Donating one's eggs can be a process that includes many steps. There are different phases for a generous woman who wants to donate eggs. When you’re making the dreams of another couple come true, every step will be one that is worthwhile.
Many intended parents consider their egg donors to be true angels, sent from above to help them fulfill their greatest wishes. But how does one donate their eggs and how do you get started?
Follow this guide to become an egg donor your future recipient parents are waiting for!
How to become an egg donor in 10 steps
The great thing about choosing to donate eggs is that you will be able to choose certain things about your process. You can choose to be open or anonymous. You can decide if you’d like to travel or stay as a local donor.
When it comes to how to donate eggs, consider all of the things that will make this is a positive experience for you. Come to your consult ready to state what you think would make this a wonderful journey.
Step 1: Research egg donor agencies near you
When you're beginning your egg donor journey, the first step is to research your options and find the agency that you'll donate through. When you're looking for an egg donor agency, consider the following:
- Location of the egg donor agency. You'll need to visit your fertility clinic before and during the egg retrieval. Recipient parents will cover all of your travel expenses for you and a friend, and you can often make a trip out of it. However, if you work a busy schedule or can't take an three to five days of time off for travel, make sure to select an egg donor agency and fertility clinic near you!
- Compensation. Not all egg donor agencies compensate the same, and it's important to evaluate your personal needs & the compensation included in your package. Typical benefits include a base compensation around $8,000 (variable by location), and other benefits like personalized, travel packages, and additional rewards based on higher personal achievements like graduate school or professional accomplishments.
- Qualifications. Egg donor agencies can have different requirements, but they're generally the same to ensure the health of you, the intended mother or surrogate, and the future child. Typical requirements include BMI, age, reproductive history, and more. You can learn about Hatch egg donor qualifications here.
Step 2: Apply Online
Yes, just like a job application, to donate eggs you need to submit an application. Unfortunately, not every incredible woman who wants to donate is fit to do so. There are many different qualifications that allow a donor to donate.
Consider your health history, your age, your BMI, and your reasons for donating before you apply. When you’re ready, simply go online and fill out the questionnaire and submit some photos of yourself for review.
After a few days, you’ll hear back from us in regards to your application. Though we can’t accept every donor, we wish we could!
Step 3: Introductions and social screening
To begin your egg donation journey, you must first submit our egg donation application. If your egg donor application is approved, your coordinator will get to know you during a video interview. You’ll undergo a social screening, which will give you the chance to provide profile information (while ensuring that no identifying information is displayed) and organize your pictures.
Once we get a great sense of who you are and are confident that we’re both on the same page, your egg donation coordinator will activate your egg donor profile to match with wonderful intended parents.
Step 4: Match with your intended parents
Being an egg donor allows you to offer an amazing gift to a loving couple or single parent. At Hatch, we understand the importance of providing egg donors like yourself with comprehensive information about your match. To ensure that the couple or individual receiving your donated eggs is ready to be parents, they are thoroughly screened and interviewed by our staff. The IVF cycle begins only after the intended parents and you agree to enter into this experience together.
One of the biggest things we look for in our egg donors is the ability to keep appointments and be punctual. Reliability is a big deal to intended parents when choosing a donor. With so many emotions and such a financial investment involved, it’s important that you follow through and show up to your scheduled cycle appointments.
From psychological evaluations to genetic counseling, there will be an ample amount of things to attend to. Then, once you start your cycle you will have early appointments to attend to ensure you are safe, sound, and ready to donate eggs.
This is all for your benefit and the benefit of the people you are so generously helping. Keeping appointments and staying punctual will help the process move along steadily and securely.
Step 5: Psychological screenings
Your emotional health is a top priority to our agency because we want you to be completely comfortable with egg donation so it‘s the life-affirming experience it’s designed to be.
We also offer careful screenings of mental illness and psychiatric disorders that could be inherited by a child. These screenings are led by a licensed mental health professional and are standardized with many questions.
Step 6: Genetic screenings
After you've undergone psychological screenings, the next step to become an egg donor is genetic interviewing. This gives egg donors the opportunity to review your family's genetic history with Hatch’s genetic screenings. This evaluation is conducted by a board-certified geneticist who will interview you over the phone to:
- Track your family history
- Construct your family tree
- Write a comprehensive genetic history report
During this time, you confidentially disclose as much family history (and medical history) information as possible. You will also be tested for common genetic diseases when you are matched at your in-person medical screening. We provide the utmost patient confidentiality and do not require that you disclose your egg donation to your family or friends.
Step 7: Medical screenings
To ensure that you're a proper medical candidate to donate eggs, you'll undergo a few different tests and screenings. These include:
Day 3 FSH test
For your Day 3 FSH test, you'll be asked to track your menstrual cycle even before you are chosen as an egg donor. Once chosen, notify your coordinator of the first day of your cycle when your period starts.
On the third day of your menses, your ovulation levels will be tested by most doctors, a process which can be delayed by a month if not conducted exactly on this day. This test is conducted by the treating IVF physician and consists of a blood test and possibly an ultrasound.
Medical testing
Hatch also provides inclusive FDA-required testing for infectious diseases. The following screenings apply to all egg donors and include:
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- AIDS
- Hepatitis
- Urine Drug Screen
- Cystic Fibrosis Genetic Screening
- Vaginal ultrasound of the ovaries to count resting follicles
Step 8: Legal contract creation
To ensure your protection as an egg donor, you'll receive legal aid and a legal contract that facilitates the agreement between you and your matched intended parents. This contract serves to:
- Define parental rights.
- Protect party anonymity.
- Gain your complete informed consent in giving up the legal rights to the eggs which are retrieved from your body.
Hatch provides expert legal counsel referrals at no cost to donors to ensure that your decision to become an egg donor has your full consent and final approval.
Step 9: Cycle synchronization
If your recipient parents are undergoing a fresh IVF cycle, you’ll synchronize your menstrual cycle with the intended biological mother by taking birth control pills for 10 days.
Following this, you’ll receive a series of injections to deliver fertility hormones that stimulate egg maturity. During this time you’ll have regular physician appointments (normally 4-6) to monitor morning blood samples and egg development.
Step 10: The egg retrieval procedure
This is it -- the day you've been waiting for! Your egg retrieval procedure will take approximately 30 minutes, and you’ll be provided with “Twilight Sedation” for maximum comfort. Because of this, it’s important that you have a friend to check you out of the clinic and drive you home. During the procedure, an ultrasound offers guidance while the eggs are retrieved through the vaginal wall via a needle.
After the procedure, you will get the chance to lie down and recover. However, the procedure is not largely invasive so this recovery period shouldn’t be extensive. We recommend taking the remainder of this day off, and you should be able to return to normal activities the next day.
Your period will begin in approximately two weeks after this procedure. Please note that when taking these fertility medications, you’re still highly fertile and able to conceive during this month, so be sure to use protection if you have intercourse.
Prepare for your future, today
Being an egg donor is an extremely valuable, rewarding experience for the egg donors, intended parents and your support at the agency. Learn more about the tangible and non-tangible rewards of becoming an egg donor, what the cycle preparation experience looks like, and apply to join our team of wonderful women today!
