Egg Donation

How does the process work?

Your initial consultation will include a meeting with one of the physicians to review your medical history and may include a physical exam, blood testing, ultrasound, Pap test and cultures. On that day or a later date you will also be scheduled to meet with a nurse coordinator to review the program in detail, discuss the required testing (see recipient screening tests below) for you and your partner and to schedule your consultation with our psychologist. Your visit will conclude with a financial consultation to review the cycle costs, insurance reimbursement and payment schedules. Allow approximately 3 hours for this initial visit.

Recipient Screening Tests

Standard testing per the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidelines include screening for sexually transmitted diseases, infectious diseases such as Hepatitis and HIV, antisperm antibodies and hormonal evaluations, among others. The uterine cavity will be evaluated using several methods to ensure its receptivity at the time of embryo transfer. One such method is a Preparatory Cycle (Prep Cycle) that hormonally mimics a natural menstrual cycle. Since pregnancy puts added stress on a woman's body, if you are 44 or older, you will need to obtain medical clearance before starting in our program and may need to do some additional testing.

How do I select my donor?

Donors can be either Known (family member/friend) or Anonymous. Anonymous donors are available to you once you have consulted with the Medical Director and expressed your desire to be part of the Donor Egg Program. There will be a waiting period, which will vary according to your place on our waiting list and your donor requirements. Donors are offered to recipients who have completed their screening tests or are near completion. If you are offered a donor with whom you do not feel appropriately matched, you may refuse that donor and wait for the next available one without compromising your position on the waiting list. The donor you rejected will be offered to the next couple on our list. Any special requests you may have for a donor should be noted on your history form and should be brought to the attention of the nurse coordinator.

What are RMA's egg donor criteria?

Donors must undergo extensive physical and psychological testing before they are accepted into our program. Anonymous donors must be 21-31 years of age while known donors may be 21-36 years of age. It is important to note that known donors, regardless of their age, must have sufficient ovarian function to respond adequately to stimulation. A woman may donate a maximum of 5 times. If you choose to use an anonymous donor you will be given a complete medical history of the donor and her family as well as a thorough description of her physical characteristics.

How much does a donor egg cycle cost?

IVF using donated eggs can be quite expensive. First, the recipient of the eggs must pay for the blood tests, medications and ultrasounds for both parties. Then the donor receives $5,000 compensation for donating. Depending on the recipient's insurance, some of these fees may not be covered. If her insurance does not cover any of these expenses, one cycle of IVF with donor egg can cost over $20,000.

What kind of person becomes an egg donor?

Many different types of women chose to become donors. Often, the donor is a young mother or a full time student who finds donation a way to supplement her income and satisfy her unselfish desires at the same time. All donors undergo thorough screening before being accepted into the program.

What about ovum/egg donor brokers? What are they and why would I want to use one?

Here at RMA, we carefully recruit and screen young women who meet our stringent criteria. Some recipients may prefer to use an outside agency to select a donor. This is certainly an option and we will work with outside agencies. These agencies may have carefully screened their applicants, or they may not have done screening at all. In these cases, we will review the donor's records and if necessary, we may request that the donor undergo additional tests.

Can I use my friend/sister/niece/etc to be my egg donor?

Yes, provided that she undergoes the same screening tests (HIV, hepatitis, psychological screening, etc) that any other donor would undergo.

I don't have a uterus. Can I have another woman carry my baby?

Yes, she would be called a "gestational carrier". In many cases like this, the patient may have a friend or relative who is willing to carry the pregnancy. Both women would need to undergo screening and evaluation, and then their hormonal cycles would need to be synchronized much like a donor egg cycle. We have extensive experience with these specialized procedures.

Recipient Process

A Typical Cycle

Egg Production

The IVF cycle is performed on your donor using one or more fertility drugs to increase the number of eggs produced. Multiple follicles (the part of the ovary that contains the eggs) are needed to increase the number of eggs retrieved, thereby increasing the number of embryos developed and hence the chances for conception.

The process begins with the synchronization of both donor and recipient's menstrual cycles and may require using the medication Lupron. Your donor will also be taking daily injections of Follistim or Gonal-f which you will provide, to encourage this multi-follicular development. Follicular maturation is evaluated by daily blood levels and ultrasound. At a time determined by the physician, an injection of human Chorionic Gonadatropin (HCG) is given to bring the eggs to final maturity. Approximately 36 hours after this injection, your donor will undergo the egg retrieval that is done in our OR on an outpatient basis.

Preparing Your Uterus for Implantation

You will be hormonally synchronized to your donor using Estrogen and Progesterone on a schedule comparable to your Prep Cycle. Your endometrial receptivity will be evaluated similarly using blood tests and ultrasounds. In addition, the angle and depth of your cervix and uterus will be determined using a catheter identical to the one that will be used for the actual embryo transfer.

Egg Retrieval

Aspiration of follicles for eggs is performed through an ultrasound guided approach under IV sedation. The retrieval consists of aspirating the ovarian follicles and identifying the eggs in the follicular fluid under a microscope. The eggs are then held in an incubator until the time of insemination in the laboratory. On the same day your partner will be expected to produce a sperm sample that will be used to inseminate the eggs.

Embryo Transfer

The embryo transfer may be done 3-5 days after the retrieval. The physician performing the transfer will discuss with you and your partner the status of your embryos and the number to be replaced. RMA of MI recipients DO NOT share donors. The number of embryos transferred varies according to their quantity and quality. You may be offered the opportunity to cryopreserve any remaining embryos that continue to develop normally, for possible transfer in future cycles.

You will come to the office for the transfer and the procedure will be done in the OR under sterile conditions, in a reclining position with legs up, as if having a pap smear. The transfer is easy and virtually pain free in most cases. Following the transfer you will lie flat for a half hour and afterwards may return home to relax for the remainder of the day.

Testing for Pregnancy

Approximately 1 week after the retrieval date you will come back to the office to check your Progesterone level and one week after that for a pregnancy test. If you are pregnant we will follow your progress for an additional 4-5 weeks before discharging you to your own obstetrician.

Becoming an Egg Donor

Donor Qualifications

Donor Process

Basic Steps for Egg Donation

Step One

Following an initial introductory interview with a member of our Donor Team, you will receive a comprehensive medical history questionnaire and personal profile form to complete. These forms allow us to officially qualify you for our egg donor program and enable us to begin the process of matching you with a suitable recipient couple.

Step Two

Once you are accepted into our anonymous egg donor program, an initial consultation will be scheduled with a Nurse Coordinator and one of our physicians. During this visit, the donation process will be discussed in detail. In order to complete the medical portion of the donor application process, a variety of medical tests including a psycological evaluation will also be scheduled at this time. Some of these medical tests must be performed at specific points throughout your menstrual cycle and for that reason, may require more than one visit.

Step Three

After all testing is completed, reviewed and approved by the Medical Director, you will be formally matched with a recipient couple and the donation cycle will be scheduled. All costs for your medical care will be covered by the recipient couple.

Step Four

Once the egg donation cycle begins, you will be given medications for up to 12 days to stimulate multiple egg production in your ovaries. At the same time, the recipient's uterus is being prepared through medications to receive the resulting embryos. Then, at a time determined by the physician, you will be given IV sedation and your eggs will be retrieved via transvaginal ultrasound. The egg retrieval will be performed at our office.

Step Five

Once the eggs have been retrieved, your portion of the egg donation process is complete. You will need to call with Day 1 of next menses to schedule Day 3 ultrasound to insure that ovaries have returned to their normal state. In our laboratory, the donor eggs will be mixed with the recipient partner's sperm to hopefully fertilize. Three to five days following egg retrieval, the developing embryos will be transferred to the recipient's uterus. A pregnancy test will be performed on the recipient in 11 days.

The anonymous egg donation process, from initial application to egg retrieval, may take up to three months to complete. The initial screening tests can be arranged to accommodate your schedule. However, it is important to note that during the stimulation phase (Step Four) of the cycle, you may need to be seen in our offices every one or two days in order for the Donor Team to monitor your progress. Blood work will be taken and ultrasounds will be performed to check your hormone levels and visualize the number and size of your egg follicles. These monitoring visits are extremely important. Not only do they ensure your safety throughout the process, they also provide essential information that will help us maximize the success of the cycle.

Upon completion of a cycle, you will be compensated $5,000 for your time and effort. Of course, the sense of fulfillment you'll receive from renewing an infertile couple's sense of hope is priceless. With your help, their dream of having a baby could finally come true.

Donor Testimonials

"I would have to say that being a donor has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, besides being a mother of course. Having a son of my own, I know how special being a parent really is. I cant imagine being told that I could not have a child of my own. I decided to be a donor to try and help someone else have the child and family that they have been dreaming of. The staff at RMA really made me feel special and as if I were family. I received a letter from the couple I helped and it brought tears to my eyes. I can not describe how good if makes me feel to have had the opportunity of helping a couple complete their family."

"Being a donor is one of the best decisions I could have made for myself. I had such an amazing support team behind me, without them I don't think I would have been able to accomplish it. The doctors and nurses truly made me feel special and one of a kind."