2. Consider the Location of the Egg Donor
Donor location may also be an important factor to consider since travel costs will increase your overall egg donor cost. Donor Nexus works with egg donors located all over the US and worldwide. Working with an international agency such as Donor Nexus is beneficial for intended parents who are seeking specific ethnicities, including Asian egg donors, Indian egg donors, Jewish egg donors, and more.
However, having a donor from out of town does come with increased risk and expense. You will have to pay for the donor’s outside monitoring and travel expenses. Some agencies also have a higher agency fee for out-of-town donors. The risks involved include:
1. Delayed or cancelled flights
2. Difficulty getting the donor extra medication on short notice.
3. Time differences
4. Cooperation with outside monitoring clinics
Generally, there are no issues with out-of-town donors but it is an important factor to keep in mind.
» Learn more: Why Do Out of Town Egg Donors Cost More?
3. Proven vs. First-Time Donors
A proven donor is an egg donor who has already completed an egg donation cycle and egg retrieval. The donor may have donated once or several times. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine suggests that egg donors should not donate more than 6 times. On occasion, a physician may allow an egg donor to donate more than 6 times. However, in our experience, we have found that egg donors do not respond as well to stimulation medications once they have donated more than 6 times. The benefits of choosing a proven donor are:
1. The donor has already completed the prescreening evaluations at least once prior. This usually indicates that the donor will pass all evaluations again.
2. The doctor can review the egg donor’s previous cycle results and decide on her specific medication protocol based on her previous cycles.
3. The donor is comfortable with the egg donation process and understands the commitment she is making.
It is important to note that there are not as many proven egg donors available and often these donors are matched for a subsequent cycle while they are still in a cycle. Proven egg donors also receive higher compensation than first-time egg donors.
» Learn more: Deciding Between First-Time and Proven Donors
How to Find an Egg Donor That Looks Like You
For many intended parents, it is important to find an egg donor who looks like you. Finding an egg donor online has become much easier in recent years. At Donor Nexus, we offer a user-friendly online database for intended parents to browse egg donor profiles. Once you've narrowed down your search, our team is ready to help with the next steps. Follow the steps below to get started!
Access to our industry-leading online egg donor database is free. Here’s a quick overview of how to find an egg donor with Donor Nexus:
Step 1: REGISTER (Quick, Easy, & Free)
We require that all users register to view our egg donor database in detail and save favorites. We require all users to create a password-protected account to maintain confidentiality. After registering, you will receive instant access.
Step 3: Find Your Perfect Egg Donor
Make sure to take advantage of our “favorites” feature. Saving profiles to your favorites will make it easier to find them again later.
Step 4: Contact Us
Once you have selected an egg donor, or narrowed down your search, contact us to schedule your consultation. You will be in touch with a dedicated case manager who will review your favorite profiles with you and answer any questions. If you have any additional questions about a specific egg donor, we will do our best to provide you with more information.
Additional Tips on Choosing an Egg Donor
Importantly, we understand that each couple or individual who is seeking an egg donor has a unique vision of what they are looking for. Throughout the years, we have learned that there are many deciding factors when choosing an egg donor and the decisive factors are different for each couple or individual. Our goal is to help you clarify what is most important to you and then inform you of the resources that are available to help you find your perfect egg donor! Below are some simple tips on choosing an egg donor.
Tip # 1: Make A List
Make a list of all the criteria and most ideal characteristics you seek in an egg donor. Next, evaluate your list of desired characteristics and decipher which ones are the most important versus which ones are simply preferred. We suggest breaking your list down into these two sections, as listed below, so you have a visual outline to refer back to throughout the process.
Must-Haves
First, it’s important to know which traits and criteria are the absolute most important to you. List all these things in your “must have” section. This is different for each couple or individual. For many intended parent(s), the family health history of the egg donor is the most important criterion. For intended parent(s) who are hoping for a baby that looks similar to them, they need to find an egg donor who shares the same ethnicity and other physical characteristics, such as hair color or eye color. The things that you list on your “must have” list are the most important criteria that you are looking for and should not be compromised.
“Preferred, but not Required”
Second, take the time to think about which characteristics or criteria on your list are more like “icing on the cake.” List all these in your “preferred” section. Perhaps you would be excited to have an egg donor with athletic abilities or outstanding academic achievements, but after thinking about it more, you realize that these things can be nurtured based on the way that you raise your child and the profound influence you have on them throughout their lives. Of course, these are just examples. Consider which items on your list you feel would be nice to have, but are not necessarily deal-breakers.
Ultimately, this list will be useful as you are browsing through egg donor profiles and discussing the possibilities with your partner, case manager, or anyone else who is a part of the journey with you.
Tip # 2: Take Advantage of Resources
Next, take advantage of the resources that are available to you. Namely, the egg donor agency that you are working with. At Donor Nexus, our team is always available to assist intended parent(s) as they are navigating through the process of choosing an egg donor. After you save your favorite egg donor profiles in our online database, your case manager will be happy to review profiles with you and assist you in requesting additional information. For instance, we can reach out to the egg donor to request more photos or videos to give you more insight into her personality. Additionally, Donor Nexus offers in-person or Zoom meetings for the intended parent(s) to get to know the egg donor before confirming the match, as long as the egg donor agrees to the meeting. To facilitate the meeting, we will collect a non-refundable $500, which will be put towards our cycle fees if the intended parents move forward with our agency.
Find Your Ideal Egg Donor in Our Online Database
We hope you found the information on this page helpful! If you have any additional questions, please feel free to get in touch.
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