A. The information you provide in your questionnaire will be available for the intended parents to review. We do remove all identifying information before uploading your questionnaire to our password-protected database. All donations are anonymous unless you agree to an open donation.
A. An egg donor is required to complete 4 pre-screen evaluations, schedule all appointments ahead of time, arrive to all appointments on time, follow medication instructions and be responsible and dependable.
You will have 4-6 monitoring appointments and the egg retrieval. If you do not live close to the fertility clinic, we will find a monitoring clinic in your area. We will cover your costs for your travel expenses.
You will inject medications for approximately 10-12+ days. Each egg donor must understand that this process is to be their number one priority and any glitch can cause the cycle to be cancelled.
A. An egg donor can expect to be placed on birth control pills before starting stimulation medications. Most egg donors will take a combination of medications including FSH (Gonal-F or Follistim) an LH (Menopur), and an antagonist (Ganirelix or Centrotide). Every egg donor will take a final injection called a trigger shot. The type of stimulation medication is dependent upon the physician and your hormone levels.
The injections are self-injections, into the lower abdomen area, with a needle about the size of an insulin needle.
A. Some egg donors experience symptoms very similar to PMS, bloating, nausea, headaches and emotional. Towards the end of your cycle, you most likely will experience tenderness in your lower abdomen area from the injections, as well as bruising in the injection site. These symptoms vary depending on each egg donor. IVF technology has been used since the late 1970’s. There are no known long-term side effects. Learn more about possible side effects of egg donation here.
A. OHSS is a very rare syndrome that can occur from egg donation; however, only one to six percent are affected in the IVF industry. Your physician will monitor you closely to avoid OHSS and prescribes a “diet” to avoid OHSS. OHSS symptoms are similar to the flu and can last for several days. In severe cases, medical attention is necessary to ensure symptoms subside. If an infection does happen, antibiotics will be prescribed.
It is best to take good care of yourself during your cycle. Be sure you are getting adequate amount of sleep, eating healthy (lots of protein) and not partaking in any strenuous activities/exercise.
A. You will receive your full compensation and reimbursement (gas and mileage to your monitoring appointment) within 5-7 days of your egg retrieval procedure. A first time egg donor is compensated at $6,500* and compensation increases with each subsequent cycle.
*Compensation is variable and will be higher for those who are approved into our premier program.
A. Majority of egg donations are anonymous. It is unlikely that you will meet or know information about the intended parent(s). In the rare chance that an intended parent wanted to meet you, Donor Nexus would contact you to ensure you are comfortable with a meeting (in-person, phone or video conference). If you are comfortable meeting with the intended parent(s), Donor Nexus would facilitate the meeting. Please indicate on your questionnaire if you are willing to meet with the intended parent(s).
A. Yes! Depending on the type of birth control you are currently taking, the physician may switch you to a birth control pill for the cycle. Learn more in this blog post: Donating Eggs While on Birth Control: What to Expect
A. Most likely you will not. Your monitoring appointments will be between the hours of 7:30 am and 9:30 am, are brief and consist of an ultrasound and blood draw. The egg retrieval procedure will require a full day off for the procedure itself and recovering at home. This should be your number one priority while in cycle so if you feel you cannot adhere to the timing and responsibilities that come with being an egg donor, then we highly suggest donating when you are able to make this your number one priority.
A. If you have received your cycle medications, please contact your clinic coordinator to schedule an in-person appointment or phone call to do injection teaching. You can also watch instructional videos via Freedom MedTeach.
A. No, the results of multiple scientific studies have concluded that fertility medications do not increase the risk of cancer. Click here to read the study.
A. Usually doctors will have you take BCPs for 7 to 10 days before starting stimulation medications. This 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.
A. If you do not take your birth control pills the same time every day, your body could respond by starting to grow a dominant follicle or cyst. This is called a “flare-up”. When this occurs, the cycle has to be delayed as you cannot start medications if there is a follicle already growing on your ovary.
