The act of donating your eggs is a generous one, and so many women have become egg donors to help others grow their families. Circle Egg Donation in the San Francisco Bay Area, NYC, and Boston, encourages potential egg donors to research the egg donation process before applying to be egg donors.
Circle Egg Donation offers a tremendous amount of information on our website and blog regarding how much egg donors get paid, and the benefits of egg donation, in addition to the overall egg donation process. Even with all of the information out there, it’s normal to still have some questions about what being an egg donor means for you, your body and your health.
Here are the top 10 questions asked by women interested in donating their eggs…with our answers!
How many eggs are removed/will you take all of my eggs?
In a normal month, a woman’s ovaries releases one mature egg. For egg donation, a woman uses fertility medications to help increase her egg count. The hormones administered in the donation process stimulate more than one egg to reach maturity. While the exact number of eggs that will be retrieved depends on the individual’s age and circumstance, on average an egg donation can yield 10 to 20 eggs. However, women in their 20s have hundreds of thousands of viable eggs, so it is impossible to come even close to taking all of a woman’s eggs.
Can I donate my eggs if I live in ____________?
If you fill in that blank with one of the U.S. states or Canada, then the answer is yes! Our egg donors come from all over the country! The beauty of becoming an egg donor is that you can live in any city or town, because you will travel to your intended parents’ clinic in the U.S. to donate your eggs. So even if you live in a small town in Kansas, or a big city like New York, you can work with Circle Egg Donation and help someone have a family!
Am I too old to donate my eggs? Is there an age requirement to donate eggs?
There are age limits for egg donors. At Circle Egg Donation, we require that first-time egg donor applicants are between 21 and 29-years-old. Experienced egg donors can be up to 31-years-old. The age guidelines are part of a longer list of egg donor requirements and are in place to ensure the most successful response to IVF medications and number of viable eggs retrieved.
Can I donate my eggs if I’m on birth control?
Yes, you can donate your eggs if you are on certain forms of birth control. Acceptable forms of birth control include: birth control pills, the nuva ring, the patch, any IUD, non-copper or copper. Hormonal (non-copper) IUDs must be removed if matched before cycling. If you are currently using Implanon or Depo-Provera for birth control, you will need to switch to one of the acceptable forms of birth control listed above. Donors who were using Depo will need to wait at least 6 months from their last injection before being eligible. Always remember to consult your OB/GYN before changing your birth control.
Can I donate eggs if I’ve already donated once before?
If your previous egg donation resulted in a pregnancy or a successful retrieval, then yes, you can apply to donate your eggs again. Most of the clinics we work with will only allow an egg donor to donate eggs up to six times.
Can I donate eggs if I’ve just had a baby?
If you recently had a baby and are not breastfeeding then you will need to wait until you have had at least 3 regular and consecutive menstrual cycles before applying. If you are breastfeeding, then you need to wait until you have had at least 3 regular and consecutive menstrual cycles once you have ceased breastfeeding to apply.
Can I donate eggs if my tubes are tied?
Yes! You can donate your eggs if you’ve had a tubal ligation as long as you still have 2 functioning ovaries.
Can I donate eggs if have PCOS?
Unfortunately, we cannot accept donors with PCOS.
How much does egg donation pay?
Egg donors can set their own fee for donating their eggs. Typically, an egg donor will receive $9,000 for her first egg donation. Experienced egg donors usually raise their fees between $1,000 – $2,000 per donation.
Do I have to travel to be an egg donor?
As intended parents work with IVF clinics around the country, our egg donors are required to travel. We can certainly try and match you with IPs who are local to you, but that may decrease your chances of being chosen as an egg donor.
How many trips are involved?
Egg donors typically travel two times to the intended parents’ clinic: once for the medical screening and once for the egg retrieval. The duration of your second visit (egg retrieval) depends on the IVF center’s protocol and your body’s response to the medications. It could be as short as two days or as long as 10 days. However, most clinics require egg donors to be at the IVF about one week prior to the retrieval. Check with your intended parents’ IVF center on how they typically proceed.
And the best part about traveling as an egg donor, is that all of your expenses are covered and you get to see different parts of the country. Plus, you have the opportunity to meet your intended parents in person if you have a known relationship.
How much of my family history do I need to know?
At a minimum, donors need to have comprehensive family health history details for every immediate family member and at least one set of grandparents. Donors will also be asked for the health history of more distant relatives including aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Can I donate if I don’t have health insurance?
You do not need to have medical insurance in order to be an egg donor. The intended parents will purchase an insurance plan to cover all egg donation-related expenses.
I’m adopted, can I donate my eggs?
Yes, if you are adopted—and you know your biological family’s health history—you can donate your eggs. However, if your adoption was closed and you do not have the necessary health information, you will not be eligible.
How do they remove the eggs?
An egg retrieval is done with an ultrasound-guided needle which aspirates the follicles in the ovaries, retrieving the eggs. An egg donor is under general anesthesia during the procedure and will not feel any pain during the retrieval process. After the egg retrieval the donor may experience mild pain similar to menstrual cramps, which can be treated with over the counter pain medication and heating pads. Donors may also experience some bloating for a week after the egg retrieval.
Where do I go to donate my eggs?
When an egg donor matches with intended parents, they will travel to the clinic being used by the Intended Parents. All of your travel expenses are covered by the intended parents; it does not cost you anything to donate your eggs.
Hopefully we’ve answered all of YOUR questions about egg donation as well!
If you’re interested in learning more about egg donation, you can learn more on our website. Plus, our website chat is easy to use, and you can find it in the bottom right of any page on our site.
You can also reach us by email or by phone at 617.439.9900. If you’re ready to change someone’s life, you can apply to be an egg donor with us!