Following is a summary of the egg donation process to give you an idea, as you consider donating, of what to expect.

Information for proceeding

You fill out a detailed questionnaire including questions about your health, family history, interests, childhood, dreams, and goals. We will schedule a personal interview to allow us to get to know you and allow you to ask any questions.

If you meet the criteria for inclusion, you will sign consent forms with Fertility Connections. We ask you to provide fifteen to twenty current and childhood photos of yourself, several family photos and a copy of your driver’s license.

You will then be placed in our donor base; a profile with your first name only will be placed on a password-protected website.

You will be informed that you have been matched when an intended family selects you as the right fit for their family. This is an unpredictable process and the amount of time it may take can vary, but once you and the intended parents mutually agree that you would like to work together.

Then–

A basic background check may be run, similar to a pre-employment check.
A psychological screening will be done, to make sure you understand what you are agreeing to and what that means. A psychological test may be administered.

Once psychological clearance is received, a legally binding contract will be signed between you and the intended parents, giving all rights to the eggs and embryos produced to the intended parents. The contract also details financial arrangements and expectations.

You will then visit the infertility doctor for medical screening, including a pelvic exam and blood tests. Each doctor has slightly different protocols.

Once all clearances have been given, a time is chosen to begin the donation cycle. Birth control pills are used to synchronize cycles with the intended mother. You will receive a $500 advance on the honorarium when you begin to give yourself a series of subcutaneous (just below the surface of the skin) injections with a small needle for a period of about ten days. You can give yourself the injection (or can have a friend help.)

You will need to take several different medicines at different times in the cycle according to a detailed protocol.

A small number (1-2 %) of women undergoing ovarian stimulation experience “hyperstimulation” of the ovaries and must be carefully monitored for possibly serious consequences.

You can expect to make a total of six to eight visits to the infertility doctor’s office. After the first one, the appointment can usually be made for early in the morning, but they can happen at any time during the day. Most visits are grouped during the last week in order to monitor your response to the medicines. Monitoring is done with a vaginal ultrasound and a blood test and appointments are at offices in the San Francisco Bay area.

The egg retrieval procedure is done in the doctor’s office. It takes about fifteen minutes. A light anesthetic is given intravenously and the eggs are retrieved through the vagina. One to two hours are spent in the recovery room resting. Someone must accompany you for this procedure and stay with you for the day. Most women are ready to return to work or school the next day.

As with all medical procedures, there is a slight chance of reaction to the anesthesia or infection.

We include detailed information in the following sections regarding the egg donation process and procedure. After considering all the information, if you are interested, please call or email us to complete the initial phone screening. We hope that we will be able to include you in this group of young women who are stepping forward to make a difference in the lives of people who want very much to be parents!