Egg donor FAQs for prospective donors

The egg donor program at our Virginia fertility center enjoys success rates well above the national average. The secret to our success is simple – our high standards. These egg donor FAQs are intended to help young women who want to become egg donors understand how our program works.

Egg donor FAQs

Young women often ask us questions about what it’s like to become an egg donor. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about egg donation at our Virginia fertility center.

• How does egg donor screening work?
  • We review each candidate’s online application and ask those who meet our basic criteria to complete a thorough medical history form. If the information on the form meets our standards, we schedule a physical with a fertility doctor, psychological testing and genetic screening.

• Why does body mass index (BMI) matter?
  • Research suggests that egg donation is healthiest for women with a BMI between 21-27. A healthy BMI also promotes the success of the donation cycle.

• What is the time commitment?
  • The donation cycle usually takes place over one month.

• Does egg retrieval involve surgery?
  • Egg retrieval is an outpatient procedure at our office that occurs under twilight sedation, which means the woman should not feel or remember the procedure. Our doctor retrieves mature eggs from a donor’s ovaries using a needle that is ultrasound-guided through her vagina.

• What activity restrictions apply during egg donation?
  • Due to the medications our donors are taking during the donation cycle, we ask that they refrain from sexual intercourse or high impact exercise while undergoing treatment until our providers determine it is safe to do so.

• Who are the egg recipients?
  • Women whose eggs are low-quality, single men and gay couples can all benefit from egg donation. We follow strict patient confidentiality standards, so no identifying information about the donor or recipient(s) is exchanged. Donors will not learn about the outcome of their egg donation cycle.

• Does donating eggs affect fertility?
  • Every woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, about 2 million. During each cycle multiple egg-containing follicles start to mature, but only one is ovulated. The rest are absorbed by the body. The fertility medications simply cause the eggs to mature that would otherwise be absorbed. As a result, a woman is not losing any more eggs than she would in a regular cycle.

Our egg donors receive compensation for their time and commitment. After the cycle is complete, our donors receive $8,000. Qualified egg donors are welcome to donate again, up to six times total.

Questions about egg donation

Our Virginia fertility center is proud to offer an egg donation program that is based on the latest research and technology. Thanks to our rigorous standards, we offer intended parents the best chances of success with egg donation while safeguarding our donors.

We hope that the answers to our egg donor FAQs have been helpful. If you still have questions about egg donation or wish to learn more about our services, contact our office.