Egg Donation Process
Everything you need to know about the egg donation process, from your initial application and screening all the way through cycle medications and egg retrieval.
At Donor Nexus, we provide transparent information on every aspect of the egg donor process to ensure you know what to expect. If you have any additional questions, please contact our team and we will be happy to assist you.
How Long Does the Egg Donation Process Take?
The timeline varies depending on which program you choose. With our Frozen Egg Bank, cycles can be completed in as little as eight to twelve weeks from start to finish. A Fresh Matching Program cycle may take several months due to the matching and screening period.
In both cases, the active portion of your cycle, including medications and monitoring appointments, is approximately three to four weeks.
Egg Donation Process for Donors, Step by Step
Step 1: Application
The first step of the egg donation process is to complete our online egg donor application.
Step 2: Consultation
If you are accepted into our egg donation programs, we will be in touch to schedule an introduction phone call, video meeting, or in-person meeting.
During this meeting, we can answer any questions you have about the process and discuss the options that we have available for egg donors.
Fresh Matching Program: You will wait to be matched with one set of intended parents, who will receive all retrieved eggs.
Frozen Egg Bank: You do not need to wait to be matched with intended parents. You will complete your cycle and the retrieved eggs will be added to our egg bank and have the potential to be disbursed to 3-4 sets of intended parents.
Learn more about the differences here: Fresh Matching Program vs. Frozen Egg Bank
Step 3: Profile Added to Database
Next, we will create a nonidentified* egg donor profile and upload it onto our online database for prospective intended parents to review. Your egg donor profile will include your photos and responses from your questionnaire. Please note that all identifiable information will be removed from your profile, such as your full name, birth date, home address, etc.
*Please note that although our team adheres to the highest standards to maintain donor and recipient confidentiality when facilitating a nonidentified egg donation cycle, with advancements in commercial genetic testing, we counsel our egg donors and intended parents to understand that we cannot guarantee permanent anonymity in the future.
Step 4: Selection by Intended Parents (Fresh Matching Program Only)
This step only applies to our Fresh Matching Program. If donating to our Frozen Egg Bank, you can immediately begin the screening process (Step 5) upon being accepted into the program.
We do not have an exact timeframe of how long it will take for you to be matched. It could be several months or over a year. We are committed to ensuring the match is right for both parties.
When intended parents come to Donor Nexus, we help them find an egg donor based on the characteristics they are looking for. Usually, it is characteristics similar to the intended mother, such as ethnicity, hair color, eye color, etc. Our password-protected online donor database is accessible to any user who creates a free account.
On occasion, we may contact you for additional information not listed on your profile if an intended parent has shown interest and has questions. For instance, the intended parent(s) may want additional photos of you as a child, want to know more about your family, or have questions about something that you wrote about on your profile.
Upon selection, we will contact you to share the good news!
Step 5: Screening Process
For our Fresh Matching Program, this will typically be completed at the intended parent’s designated fertility clinic on days 1, 2, or 3 of your next menstrual cycle. However, depending on the intended parent's clinic, they may allow you to be seen at a clinic local to you for some of your appointments.
For our Frozen Egg Bank, this appointment will take place at a fertility clinic local to you. If you are local to Southern California, you will be seen at HRC Fertility in Newport Beach, California.
The medical evaluation includes a transvaginal ultrasound, extensive blood work, a physical, and injection training so that you will know how to inject your medication when the time comes.
The screening process can take up to four months to complete.
Step 6: Baseline Appointment
Once you have been medically cleared and completed all your prescreening evaluations, you are ready to begin your cycle!Typically, you can expect to begin taking birth control pills 7-10 days before beginning stimulation medications. Taking birth control pills has been shown to help the follicles (egg-containing structures) grow at a similar rate which leads to a greater number of mature eggs retrieved.Next, you will have a baseline appointment for another quick round of blood work and a transvaginal ultrasound. During this appointment, your doctor will make sure your ovaries are "quiet" and your hormone levels are low. Once given the green light by the doctor, you will be ready to start taking stimulation medications.Once we are ready to proceed with the cycle, your clinic coordinator will provide you with cycle dates and a medication instruction sheet. You will also receive a shipment of medications and needles for the injections. Your clinic coordinator will schedule an in-person appointment or phone call to do injection teaching. You may also watch instructional videos via Freedom MedTeach.
Step 7: Cycle Medications and Monitoring
Next, you will begin your cycle medications which are prescribed by your physician based on your medical evaluations and hormone levels. Most egg donors will take a combination of medications including FSH (Gonal-F or Follistim) an LH (Menopur), and an antagonist (Ganirelix or Centrotide). The stimulation medications are taken once a day via self-injection in the lower abdomen area, for about 10-12 days.
While taking medications, you will have monitoring appointments at your designated fertility clinic about every other day between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. The appointments are brief and consist of a transvaginal ultrasound and a blood draw to determine how you are responding to the stimulation medications. The doctor will view the results of the transvaginal ultrasound and blood work and determine whether you need to change the amount of stimulation medication you are on.
This is a very crucial part of the process. Appointments must be completed at a certain time of the day so we can receive same-day results to ensure your medicine protocol is at a safe dose for you. You are responsible for scheduling your appointments ahead of time and arriving at your appointments on time.
Important Notice: Please know egg donors are unable to smoke/drink while taking cycle medications because it diminishes egg quality. Egg donors will also need to abstain from sexual intercourse while on medications to avoid pregnancy and STDS, and will also be checked periodically throughout their cycle to ensure they are not taking any illegal substances. If a donor tests positive for any of the above, it is an automatic disqualification.
Step 8: Trigger Shot
Toward the end of the stimulation phase, when your hormones have reached the appropriate level, the doctor will instruct you to take your final injection, called the trigger shot.The trigger shot will be Lupron/Leuprolide, hCG, or a combination of the two. This gets your ovaries ready for your egg retrieval procedure. The day after you trigger, you will have a blood test to make sure the trigger shot worked. This is called an “LH test".
Step 9: Egg Retrieval
About 32-36 hours after you give yourself the trigger shot, it will be time for your egg retrieval procedure.
The egg retrieval itself only takes about 20-30 minutes and is done as an outpatient procedure under monitored anesthesia care to keep you comfortable. You will be given a detailed explanation of the process from your nurse when you arrive. You are closely monitored by both your physician and anesthesiologist throughout the procedure.As a one-on-one donor, your egg retrieval will be done at the intended parent's designated fertility clinic. As an egg banking donor, your egg retrieval will take place at HRC Fertility in Newport Beach, California.
How the egg retrieval surgery/procedure works:
Using ultrasound guidance, a thin needle is inserted through the vaginal wall to reach the ovaries. The eggs are gently suctioned out through the needle into a tube. As stated above, the procedure itself is very quick (only about 20 minutes) and you will be awake and ready to go home about an hour after the procedure.
If your cycle is out of state, you can bring a companion with you so you are not alone during and after your procedure. If you are unable to find a companion, a nurse will be hired for you. For both one-on-one donors and egg banking donors, we will cover all travel expenses for you and your companion.
Recovery: We recommend that you take it easy for the rest of the day following your egg retrieval. It's common for donors to experience mild cramping and/or bloating for about a week following retrieval as the ovaries settle down. Within a day or two following the retrieval, you should be back to normal activity with no restrictions. Most donors return to work/school the following day.
Step 10: Compensation
Within 5 – 7 days of completing the egg retrieval, your egg donor compensation and reimbursement will be released from escrow and transferred via ACH/wire transfer.
Ready to Take the First Step?
We hope this overview has given you a clear picture of what to expect as an egg donor at Donor Nexus. If you feel confident in your decision, apply online today and our team will be in touch to walk you through the next steps. If you still have questions, explore our resources below or reach out directly. We are always happy to help.
Disclaimer: Egg donation involves a screening process and not all potential egg donors are selected and not all selected egg donors receive the compensation amount advertised. As with any medical procedure, there may be a risk associated with egg donation. First, an egg donor must agree to begin the process and sign a legally binding contract. The donor is required to receive specific information on the known risk. Consultation with your doctor before entering into an egg donor contract is advised. [Ca. Health & Safety Code 125325(a)] In addition, a summary of the egg retrieval procedure must be given to the egg donor before there is a binding contract. [Ca. Health Code 125325(b)].
Apply to Our Egg Donation Programs
To get started, fill out an online application and we’ll reach out to discuss next steps. Have questions first? We are happy to chat.
Egg Donation Process FAQ
Common questions about the egg donation process, medications, side effects, and what to expect during your active cycle. If you have a question that is not covered here, reach out and our team will be happy to help.
Prescreening can take up to four months depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle. The active cycle — medications and monitoring — takes 12-14 days. For one-on-one donors, the clock starts once you're matched. For egg banking donors, it starts once you're accepted. If you've donated before, some prescreening steps may be skipped, which shortens the timeline.
Yes. Depending on the type of birth control you're taking, the physician may switch you to a specific birth control pill for the cycle. Just let us know what you're currently on and we'll sort it out.
Birth control pills for 7 to 10 days before stimulation begins help your follicles grow at a similar rate, which leads to more mature eggs retrieved. It's a standard part of the protocol.
If you don't, your body may start growing a dominant follicle or cyst — called a flare-up — which forces a cycle delay. It's a small thing that makes a big difference, so set an alarm and stick to it.
Most donors take a combination of FSH (Gonal-F or Follistim), LH (Menopur), and an antagonist (Ganirelix or Cetrotide), preceded by birth control pills. The exact protocol depends on the physician and your hormone levels. All injections are self-administered into the lower abdomen with a small needle about the size of an insulin needle — most donors find it much less intimidating than they expected.
Your clinic coordinator will schedule an injection training session — in person or by phone — once your medications arrive. Instructional videos are also available through Freedom MedTeach if you want to watch ahead of time.
When your hormone levels reach the right point, your doctor will instruct you to take a final injection called the trigger shot — either Lupron/Leuprolide, hCG, or a combination of both. This prepares your ovaries for retrieval. The day after your trigger shot, you'll have a quick blood test to confirm it worked.
About 34 to 36 hours after your trigger shot, you'll come in for your retrieval. The procedure takes about 20 to 30 minutes and is done under monitored anesthesia — you won't feel anything during it. Your physician and anesthesiologist are with you the whole time. For one-on-one donors, the retrieval takes place at the intended parents' fertility clinic. For egg banking donors, it's at HRC Fertility in Newport Beach. Most donors feel well enough to return to normal activities the following day.
Yes, though they're generally mild. Most donors experience symptoms similar to PMS — headache, nausea, mood swings, or abdominal tenderness. Toward the end of your cycle you may notice bloating, tenderness, and some bruising at injection sites. After the retrieval, mild cramping, slight vaginal soreness, and occasional spotting are common and typically resolve quickly. You'll receive detailed post-op instructions to help manage any discomfort. Most donors find they feel fully back to normal once they've had their first period following the retrieval, though everyone responds a little differently, so your experience may vary.
The retrieval itself isn't painful because you're under anesthesia for the whole procedure. The medications and injections can cause discomfort, but most donors don't describe the experience as painful. Reading stories from previous donors is one of the best ways to get an honest sense of what to expect — you can find those on our Donor Stories page.
Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome is a rare condition that affects about one to six percent of egg donation cycles. Your physician monitors you closely throughout to reduce the risk. If it does occur, symptoms are similar to the flu and typically resolve within a few days. In severe cases, medical attention may be needed. Taking care of yourself during the cycle — getting enough sleep, eating well with plenty of protein, and avoiding strenuous exercise — helps keep your risk low.
Research does not show an increased risk of fertility issues from egg donation. The stimulation medications recruit eggs that would otherwise be naturally absorbed by your body — they don't reduce your overall egg supply. Visit our blog for more on this topic.
Multiple scientific studies have not shown that fertility medications increase cancer risk. If you have specific concerns about your individual health history, your physician is the best person to talk to.
