If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to call our fertility specialists at 314-286-2400.
What kinds of donors are available?
Known egg donors: These are individuals that the recipient might know, typically a close family member like a younger sister or cousin, on rare occasion a friend.
Anonymous egg donors: In this case the egg donor is anonymous to the recipient and has been recruited by a clinic or agency. The Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center has a pool of anonymous egg donors that are recruited locally.
What is the difference between fresh donor eggs and frozen donor eggs?
Fresh: This means that eggs are inseminated immediately after they are retrieved and fresh transfer of the resulting embryo(s) are planned.
Frozen: This means that the eggs have already been harvested from the donor and are frozen. It does not require donor’s and recipient’s cycles to be synchronized. The Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center has a partnership with MyEggBank to offer frozen eggs to patients.
Talk to your physician to better understand the difference between the two options.
What about choosing a donor from an outside agency?
We work with many outside ovum donor agencies. Outside agencies recruit and partially screen donors. The agency then assists couples in identifying possible donor matches from within their pool. We’re happy to help coordinate a donor ovum cycle with a donor from an outside agency.
One benefit of using an outside agency is the overall larger pool to choose from and donor availability may be faster.
If you’re interested in using an outside donor agency, we will provide you with a list of local agencies. We recommend that you ask about their recruitment and screening policies and procedures directly. Donors from outside agencies must have a mental health screening arranged through the agency and must meet specific criteria for eligibility, such as recent infectious disease screening, to proceed with a cycle within our center. Once selected, the donor will be examined by our doctors in our office before cycle planning.
What should I look for in a donor?
To maximize the likelihood of success, we recommend a donor under age 35. Most egg donors are between the ages 21 and 32. Other factors that increase the chances of success are having previously carried a pregnancy to term, or having previously completed an ovum donor cycle with good results.
Other factors that many patients consider are physical characteristics, ethnic background, family medical history, educational background and personality characteristics. Our whole team can help you with any questions you have about the selection process.
Can I meet the donor?
No. The process is designed to remain completely anonymous.
What if I have a known donor I’d like to work with?
The first step is to discuss your known donor with your fertility specialist. The specialist will help determine if this person is a good candidate. Known donors are usually younger than 35 years old, in good health and have a healthy family background.
What are the legal implications?
Your donor will sign a consent form relinquishing all rights and responsibilities regarding the donated eggs. In Missouri, the individual who delivers the baby is the legal parent except in pre-arranged gestational carrier agreements. For patient’s using egg donation to conceive, there’s no need to file any legal documents to establish the parentage of the child.
Laws regarding the use of donor eggs vary. We can provide legal assistance resources if desired.