New Donor Consultation

After you are accepted into our program, you will attend a mandatory new donor consultation. This is where you will learn more about the egg donation process. This is a great time to address any questions you have.

Donor Profile Database

After your consultation, your profile will be created and added to our on-line database. This database is password protected for your security.
Intended parents search the database based on their particular needs (similarity to the recipient mother, ethnic background, or other criteria) and select a donor.

Psychological Evaluation

Once you are selected, you will begin a series of appointments, starting with a psychological evaluation. This evaluation is performed to make sure that you are emotionally ready to perform what is required of a donor and to get a little insight into your personality.

Legal Review

Once we receive clearance from the psychologist, you will meet with an attorney to review your donor contract. We will let you know when we have received signed contracts from you and the intended parents. When we notify you, it’s time call the fertility center to arrange for your medical evaluation.

Medical Evaluation

The medical evaluation will include several tests, blood work, and a vaginal ultrasound. You will also receive training so that you know how to inject your medication when the time comes.

The Donation Cycle

When instructed, you will begin your medications. In this initial phase you will be synchronizing your cycle with the recipient’s cycle. This phase involves a hormone called Lupron. You will give yourself one injection a day. This usually happens for 12 days.

You will then visit the fertility center for a blood test and an ultrasound in preparation for the stimulation phase. After this, it starts getting pretty busy for you. The good news is it doesn’t last long.

During the stimulation phase you will give yourself an injection of follicle-stimulating hormone once a day for about 10 days. While in this phase, you will visit the fertility center every other day between 8:00 am and 10:00 am. These mandatory appointments are brief. They consist of an ultrasound and a blood draw to determine your hormone levels in preparation for the retrieval.

Retrieval Process

When your hormones have reached the appropriate level, the doctor will instruct you to take your final injection. This injection is called the “trigger” shot or hCG and it causes your ovaries to release eggs for the retrieval procedure.

About 34 hours after the “trigger” shot, you will be at the fertility center for your egg retrieval procedure. You will be given a sedative to put you into a semi-conscious state. The retrieval is performed with a small aspiration needle and guided by an ultrasound. Most donors don’t feel anything and don’t remember anything from their procedure. You are closely monitored by both a physician and an anesthesiologist throughout the procedure.

Recovery

About thirty minutes later you will be awake. Most donors return to work/school the following day. Your donor compensation is mailed to you after the egg retrieval.