Become an Egg Donor

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Egg Donor! It’s the generosity of women like you who help make the dreams of becoming parents a reality for those struggling with infertility.

There are thousands of women at any given time that cannot become pregnant using their own eggs. Whether the reason is previous disease, chromosomal abnormalities, early menopause, premature ovarian failure, or simply poor egg quality, hopeful parents are often able to successfully become pregnant by using donated eggs from younger, more fertile women in the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Becoming an egg donor is a unique opportunity to assist others in fulfilling their dream of becoming parents. Many individuals and couples cannot become pregnant without the assistance of an egg donor. You may know someone who has struggled with infertility and felt hopeless. There are thousands of couples desperately searching for an egg donor like you who will give them that hope. Your generous donation of eggs will give someone who is experiencing infertility the opportunity to create a child of their own and experience the joy of parenthood. Giving the gift of life takes only a small amount of your time, but will provide the recipients a lifetime of happiness.

Our program is completely anonymous, the recipients do not see pictures of you.  We send them your characteristics and they choose you based on this information only.  The Donor/Recipient Coordinator will try to match you to an appropriate recipient based on these characteristics.

Once we match a recipient with a donor, all medical and psychological screening must be completed before the egg donation cycle begins. Medical screening generally consists of a series of blood tests, and a vaginal ultrasound. This screening is done to confirm that the Egg Donor is medically healthy and able to donate. Additionally a blood test is usually required on the second or third day of the Egg Donor’s menses to assess hormonal levels.

Psychological Screening is conducted by a psychologist to ensure that the Egg Donor is aware of all the psychological implications of the egg donation process. This screening will help determine whether the Egg Donor is psychologically sound enough to be an Egg Donor.

The Process:

• The Egg Donor will be put on birth control pills to help regulate her menstrual cycle and to coordinate it with the recipient’s cycle.
• The Egg Donor will begin taking Buserelin (daily self-administered injections) to stop her ovaries from ovulating.
• After taking Buserelin for 11 days, the Egg Donor will then begin taking stimulation medication (self-administered injections), which will cause her egg follicles to grow. This medication is generally taken for 8-11 days.
• The Egg Donor will be monitored during this 8-11 day period (via blood tests and vaginal ultrasounds) to ensure that her follicles are growing at an expected rate and to monitor medication dosages. This monitoring will help the doctor determine what day the final HCG injection should be administered (see next step).
• When the follicles are determined to be “ready” for retrieval, the HCG injection is given, which prepares the Egg Donor's ovaries to release the eggs. This injection is generally injected in the abdomen. The Coordinator will inform the Egg Donor of the exact time she should administer this injection. The timing of the HCG injection is crucial, so it is important that the Egg Donor take the injection exactly as instructed.
• The retrieval is scheduled for 36 hours after administration of the HCG injection.
• During the retrieval, the Egg Donor will usually be under light anaesthesia and the eggs are retrieved from the Egg Donor's ovaries via a "vacuuming procedure:" a tiny needle is inserted through the vaginal wall into the ovaries and the eggs are vacuumed from each follicle. While under anaesthesia, the Egg Donor should not feel anything during this procedure. The entire procedure itself takes only 15-30 minutes.
• After the eggs have been retrieved, they are combined with the prospective father’s sperm in an attempt to fertilize as many eggs as possible.
• After the procedure, the Egg Donor will remain at the clinic for 1-2 hours to recover from the anaesthesia, after which she can return home. The Egg Donor will be expected to rest for the remainder of the day, as she may feel some bloating, cramping and other side effects the day of the retrieval. It is required that the Egg Donor arrange for a companion to drive her home after the retrieval.
• Egg Donors typically resume all normal activity the day after the retrieval procedure.

A testimony from one of our donors:

“Being an egg donor is something that I will take with me through the rest of my life. I am so thankful that I was given this opportunity to help couples realize their dream of bringing a life into this world. It is emotionally rewarding to be a part of this incredible journey.”

If you wish to consider being a donor please contact Dionne Holmes IVF Case Coordinator at the clinic on  246-435-7467 or email her dholmes@barbadosivf.com.