Egg Donor Process

In Vitro Fertilization Process

The process begins with the completion of the initial Egg Donor questionnaire. Once you’ve completed the questionnaire, you will be contacted by email confirming that we received your application, if you meet our preliminary criteria we will contact you to set up a telephone/Skype interview. All forms must be completed online as they are part of our confidential database. We cannot send a form to you by regular mail. You must have access to the internet and an email address to become a donor.

We will review your completed application and screen it for acceptance. Upon acceptance, we will add your profile and picture to our database. No identifying or contact information will be displayed on your online profile except for your photos.

Our database will assign a number to your profile for identification purposes. Often times a donor is willing to have the potential parents know her first name only if you allow us to tell them. Please notify our office if you do not want your first name used. At no time will any identifying information be given to a recipient without your permission.

Most recipients and donors want complete anonymity. However, some recipients and donors would like to have an opportunity to speak with each other and a phone/video conference call will be arranged by our office when it is desired by all parties involved. A personal meeting is rare, though we can facilitate that as well if mutually agreed upon by all parties and legal documents are drafted to protect all parties involved of any future repercussions. Personal meetings are only arranged and conducted by our President who must be present for the introduction and meeting. You cannot meet on your own unless you’ve have one initial meeting facilitated by our President.

Once you are chosen by the intended parents, you will be asked to have further genetic, physical, psychological and infectious disease screening performed. There will be no cost to you for these screenings or any part of the process of being an egg donor. Reasonable out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed to you. Our donors are located throughout North America and recipients may be American or international clients living in Canada, Europe, Australia, Asia, South America or elsewhere in the world. You may be requested to travel to the location of the clinic chosen by the intended parents however you will not be required to travel outside of North America as all egg retrievals will be performed in the continental United States, Canada or the Caribbean. If you are required to travel outside of your home area, all expenses will be paid for by the recipient through our agency. These expenses will include flights, hotel, meals, etc. Many of the screenings can be performed in your home area and the results will be forwarded to the physician who will be performing the retrieval as well as to our agency for your file.

LEGAL CONTRACT

You and the intended parents will receive a contract entitled Egg Donor Termination of Parental Rights Agreement that is written by an attorney who specializes in Egg Donation and/or Family Law. You will enter into a contract with the recipient and this legally binding contract should not be entered into lightly. The contract will cover issues such as reimbursement, legal obligations of the donor, conduct, who the eggs and resulting embryos belong to, etc.

Once you have read the contract you will be asked if you have any changes you may want. Once the terms of the contract are finalized, then all parties will be required to sign the contract. Medications cannot begin until all parties have signed the contract.

MEDICATION

If you not already taking oral contraceptives, you may receive a prescription for birth control pills. These are given to help regulate your cycle and will allow the physician to coordinate your cycle with that of the recipient or surrogate. You may be asked to start birth control prior to having the contract signed.

Donors must refrain from sexual intercourse once medications begin. You will be extremely fertile during this time! You will be asked to either abstain from sexual relations, or to use a combination of effective barriers prior to starting any of the medications and to completely abstain from the beginning of stimulation medications until approximately one week after the egg retrieval. This is an approximate time period of 3 weeks. You will also be asked to curtail any heavy exercising during the stimulation stage. Please discuss your questions regarding sexual activity with the primary physician and/or the staff of Our Fairy Godmother. If you become pregnant during the medication stage, the cycle would have to be cancelled and you may be in breach of contract.

On approximately day 2 or 3 of her cycle a donor will begin the first of her medications. Most donors are given the birth control pill to suppress their reproductive hormones and to assist in synchronizing their menstrual cycle with a recipient or gestational carrier. Please discuss all potential side effects with the primary physician.

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is a medication that has many brand names. The follicle stimulating medication causes the eggs to grow and mature. This medication is administered for 8-12 days. The most common are Gonal-F, Follistim (Puregon), Repronex and Menopur to name a few. These medications are given daily, by subcutaneous injections (under the skin using a small needle or pen). There are other medications that might possibly be used and they may require intramuscular administration. The typical complaints are of bloating and headache and occasional nausea. Please discuss all potential side effects with the primary physician.

THERE ARE POTENTIAL RISKS INHERENT WITH ALL ASPECTS OF THE EGG DONATION MEDICAL PROCESS AND PROCEDURES, INCLUDING TAKING ANY MEDICATION. IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DONOR TO INVESTIGATE ALL SUCH RISKS AND TO DISCUSS ALL MEDICAL ISSUES WITH THE PRIMARY PHYSICIAN.

PROCEDURE

During the stimulation phase you will be required to have a blood test the day or or day or two before you start, an ultrasound and blood test on day 5 or 6, and then every other day you will be required to have a blood test and ultrasound until the eggs are mature. The dates and times are coordinated with your menstrual cycle being synchronized with the recipient. Some centers will require the donor to have their day 6 ultrasound at their center only. Other centers allow the donor to remain in their home area until day 7 or 8. Until a center is chosen by the family, we will not know the protocol you will be asked to follow, but you will be informed as quickly as possible.

The blood tests and ultrasounds will help the physician determine the number, size, and quality of the eggs. These tests are generally done between 7-9 am. Once the eggs are mature, the donor will be asked to give herself an injection of a medication called hCG or similar. This medication is given 36 hours prior to the egg retrieval and is often referred to as the ‘trigger shot’. The timing and administration of this medication is crucial and you will be given a very specific and precise time to give this injection to yourself or have someone give it to you. This medication will be given usually also under the skin. You must be sure to drink lots of fluids during this time! We recommend that when you start ovarian stimulation that you drink 1 to 2 bottles a day of Gatorade or similar electrolyte drink to help with your bloating.

The procedure for the egg retrieval is usually performed in the morning and takes approximately twenty to thirty minutes. Prior to the retrieval, a small IV will be placed into the arm vein to administer fluids and medication. Most centers choose to use a sedative called conscious sedation. Donors who are sedated may feel a little discomfort, but most tolerate the procedure extremely well. Few centers will have their patients completely asleep with general anesthesia. In the operating room, the sedative, or anesthesia, will be administered. The physician will use an ultrasound guidance machine and a needle will be placed through the back of the vagina and the eggs will be removed from the ovaries. This portion of the procedure takes between 20 and 30 minutes. The eggs will be taken to the laboratory to be mixed with their chosen sperm.

The majority of donors are able to go home within two hours after donation. If you had to fly you will be required to stay through the day and will be able to fly home the following morning. If you have a traveling companion some centers may agree to let you fly home the same day.

SCREENING

Please do not get any tattoos, or body piercing from the time you agree to donation. The law requires a donor to wait 12 months after having any body piercing or receiving a tattoo before she can donate. This is due to the increased risk of infectious diseases. Please let us know if you have travelled to a Zika endemic area (click here for CDC website on Zika)

Genetic Screening is usually performed to identify individuals who are carriers of genetically transmitted diseases such as: Cystic, Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Anemia and Tay-Sachs disease. A donor may be screened for other diseases based on the findings of the Geneticist/Medical Director, or the desires of the intended parents.

Psychological Screening is performed to ensure that a donor fully understands the emotional ramifications of donation and has no psychological issues that would preclude her from donating. PAI Psychological testing will be conducted on all donors. An MMPI and/or other type of personality assessment such as the Myers-Briggs personality test may be administered if requested by the intended parents.

Medical Screening is performed to ensure that the donor is physically capable of undergoing the ovum donation process. She will also be tested for sexually transmitted or other transmissible diseases which will include: HIV 1 & 2, HTLV-1 & 2, Hepatitis B & C, Syphilis, CMV, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and others. A detailed list of the tests will be explained to you. An ultrasound and vaginal cultures will also be required. *The sexual partner of the donor may be screened for sexually transmitted diseases at the discretion of the intended parent’s physician. *Donors may be randomly screened for drugs.

All medical professionals are chosen by the prospective parents. We encourage our donors to investigate the medical service provider chosen by the intended parents and satisfy themselves as to their professionalism and expertise. We will give you the contact information for that center so you may speak with the doctor or the nurse directly. If you are uncomfortable with that center for any reason, we ask that you notify us immediately.