You may have noticed that the out-of-town donors have an extra travel cost and that some are more expensive than others.
What is included in these travel costs, and what makes one egg donor’s travel costs more expensive than another’s?
Out-of-town donors will need to travel to the fertility clinic for their initial medical evaluation. This includes a transvaginal ultrasound, blood work (hormone levels, infectious disease screening as required by the FDA for tissue donation, and genetic screening), and medication teaching as needed. Since the donor will need to be at our home facility for this visit, the travel expenses will be paid for by the intended parent(s). The further away the donor lives and the more remote the area, the more expensive the flights tend to be.
Once the donor has been cleared medically, genetically, psychologically, and legally, she will be ready to start medications. An out-of-town donor will need about 3-5 “outside monitoring” visits to check on how her ovaries are responding to medications. These visits include a transvaginal ultrasound and blood tests. Having these visits at a non-affiliated facility costs extra, and the costs vary among different clinics. At Donor Nexus, we try to find the most local and most affordable clinics available to the donor.
As the donor approaches her egg retrieval date, she and a companion will need to travel to our Newport Beach location for the retrieval. The egg retrieval is a surgical procedure under anesthesia, so the donor will be unable to drive and will need to be monitored for the rest of the day. This is why a companion is mandatory. Again, the further the donor lives from our home clinic, the more expensive the plane ticket for her and her companion. They will need to stay in a local hotel for 5-7 days. The intended parent(s) are responsible for the costs of the hotel accommodations, a per diem meal allowance, and a rental car.
Although it may cost more, many intended parents choose a non-local donor because it increases their donor pool vastly. When you are limited to only local donors, it limits the number of potential candidates to choose from.
These are some ways that the travel expenses are broken down and why expenses can vary depending on the egg donor’s distance from Southern California. If you have any more questions about travel expenses, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us here at Donor Nexus!
