Choosing a reputable Egg Donor Agency is one of the smartest decisions you can make when thinking of becoming a parent through egg donation. Around 1.6% of babies born every year in the US are born through egg donation and surrogacy. Today, more and more women are willing to give some of their eggs, and that is good news for hopeful couples looking for the “right” match to help complete their family.
However, this also makes selecting an ideal Egg Donor challenging. Intended parents and women who are trying to donate eggs have a lot of options, and this can make choosing an egg donation agency to work with daunting. Generally, Intended Parents like to opt for an agency with proven experience in the fertility industry and known to provide continuous support throughout the whole process.
In this article, we’ll discuss the most important things to consider when looking for an egg donor agency to work with. These include the agency’s experience, the kinds of egg donation offered, as well as the support they provide during the process.
- Screening process
- Database
- Reputation
- Case management
- Matching services
- Follow-up care
- Fees
- Experience
- Anonymous egg donation
Egg Donor Screening Process
Every agency has its own screening process for Egg Donors, and egg donation programs are not the same. Hence, it is important to ask potential agencies about their:
Selection requirements
- Donors are between 21 to 29 years old
- Have a BMI between 19 and 25
- Be non-smokers
- Have regular menstruations
- Have a healthy weight and lifestyle
- Possess two working ovaries
- Have not traveled to a Zika-infected country in the last six months
Medical screening standards (for matched donors):
- Physical examination
- Detailed medical histories
- Fertility evaluation to verify egg production
- Comprehensive medical screening for:
- Genetic abnormalities or disorders
- Blood type
- Drug usage
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Partner screening (for the partner, husband, boyfriend, and so on)
Psychological screening standards (for matched Egg Donors)
- Check for illnesses, disorders, or emotional issues
- Determine the motivations for becoming an Egg Donor
- Verify that prospective donors understand the risks and the level of commitments involved
Our Egg Donors are also interviewed for:
- Great personality
- Commitment
- General demeanor
We also conduct a background check for:
- Legal difficulties
Egg Donor Database
A quality Egg Donor database begins with a comprehensive screening process, but it also depends on some factors like:
- The overall size of the database
- A wide range of Egg Donors (different ethnicities, physical features, religions)
- Local donor database ( local donors minimize the travel expenses for hopeful parents
- Regularly updated database (standardized phone calls or email checks to avoid false match cases)
Egg Donor Agency Reputation
Nowadays, people check on reviews on the internet before making any decisions, from where to purchase the latest designer bags to where to hire a reproductive expert. Choosing an agency to work with is one of the biggest personal decisions you will have to make as a prospective Egg Donor. Hence, it’s important that you know what ex-donors have said about their experience with the agency.
Some women also consider donating to egg banks. But egg banks work in a different way than agencies. For instance, egg banks are founded to provide known egg donation, and the success rate is often less than when working with an agency. A good agency will abide by all the important regulations and have excellent working relationships with many IVF and fertility clinics. So, ask the agency about their:
- Donor match rate
- HIPAA compliance
- FDA compliance
- ASRM compliance
- History of lawsuits
- Relationship with fertility centers
- Number of years they have been operating
- Better Business Bureau listing
- Online reviews or ratings
Case Managers
Case managers play a huge role in your Egg Donor experience. While your instincts will be more valuable than any list, here are some important things to consider:
- Years of experience in the fertility field
- Attentive, compassionate care
- Ease of communication
- The convenience of office locations
Matching Services
Choosing an Egg Donor is one of the most crucial decisions you will ever make as Intended Parents. So, does the agency offer you:
- High donor match rates
- Travel coordination for the screening process and egg retrieval
- Organized administrative process
- Contacts with reproductive attorneys.
- Personalization (ability to speak with Egg Donor)
- Weekly contact concerning the status of YOUR cycle
- Open access to contracts with the egg donor agency
Follow-up Care
If you got pregnant with a donor’s egg, it is important to be informed of any medical developments that can occur. Does the agency
- Have an excellent business model to ensure longevity?
- Offer continuous medical contact with doctors?
Agency Fees
Cost is an important factor to consider when pursuing fertility treatments. Are the agency fees and Egg Donor costs properly documented and explained? Find out if the agency provides:
- Affordable fees
- Refund policies
- Clear billing procedures
- Clearly defined rematch policies
Experience
The popular axiom that there is no substitute for experience apples when it comes to choosing an agency to work with as a potential Egg Donor. At RSMC, we have refined our donation program to offer more options and support for hopeful parents, Egg Donors, and Gestational Surrogates.
Anonymous Egg Donation
There are two types of Egg Donors: an anonymous donor and a known donor. Nowadays, most egg donation is anonymous, with the hopeful parents choosing the donor after consulting an egg donor agency.
How it impacts Intended Parents
To help Intended Parents make the right choice, they are provided with information about possible matches, including:
- Age
- Ethnicity
- Education
- Medical history
- Family history
- Recent or childhood photographs etc
The use of an agency helps streamline the donor egg process since agencies initially screen donors before they are screened again at the fertility center. If you are working with another agency, the Egg Donor cycle will be coordinated between your agency and our clinic to make sure you have a stressless, relaxing donation experience.
How it impacts Egg Donors
Prospective donors will have to undergo a strict screening process before they are allowed to make egg donations. These include:
- Several blood tests
- Genetic screening
- Psychological screening and
- A fertility evaluation
Using Donor Eggs with RSMC
The harmonious relationship between RSMC and its Egg Donor agency provides you access to a wide donor database and helps make the IVF process as smooth and hitch-free as possible.
We do everything possible to help infertile patients actualize their dreams of growing a family. Our team consists of experienced doctors, embryologists, nurses, psychotherapists, administrative personnel, and clinical coordinators. Our Egg Donor program offers you professional services and attentive care as we take you a step closer to your parenthood dreams. We can help you with every aspect of an egg donor IVF cycle. At RSMC, we:
- Help with contractual agreements, which state the responsibilities and obligations of the agency/recipient and agency/donor
- Handles donor expense disbursements
- Provide supportive and discreet handling of the egg donation process
- Coordinate donor’s appointments and travel
- Provide an online database of already-screened donors to make the selection process as simple and as private as possible
- Review of genetic and medical history by an RSMC physician
- Psychological testing and assessment by our marriage and family therapist
- Vaginal ultrasound conducted by an RSMC staff
- Genetic testing
- Genetic counseling conducted by a certified genetic counselor
Egg Donation with RSMC
- Once you are done with your application, you are matched with your Intended Parents
- After you are matched, you’ll be scheduled for a psychological evaluation and medical screening at our fertility clinic.
- Once you have been medically “okayed” to donate eggs, we will assign you an attorney who help review your donor contract.
- We will give you a calendar containing outlining the medical protocol for the donation process and information on egg retrieval.
- Once your eggs are collected, our staff will follow you up to ensure you are okay and recovering well.
- The egg donation process is complete!
Comprehensive Support
When looking for an egg donor agency, you will want to work with one that can answer all your questions and take care of your needs, starting from the time of initial consultation to the embryo transfer procedure. To make the process legally transparent and robust, RSMC provides the donors with access to an independent lawyer who will help protect their interests, provide social workers for emotional support, and ensure they receive quality medical care.
Final words
We know that there are plenty of questions that may arise regarding egg donation and other procedures that follow, including legal queries, medical concerns, and accounting. We tried to clarify the basic questions that pop up at the very beginning. If you have more questions, schedule a fertility consultation, and our expert team will answer those queries.
You can also use the chat option to get in touch.
