Main FAQ

IHR Hosted Egg Donor Database - Home Page

Following are some typical questions and answers about the IHR Hosted Egg Donor Database:

1. Why should we display our donors online?
2. How can we maintain donor anonymity and confidentiality?
3. We don't give out donor information unless the prospective recipient comes into our office, so why should we use the IHR database?
4. We have a small donor pool, so why should we put the listings online?
5. We already have online donor listings, so why should we use the IHR Egg Donor Database?
6. Can the IHR Egg Donor Database get us more donors?
7. How much do you charge?
8. How would visitors to my website see my donors in the IHR Egg Donor Database?
9. How are the usernames and passwords issued?

1. "Why should we display our donors online?"

Over the last few years, more and more agencies and IVF clinics have begun displaying their donors online, primarily because that's what prospective recipients are expecting and wanting. Here are more detailed reasons:

1. Many prospective recipients first want to review online and then make an appointment to meet with the agency or IVF clinic. This way, they don't have to first make a commitment to the agency/clinic.
    
2. It provides an easier way for prospective recipients to search for a particular type of donor (e.g. over 5' 10"), rather than look through, for example, 100 donors in a hardcopy three ring binder in an office.
    
3. For busy people, this can be a very easy way to initially review lots of donors in one's home, at for example, 11pm when free time is available.
    
4. Online donor listings will also allow you to stay more competitive with other agencies and IVF clinics.

2. "How can we maintain donor anonymity and confidentiality?"

There are numerous ways you can maintain your donors' privacy:

Donor Anonymity: If you operate an IVF clinic, it's crucial to adhere to HIPAA requirements. Egg donor patients must remain anonymous. Using the IHR Hosted Egg Donor Database, you can maintain anonymity of your egg donors as follows:

• Don't show any photos (or only show photos of the donors who have agreed to that).
• Don't display any unique information which would make the donor identifiable.

Donor Confidentiality: With the IHR Egg Donor Database, you can restrict access to your online donor list by providing password access to only authorized users, such as your patients.

Additional information about donor anonymity and confidentiality

3. "We don't give out donor information unless the prospective recipient comes into our office, so why should we use the IHR database?"

Some donor programs prefer the prospective recipient to first come into their office before they give out any donor information. This can offer a helpful way to provide handholding for the recipients.

However, when using the IHR database, the donor program can still stay just as involved in the donor selection process. Here are some options:

• You can require that the prospective recipient first call your office before you provide any donor information.
• You can allow prospective recipients to see the tabular format of donors, however, require that they contact you before they can see any more information online.
• You can allow prospective recipients to see the tabular format of donors, however, require that they come into your office before they can see any additional donor information.

Basically, you can use the IHR donor dbase to match your existing workflow.

By not displaying some donor information online, you may be missing out on prospective recipients who want to first see something online before contacting you. They may have privacy concerns or they may want to take small steps before the meet with you. In these cases, you may miss out on attracting them as recipients.

4. We have a small donor pool, so why should we put the listings online?

Many IVF clinics, and some donor agencies, have relatively small donor pools. However, even if you have a small donor pool, the IHR donor database allows you to provide enhanced services, as well as reduce your staff labor time.

Assume a prospective recipient reviews your hardcopy donor information in your office, selects two possible donors, and then you provide two hardcopy donor packets for them to take home. What happens if the recipient wants to review two other donors when they get home? With the IHR database, they can simply log into your database and re-review the donor information from their home.

Allowing prospective recipients to download donor files, will also reduce your staff labor time..

Using this technology does not mean you are no longer doing the all important handholding with recipients. You can continue to handhold recipients through the process. With the IHR database, it's just easier for everyone to review and disseminate the information. 

5. "We already have online donor listings, so why should we use the IHR Egg Donor Database?"

You might ask yourself if your donor listings allow you to do the following, which the IHR Egg Donor Database will give you:

• Display donors in tabular format for easy searching
• Display lots of donor details with e.g., photos and PDF files
• Display donors in an attractive, professional-looking format
• Control how much donor information prospective recipients can view with and without a password
• Easily add and update donors with your web browser
• Receive bug fixes and enhancements at no extra charge, as part of your monthly subscription
• More information

6. "Can the IHR Egg Donor Database get us more donors or recipients?"

The primary purpose of the IHR Hosted Egg Donor Database is to help you display your donors in a format that will enhance the possibility that prospective recipients will want to select your donors. The IHR Database is not set up as a promotion channel to help you obtain more egg donors or recipients.

If you want to get more egg donors or recipients, then IHR recommends that you obtain one or more promotional listings on the IHR.com Egg Donor and Surrogacy Programs page. The following page explains how you can sign up for promotional listings.

7. "How much do you charge?"

The charges vary depending upon the number of donors and the level of service. As a typical example, if you have 1 to 99 donors and you want to display donor details, the charge is $55/month. More information.

8. "How would visitors to my website see my donors in the IHR Egg Donor Database?"

After you've entered and reviewed your donors in the IHR Hosted Egg Donor Database, then you would simply provide a link from your current website to your section in the IHR Database. Your section of the IHR Database is made to look just like your website, so visitors typically would not realize they are on the IHR server. There is a link at the top that says "Return to Home Page" so users can easily get back to your regular website.

9. "How are the usernames and passwords issued?"

IHR will provide you with the following usernames and passwords:

• One administrative username/password, so you can access your administrative panel.
• One to three recipient username/passwords, which you can give to prospective recipients to review donor information.