormone levels.

You’ll also participate in psychological testing to ensure you’re mentally and emotionally ready to donate eggs. Additionally, our team will help set up life insurance and health insurance policies, ensuring you’re covered in case any medical issues occur due to the egg donation process.

After your screening is complete and you’ve received approval from both the fertility clinic and the psychologist, our team will help you get a contract set up and reviewed by an attorney.

Donating Eggs

You’re ready to start medications for your egg donation cycle! You’ll need to be able to self-administer shots to prepare your body to produce eggs. During the two weeks before your retrieval, you’ll need to be monitored by the fertility clinic to be sure that your body is responding to the medications and to keep an eye on the development of your eggs.

The egg retrieval process is quick and done under a light anesthetic. You may be at the clinic for a total of 2 or 3 hours. Afterward, you may feel crampy and bloated, but should be back to normal within a day or two.

Within two weeks, you should know whether your donation resulted in a pregnancy for the recipient.

Congratulations! You’ve just given the ultimate gift – the gift of life.

Contact Family Source