It takes a special woman to be an egg donor. Young women who are interested in donating their eggs must meet a set of physical, health, geographic and educational requirements.
Physical Requirements for Egg Donors
Geographic Requirements for Egg Donors
Health Requirements for Egg Donors
Educational Requirements for Egg Donors
These may seem like a long list of requirements, but it's because what you're doing as an egg donor is so important – you are changing someone's life!
This list of requirements is also a great way for our team to get to know you!
When a woman does not meet egg donor requirements, it doesn't mean that she is not a good person or isn't capable of helping others. Not meeting the requirements to become an egg donor means that a woman doesn't meet the criteria to have the most successful egg donation for all parties involved.
Egg donors will not qualify for egg donation if:
Reasons for being disqualified or "rejected" as an egg donor do not reflect on the applicant as a person at all. It means that being an egg donor is not the right fit for her family health history or lifestyle. For example, having a BMI over 29 does not mean you don't live a healthy lifestyle, it simply means that you are not in the optimal range for the medications and guidelines set forth for being an egg donor. There are IVF medications required for egg donation, and clinics need to be sure that the egg donor will respond appropriately, and that she has the best chance of having a successful egg retrieval.
Egg donors need to take medications (injections) in order to stimulate their ovaries for egg production. Once her body is ready, she will have one more injection – the "trigger shot" – which will trigger her ovulation so they eggs can be retrieved.
The most important thing for an egg donor to know is that there are needles. You'll have needles for blood work during the medical screening and needles for every day during the cycle. Egg donors take daily injections for roughly 21 days (the number of days varies based on the clinic’s protocol and your body’s response to the medications). This is not as scary as it may seem and neither are the needles. The needles are relatively small (similar to the size need a diabetic uses to prick his or her finger), and the injections may be given in your abdomen, upper thigh, or buttocks.
The medications do not last long, and are such a small part of the immense gift that you are giving to others.
Egg donation feels different for every woman. Some find the needles to be painful at times, while other women describe them as "just a pinch".
The egg retrieval procedure is actually the fastest part of the whole process. It takes about 15-25 minutes, and the entire time the donor is under general anesthesia. Egg donors say that they don't feel a thing during the retrieval (thanks to anesthesia).
Everyone recovers differently, but on average it can take about a week or so after the retrieval to feel "normal" again.
If you follow doctor's orders, relax, rest and don't overdo it, you'll be up and back at life in no time.
If you're thinking about becoming an egg donor – that's great! In addition to the egg donor requirements set forth by ASRM and fertility clinics, it's important for potential egg donors to be emotionally, physically and mentally ready to apply, and to commit to the process.
Egg donation is a big commitment, and one that you should feel amazing about doing! But egg donation is also a serious responsibility. You need to be mentally ready for all that is going to be asked of you.
When you apply, are accepted and added to our egg donor database, you are that much closer to helping make intended parents dreams come true. Should an intended parent choose you for an egg donor match, you need to be able to commit to moving forward with the journey. Once matched, intended parents are emotionally invested in you helping them grow their families.
Egg donors will be given a cycle schedule by the IVF clinic, which includes strict instructions for medications. It's imperative that an egg donor follow these directions explicitly – the success of your egg retrieval can depend on it! While you are taking your medications, there will be a bunch of appointments you'll be required to attend. Please be sure that you have made the time in your schedule to accommodate them (and that you have transportation!)
The actual egg donation process is relatively short (a few weeks), but keeping up with exercise and eating right from when you apply to when you are matched is a great way to help your body prepare for what's ahead.
Be ready to share one of the greatest adventures ever with your agency and with your intended parents. During the application process you will be asked many personal questions about yourself and your family, and you should be ready to answer all of them as honestly as possible.
While you are the one donating your eggs, you should have at least one person in your life who knows about your plans for egg donation. You can look to this person for emotional support throughout the process, or even as your travel companion for the retrieval trip.
You need to be mentally, physically and emotionally "all in" for a successful egg donation!
"In 2019, I started educating myself on the process of egg donation. I started my application, however, wasn’t completely ready yet. Fast forward two years, I completed my application and became an active donor with Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation. I have now completed all three types of donation arrangements – anonymous, semi-known, and known. After experiencing the fulfillment of donating my eggs and helping others create a family, I wanted to share my journey with others."
Before applying to become an egg donor, it's important to have an understanding of what will be expected of you.
While the egg donor requirements may feel like a long list of qualifications, they are in place to ensure all egg donors are in the best emotional and physical state for egg donation.
Apply NowEgg donors usually travel to the IVF clinic of their intended parents for a medical screening and their egg retrieval. Intended Parents work with clinics across the country, so it's difficult to know exactly where you'll need to go. All of your travel expenses are covered by the parents.
Benefits of egg donationPart of the medications process for egg donors is administering injections daily for about 21 days. You will also have ultrasounds during the process to check and see how you're responding to the medications.
Learn more about medications
Read testimonials
You can easily apply to be an egg donor in our egg donor database!
Circle Egg Donation is one of the largest agencies – and the most successful! Applying to be an egg donor with Circle means you'll be supported by an egg donor team who will help you through every step of the egg donation process. You'll also have the opportunity to get to know the intended parents whom you are helping.
There are 3 steps to applying to donate your eggs:
1. Register for our egg donor database with your name and email
2. Check your email for a link to our application
3. Fill out your application!
If your application meet our requirements, you will hear from our egg donor team.
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