Anonymous Egg Donor Program at Shady Grove Fertility
In 2013, over 13,000 women applied to be an anonymous egg donor at Shady Grove Fertility. Due to the intensive screening process, the majority of women do not make it to the actual donation portion of the process – in fact, only about 3-5% of applicants will become an egg donor.
On average, it takes about 3 months from the time a woman to submits her application to the point at which she completes her egg donation. In addition to an extensive screening process, injections and medical procedure, these anonymous egg donors also do not know the outcome of their egg retrieval. They will never know if their eggs yield a pregnancy or baby. Not knowing the outcome, or hearing a ‘thank you’ from recipients, some might feel that this donation may leave women feeling empty. Maybe this is why adjectives such as generous, kind, selfless, giving, are terms used to describe Shady Grove Fertility egg donors. Abby, an anonymous egg donor, has a different perspective.
Egg Donation is Empowering
by Abby
The process of giving anonymously has been a fascinating experience for me. Frank A. Clark said that, “Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.” He’s right. Donating to a cause where you don’t know who is benefiting from your gift, is certainly fulfilling.
Psychologically it’s believed that giving provides a sense of happiness; that giving without acknowledgment is an altruistic act of selfless compassion that has the positive side-effect of improved mental-health.
What happens when that gift is hope and even the possibility of life?
For me, egg donation is a privilege and I consider myself lucky to be able to give in such a profound way. The first time I donated, I remember vividly how emotionally good I felt. Pure, simple goodness in the knowledge that I created hope where previously there had been none. That’s when I realized that my donation wasn’t completely selfless. The positive emotional response I felt knowing I helped someone in such an amazing way, was my gift. The financial reimbursement for my time and the physical aspects, were eclipsed by the happiness I felt.
Beyond all of this, there was a very strong sense of empowerment. You may ask yourself: how can empowerment be the result of something done so anonymously – something you don’t even get to know if it works? If you’ve never given of yourself like this before, it may be difficult to understand how it can be empowering. Half of your DNA is given to recipients in the hopes they will have a child; you hope that it works for them but you will never know the outcome. You don’t know the name of the recipients, what they look like, even why they want children. It seems to be a pretty hands-off, uninvolved way of giving.
What makes it empowering is the fact that I don’t need acknowledgement from the recipients. Of course I assume that those receiving my gift are grateful, but there’s no expectation of hearing it from the recipients first-hand. My choice to donate my eggs was just that, my choice. No one forced me to. I qualified to donate, and I made the decision to do just that.
Through this decision, my decision, I have learned that the only acknowledgment I need is from myself, and that has been enough. And that is pretty powerful stuff.
-Abby
If you are interested in becoming an egg donor at Shady Grove Fertility, please submit your application here or call our Donor Recruiter at 888-312-4499.
To learn more the Donor Egg Program or to schedule an appointment at Shady Grove Fertility, please speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons at 877-971-7755.
