Becoming an Egg Donor

As I shared in my last blog, becoming an egg donor was such an awesome decision for me. Egg donation helps thousands of couples every year build the family they’ve been wishing for, filling their homes with love and joy. I was so honored to be a part of the process, but it isn’t one I took on lightly. Read part two of my egg donation story.

Egg Donation – It’s Real Now

After your profile is accepted and you complete initial testing (learn more about the full egg donation process), you’re invited to attend Donor Day—a  5-hour day where you learn everything there is to know about egg donation. Donor Day offers a thorough explanation of the process and is very informative, but I’ll admit, it was after this day that I felt the gravity of this decision.

I was scared mostly because all new things are scary, and this was very, very new. Lucky for me, everyone at Shady Grove Fertility and my friend who had donated before eased my mind and assured me that my fear was normal. After 2 weeks, and me asking a lot of questions, I was cleared to be added to the Donor Database (an online database where donor egg recipients can view the anonymous donors who are currently available).

If I didn’t realize it was real after Donor Day, now I truly felt it.

Sharing the News about My Egg Donation

It felt very real all of a sudden; so I finally decided to open up about my egg donation. The Egg Donor Program at Shady Grove Fertility is phenomenal and I wanted the people closest to me to know how incredible this opportunity was and share my new life experience.

My family will tell you I am a daddy’s girl, and my dad was the first person I wanted to tell. I’m the oldest and we are very close, but my dad is conservative and Catholic so I didn’t think he would quite understand my decision. That being said, my dad has always been loving and supportive, even when I came home with a tattoo shortly after I turned 18. I was nervous to tell him because I was concerned that the myths about egg donation would cloud his judgment around my decision. However I was so pleasantly surprised that when I told him he said with much enthusiasm “Is it anonymous?” I told him it was and he continued to surprise me by saying “I think it’s great.”

After that I had a renewed sense of excitement for the process because I felt so loved and supported by the people who meant the most to me. I knew I wanted to help a couple become the kind of amazing parents mine are to me.

The Joy of Being Selected & the Fear of Messing Up

My nurse called maybe a week after I’d been placed on the database—I had been selected by a family! It’s hard to put into words how that felt because it was such a unique experience. But what I can say was how grateful I was to this couple for choosing me to help them build their family. How much more special could I ever feel? My heart was filled to the brim with joy.

Soon after being selected, I started birth control and injectable medications. I remember being terrified when the medications arrived. I did not want to mess up the dosing or hinder this process in any way.

My donor friend was very helpful when I started the injections. Her suggestion was to stay consistent and remember it was only a pinch. She also reminded me that the hormones I would be taking made her “glow” and she felt very happy during her egg donation. Her advice rang true for me—I felt almost exactly the same—a little happier than normal but I also was a little more emotional than I typically wouldn’t have been, including getting a little emotional during baby commercials.

My nurse was always kind and I felt completely comfortable asking questions, which included my small freak outs over the timing of the shots, my concern about any small feeling in the general area of my stomach, and most commonly, am I doing this right? I was so grateful to have someone to check in with every day.

Excitement and Nerves on Egg Donation Day

When the day of my egg donation arrived, I felt excited. I was nervous, of course, but mostly excited. I remember how special everyone made me feel that day. All of the nurses and doctors thanked me and told me how amazing egg donation was. I remember getting sleepy very quickly after being taken into the operating room. Afterwards, the doctor who had retrieved my eggs kiddingly called me an overachiever (because of how many eggs she was able to retrieve). She said I did so well and, once again, I felt special.

If you would like to hear more about my egg donation story, learn more about the full egg donation process, and are interested in becoming an egg donor, call me, Joanna at 1-877-DONATE-EGGS.

About Joanna:

My name is Joanna and I’ve donated my eggs twice at Shady Grove Fertility. Becoming an egg donor has been the best and most impactful decision I’ve made in life so far. Seriously.

I recently joined the egg donor team at SGF because I wanted to help women better understand the process so that they can also have this experience. Being a part of this phenomenal team gives me the opportunity to share my personal recommendations AND be able to help other women through the process. So, here goes my heartfelt recommendations to you.

As a previous egg donor myself, I know there are many reasons you may decide to donate your eggs. For me, after hearing stories from friends about their inability to conceive on their own, I was driven by a desire to help a couple build a family. Allow me to share more with you about some unique reasons I’ve found donating my eggs to be so fulfilling.

5 Reasons to Donate Your Eggs

1. It’s an opportunity to help a couple have a family.
   I know… it’s cliché, but one of the biggest reasons I chose to donate my eggs was because I have the most incredible family. The opportunity to help another couple start their own family—with holiday traditions, inside jokes, and photo albums full of memories—was so very special to me.
2. Egg donation makes a lasting impact.
   Recently, I had the time and ability to watch some of the donor egg recipient stories. I find that those videos, even in retrospect, are exceptionally moving for me. Sarah, who tried to conceive for years, spoke very honestly and openly about choosing donor egg treatment. Her journey, her persistence, and her faith in her donor is so inspiring to me. I am humbled to know that couples trusted me in one of the most important decisions of their life together.
3. You become one piece of a phenomenal puzzle.
   It’s been 25 years, we’ve had 40,000 babies born, and we have the largest egg donor program in the country, something we’re very proud of. I like to think of Shady Grove Fertility as a 500 piece puzzle; every piece contributes to the overall picture. As an egg donor, you truly feel as though you are needed and such an important puzzle piece—and that’s one of the best feelings to experience.
4. You will learn more about who you are.
   Egg donation showed me who I was at that time, who I wanted to be, and who I could be. I felt that being able to give love without the guarantee of receiving it in return helped open my eyes to mindfulness. I was able to see that there are many ways to live a life and I wanted to continue helping others more than ever before. It’s an experience that allows you to be a part of something so much bigger than yourself; connected to humans you’ll never know—it’s remarkable.
5. You have the opportunity to stand out and be an advocate!
   As an egg donor, you can advocate for a couple who may feel alone. Since the time of my own donations, I’ve been very open with my family and friends about the beauty in egg donation. I learned so much about fertility treatments because I wanted to be invested and understand what it is these couples go through. I learned about the challenges these couples go through and that by deciding to donate, you have shown complete strangers that they are not alone in their journey.

 
Overall, there are many reasons to donate your eggs, but for me, one of the best feelings I’ve ever had was knowing that I could make a real difference in the world, and doesn’t everyone in gen-Y want that?

LEARN ABOUT DONOR COMPENSATION
If you want to donate your eggs but are not sure what to expect, I encourage you to take the first step. You will learn more as you start the process. Let me tell you, it’s rewarding beyond any measure.

If you’re interested in becoming an egg donor, start the process today by completing our initial application or call 1-888-Donate Eggs.

My name is Joanna and I’ve donated my eggs twice at Shady Grove Fertility. Becoming an egg donor has been the best and most impactful decision I’ve made in life so far. Seriously.

I recently joined the egg donor team at SGF because I wanted to help women better understand the process so that they can also have this experience. Being a part of this phenomenal team gives me the opportunity to share my personal recommendations AND be able to help other women through the process. So, here goes my heartfelt recommendations to you.

When you think of the word ’donation,‘ the initial reaction or response is to think you are giving something away. The official definition according to Merriam-Webster is: something (such as money, food, clothes, etc.) that you give in order to help a person or organization. So why do then egg donors earn money? Leading women to wonder, “Can I sell my eggs?”

Can I sell my eggs?

The simple answer, no. The truth is that women who donate their eggs are, in fact, donating their eggs to another, anonymous, couple. However, egg donors are usually compensated for their time and efforts (not their eggs).

At Shady Grove Fertility, egg donors and egg donor recipients have no contact with each other and, once the eggs are retrieved, the egg donor is not informed about the results of her donated eggs.

Investment of Time and Efforts for Egg Donors

The time investment is significant for each woman who is interested in becoming a Shady Grove Fertility egg donor. On average, the process of becoming an egg donor takes 4 to 6 months and includes a very detailed screening process that is comprised of a two-part application, a social worker visit, taking 2 days off of work, and an overall lifestyle change as they prepare their body to produce enough eggs to donate, not to mention 10 to 12 early morning monitoring appointments, injectable medications to stimulate the ovaries, and the surgical retrieval procedure.

Each egg donor essentially goes through the same process as a patient who undergoes in vitro fertilization (IVF), just varying doses of medications. During the course of taking the injectable medications, which help your ovaries mature more (existing) follicles (resting eggs), egg donors must live cautiously. They are required to refrain from intense or extreme exercise, drinking, smoking, or sexual intercourse.

Inside Egg Donation

We have found that despite compensation, women who become egg donors are very highly motivated for altruistic reasons—to help another family and give a gift that is truly priceless. According to one anonymous egg donor, “I didn’t even know I could get paid when I did it the first time. To me, donation means you are donating out of the goodness in your heart, not necessarily because you’re going to get paid.”

If you have ever wondered, “Can I sell my eggs?” Please call 1-877-Donate-Eggs to receive more information about egg donation.

How I became an egg donor is kind of funny. About a year ago, I heard an ad about becoming an egg donor on Pandora. I took my headphones out and made a comment to my office mates about considering egg donation. The girl in the cube next to me very openly shared that she had been an egg donor and she very generously held nothing back and told me her story.

I remember immediately feeling that egg donation was a much more normal, real experience than I had believed beforehand. She then went on to explain she had been a known donor, which meant that she donated to a family friend through Shady Grove Fertility. Ultimately hearing her talk about their struggle to conceive and her experience donating with Shady Grove Fertility made me feel like egg donation was right for me.

I was at a stage in my life where I felt that my career was not emotionally fulfilling, and at the same time, I desperately wanted to visit London but couldn’t afford it. Becoming an egg donor was an opportunity that would fulfill both of my needs and desires: I could help other humans fill their lives with love, contribute to something bigger than myself, and finally make it across the pond. Why wouldn’t I apply to become an egg donor?

Becoming an Egg Donor – The Application

I filled out the initial application and within 24 hours was invited to complete my Egg Donor Profile. I think I looked over the profile a few times before committing to finishing it—I had to supply not only info about myself but family history—and it can be a bit intimidating at first.

I went to my parents’ house and collected my childhood photos. My mom and I are really close and I typically tell her just about everything so I took the opportunity to tell her I was interested in becoming an egg donor. I also needed some family history information to complete the profile so I thought she would be my best source of information. While she was very hesitant and concerned about my future fertility by donating all of my eggs (which I later learned is a common misconception and isn’t actually true), she was supportive and agreed to share our family history with me. I took my time submitting the profile because, very honestly, my mom’s hesitation made me slow down and truly consider all aspects of my decision as well as impress upon me the importance of learning as much as I could about the process.

After taking time to consider everything, I submitted my Egg Donor Profile within a few weeks.  Soon after, I was selected to move to the next step: baseline bloodwork and ultrasound to measure my current fertility (aka would I be a good egg donor).

It was the first time I’d actually seen my uterus and, quite honestly, I loved learning and being able to then share the knowledge I acquired about female fertility. I’ve always been passionate about learning new things, it doesn’t matter what the subject matter, I just enjoy it. I love educating others with my new knowledge in any setting, and Shady Grove Fertility gave me an opportunity to really delve into fertility and female health—things I’ve now come to enjoy advocating for.

Becoming an egg donor was one of the best decisions of my life, so much so that I decided to make a welcomed career change and am now working with Shady Grove Fertility as a donor recruiter. I felt so passionate and positive about my experience, I couldn’t wait to share it with more women so that they, too, could experience the same. Stayed tuned for the next part of my story—how my testing and donation went.

If you are interested in becoming an egg donor, call Joanna at 1-877-DONATE-EGGS.

About Joanna:

My name is Joanna and I’ve donated my eggs twice at Shady Grove Fertility. Becoming an egg donor has been the best and most impactful decision I’ve made in life so far. Seriously.

I recently joined the egg donor team at SGF because I wanted to help women better understand the process so that they can also have this experience. Being a part of this phenomenal team gives me the opportunity to share my personal recommendations AND be able to help other women through the process. So, here goes my heartfelt recommendations to you.

My name is Joanna and I’ve donated my eggs twice at Shady Grove Fertility. Becoming an egg donor has been the best and most impactful decision I’ve made in life so far. Seriously.

I recently joined the egg donor team at SGF because I wanted to help women better understand the process so that they can also have this experience. Being a part of this phenomenal team gives me the opportunity to share my personal recommendations AND be able to help other women through the process. So, here goes…my heartfelt recommendations to you.

Ask questions!

At first, I’ll admit, I had a lot of questions about the egg donation process. I think there are so many myths surrounding donation that I knew very few actual truths before I got started. However, I quickly learned, the women on the donor egg team offer a plethora of knowledge about the egg donation process and all things regarding fertility. During my egg donation was the first time I had ever really hyper-focused on my fertility, and I asked a ton a questions. I asked about my own fertility, I asked about the process from beginning to end, and I asked a lot about my own health during and after the procedure. The staff was always so gracious about answering. During Donor Day, a nurse practitioner even explained in detail to me the science behind my donation. Coming from a non-science background, I appreciated having the process simplified for me. The donor egg team is a great resource and we are always willing to answer your questions—big or small— so don’t be shy!

Invest in the education Shady Grove Fertility is giving you.

I have to be honest here; my general sex education was almost nonexistent. When I had my first ultrasound, I saw something completely different than what I had imagined. My favorite part of the egg donation process was learning about the growth of my follicles and what that meant in relation to my eggs. I enjoyed learning about fertility and the different factors that play into having a baby. Did you know that there’s only about a 20 percent chance of pregnancy each month in a young, healthy couple—how fascinating! Use the resources that are available to you, meaning the donor team here at Shady Grove Fertility. Many on the team have been with the practice for many years. We are all here to make your experience as meaningful and informed as possible.

Think about what you would want your recipient to know.

The Egg Donor Profile is one of the most important elements of your egg donation process. It is the only piece of information the recipient will have about you. I strongly encourage you to “humble brag”—that’s right, I’m telling you to let your accomplishments shine. Whether you’re an expert on the ukulele, have a secret talent for painting, study genetics in your free time, or set the mile time record for your college—you should share that. Remember that your decision to donate is remarkable and your recipients will want to know and appreciate who you are!

Journal your “why.”

My grandmother looked at me one day and said “write down why you did this, you’ll want to remember it when you’re my age.” My “why” was very likely similar to yours: I wanted to help someone. I think as humans we are instinctively drawn to people who need help—especially if we can do something about it. I felt that by becoming an egg donor I was giving love without ever needing to or being able to receive it in return—a truly fulfilling experience. I chose to help two happy humans make a tiny human out of love and I am both in awe of their strength and grateful to have been trusted by them to join them on this journey.

Recognizing why I chose to become an egg donor motivated me throughout the process. On the days when I wanted to hit snooze rather than be on time for an appointment, I reflected on that conversation with my grandmother and why egg donation was truly one of the best things I’ve had the opportunity to do with my life, and it got me right out of bed.

Always say hello and drink your Gatorade.

From the receptionist who checks you in each morning, to the lovely clinician who draws your blood, to the sonographer and doctor seeing you—everyone is so very grateful for you! During my journey, I made new friends including a wonderful sonographer who even noticed when I cut my hair mid-cycle. She was so cheerful each day, which I always appreciated. During my early morning monitoring appointments, we would chat about our evenings, yoga, and local happenings. I was so comfortable with her. One piece of advice she shared with me that I will share with you is to drink Gatorade. During the donation process there will be a time where you might experience some bloating, similar to what you may experience during a normal period. Gatorade was so helpful at relieving the bloating; I still use this tip, even now that my donation journey is complete.

Take this to heart!

As I said, being an egg donor was an amazing experience for me and I hope you will find the same. Everyone at Shady Grove Fertility made me feel so special and it all started with that one sonographer noticing my haircut! This was the best decision I’ve ever made.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about the egg donation process, call us at 1-888-Donate Eggs.

As technology advances and personal information becomes more readily available, questions regarding the validity of the term “anonymous egg donation” have started to arise. For egg donors and recipients alike, privacy is often a primary concern. This is why Shady Grove Fertility has designed our anonymous Egg Donation Program (for donors) and Donor Egg Program (for donor egg recipients) with a multitude of safeguards to protect our patients’ privacy.

Shady Grove Fertility’s Donor Egg Program started in 1994, with only a small pool of egg donors and recipient couples. Over the years, those numbers have grown exponentially with more than 3,000 babies born to families who used donated eggs. Today, we receive over 1,000 egg donation applications to participate in our anonymous program per month with only about 3 percent of those applicants becoming egg donors. Our experience in the field has enabled us to create a streamlined process that protects all of our patients and their anonymity.

Is Anonymous Egg Donation Possible?

Given carefully executed steps, it is possible to protect the identities of the women who pursue anonymous egg donation. The preventative measures to ensure anonymity start at the beginning of the donation process. With a multitude of consent forms that must be signed, both the egg donor and the donor egg recipient agree to respect each other’s privacy. While recipients do receive a great deal of information about their egg donor, we are very intentional about protecting the identity of the egg donor.

Egg donors on the other hand receive no information about the recipient(s), according to Egg Donor Program Director, Michele Purcell, MHA, RN. “While the recipients are given information, through a profile that the egg donor completes, the egg donor herself receives no information about the recipient(s).”

An important step for both donor and recipient is a consultation with our psychological support team. During this time, a mental health provider helps both egg donors and recipients prepare for and understand what to expect if participating in our anonymous egg donation program. This time is also used to assess if each party is mentally ready to be a part of our anonymous program.

Ways We Protect Your Anonymity

While Shady Grove Fertility can ensure there are no leaks in the identity of donor or recipient identifiable information, there are multiple databases that look to connect egg and sperm donors to recipients and children. With advancements we’ve seen in genetic testing, questions of how to protect one’s identity persist. In these cases, therefore, it is important to note that while genetic testing and DNA databases can bring long lost family members together, in order for either party to find the other, a set of DNA from both parties would have to be given to the database to find a match. In the event an egg donor or donor egg recipient were to break their contract and wish to find the other party, it would be extremely difficult to find one another.

“Our programs is designed to maintain donor and recipient anonymity.  Neither the donor nor the recipients are given any personal, medical, or genetic identifying information about the other party” explains reproductive endocrinologist, Eric A. Widra, M.D., Executive Senior Medical Officer at Shady Grove Fertility.

There are a few additional safeguards donors can take to keep their identity intact:

1. Donors should choose a donor profile photo that has not been previously posted, or will be posted, on social media.
2. Donors should not discuss treatment timelines or details of this specific experience on social media.
3. Donors should not share pictures with identifying information. For example, donors should not share a photo with an address in the background or wear unique articles of clothing, such as a t-shirt with a club or university name on it.

While it may seem like there could be ways to find loopholes in an anonymous egg donation process, the truth is that the chances of a donor and recipient finding each other on accident, or even purposefully, are extremely slim.

Learn more about our Donor Egg Program and Egg Donor Program or apply to become an egg donor here.  

To schedule a new patient appointment, please call our New Patient Center at 877-971-7755.