You become a fertility superhero the day you become an Egg Donor
If you are a woman between the ages of 20 and 30, then chances are that you have come across different ads in your mailbox, school, or on the internet promoting to become an Egg Donor. The reason you are getting these ads is that they are targeted at women in your age range.
But have you ever pondered on egg donation and why someone might want to be an Egg Donor?
Sure, egg donation is a very personal decision, and every woman has her reasons for donating eggs. However, below are certain things you may want to take into consideration to become an Egg Donor.
What are the criteria to be an Egg Donor?
Although the criteria may vary from one clinic or egg bank to the other, below is a standard list of requirements one needs to meet to be a donor.
To be an Egg Donor, you must meet the following qualities:
- Between the ages of 19 to 31 (some agencies do allow women who are older or younger by 1-2 years to donate eggs)
- Have normal and regular menstrual cycles
- Have no reproductive health issues or abnormalities
- Be physically and emotionally healthy
- Have a BMI of below 28 (if you are not sure what your BMI is, there are free online calculators that can help determine your BMI).
- Be a non-smoker, non-Nicotine user, non-drug user
- Not presently using Depo- Provera
- Willing to complete a psychological and medical evaluation
- Willing and able to use injectable fertility medication
- Willing to put in the amount of time needed to complete the process as outlined by the agency. (This is crucial if you’ll be completing “on-demand” egg donation, where you only donate when an Intended Parent chooses you to be their Oocyte Donor. Note that you will have to commit less time to the process if you are donating to an egg bank.)
- Be excited about the process of helping another person grow a family.
Why would anyone want to be an Egg Donor?
Of course, the reasons for becoming an Egg Donor vary from one woman to the other, but there are some themes that usually appear.
Having Known Some Who Struggled With Infertility
They know a couple or individual who has had trouble getting pregnant and witnessed first-hand the struggle and pain they had to go through. It could be their friends, siblings, or even parents.
Naturally, people like to help someone in pain, especially if it is someone you know and cared about.
One good way to assist people with fertility problems is by becoming an Egg Donor because most fertility issues stem from poor egg quality or lack of healthy, viable eggs.
Sheer Compassion
They are kind-hearted and like to help others. Egg Donors can feel the pain infertile women are passing through and would like to assist them.
Since most fertility issues can be ascribed to lack of good eggs or poor egg quality, donors can help relieve the pain by contributing the eggs infertile people can use to build their own family. It is also exciting and empowering to know that there’s something you can do to assist and that you are already doing it.
Aside from helping you build a positive self-image, this feeling also empowers the donor.
Helping LGBTQ+ Members Have a Baby
They wish to help gay men and other LGBT people to have their own children. In recent years, we have seen many popular gay men grow their families by using the services of a Gestational Surrogate and an donor.
Examples of happy “gay dads” include Elton John, Ricky Martin, and Neil Patrick Harris. Donors have a lot of LGBT individuals around them and know how much they want to become parents. One good way to help them realize their parenthood dream is by donating eggs.
What are the benefits of becoming an Egg Donor?
Many benefits come with being a donor. Below are some that women who have undergone an egg donation cycle talk about:
Complimentary Fertility Checkup
You get a comprehensive fertility workup free of charge, so you will already have valuable clues about your fertility potential when you’re ready to have your own children.
A lot of young women don’t worry about their ability to get pregnant. Unless they have experienced fertility issues, they just believe that they will be able to conceive when it’s time to build their families.
Since this fertility workup focuses much on the ovaries, it can provide donors an idea of what their egg supply may look like. And if the woman intends to postpone childbearing for many years, this information can help a great deal when deciding whether or not to freeze her eggs.
Financial Compensation
Donors usually receive financial compensation unless they are not donating eggs to a person they know. The money they get is for the sacrifices, pain, and loss of time (and not for selling the eggs).
Note that the women are compensated per cycle and not per egg. Hence, a woman who donates only 3 viable eggs from a retrieval cycle receives the same amount as someone who donates 15 usable eggs.
The amount of donor compensation depends on the fertility clinic, the kind of egg donation (on-demand donation or egg bank donation), the donor’s characteristics, and her experience as a donor (experienced donors receive higher payments).
Usually, the compensation for Oocyte Donors begins at approximately $8,000 and can increase to around $8,000-$15,000.
Knowing The Positive Impact of Donation
They feel fulfilled and satisfied knowing they helped another person achieve their dream, the dream of having their own family. Some donors donate to their family members or friends, so they get to see the “baby” in person and watch him or her grow.
However, most egg donations are anonymous, which means the donor may never see the babies conceived from her eggs. Most times, the donor agency will contact the donor when the intended mother conceives and delivers the baby. These agencies don’t reveal any personal data that can be used to identify the child. They only let the donor know that they have helped make a significant difference in someone’s life, and that makes them feel extremely happy and fulfilled.
What to look for in an egg donor agency?
There are a lot of things you need to look for in an agency or program, and many women place more importance on some factors than others. Before deciding on an oocyte donor agency. It is crucial to speak with other young donors who have previously donated for that agency as well as the facilitator in charge to know how you would get along.
Am I the type of person this agency is looking for?
Some agencies only work with certain ethnicities or want donors who have college degrees. If the agency has a specialty or focuses on certain types of donors and you don’t fit the bill, then you have a very low chance of being chosen to become an Egg Donor there.
Does the facilitator in charge instill confidence that she will be available to help when I need her?
If you are a first-time donor, you probably need a lot of reassurance when beginning the egg donation process. That’s why you need a facilitator who is proactive and will respond to you whenever you need her.
Egg donation may be a new thing to you, so it’s completely normal to need reassurance that nothing would go wrong. And you have to ensure the facilitator you will be working with can provide that.
The facilitator needs to be someone you are comfortable speaking to when you need something, even if it’s just a little reassurance about what you’re feeling.
What is the average wait time for a donor like me to be chosen by an intended family?
This is going to depend on the agency and how well you fit the bill. If the agency says that they want donors who have graduate degrees and you only have a college degree, you may wait a long time before getting the call.
Also, the bigger the agency, the higher the number of families there will be to check your profile. Hence, you may have better chances with a bigger agency, except if you have the particular criteria the agency is looking for.
At Lucina, our donors won’t need to wait to have their profile chosen by an Intended Parent. If you are selected for egg banking, all the necessary logistics are being coordinated with you immediately after your profile review. That means your egg retrieval may be in just a few weeks! You won’t need to wait for a match that can sometimes take even years like you do with other egg donor programs.
Bottom Line
There are many perks that come with becoming an Egg Donor. One of them is the feeling of empowerment, knowing you can use your fertility powers to help another person build a family. Although the compensation is also a plus, a lot of donors rate the satisfaction they feel for helping another person actualize their parenthood dream above any other thing.
Lucina Egg Bank is dedicated to helping prospective Egg Donors undergo this wonderful journey of fulfillment. Our egg donation program is completely anonymous and safe, and you don’t have to wait to be paired with Intended Parents like in a fresh donor cycle.
Submit an application today to instantly find out if you are eligible to donate with us.
