How to Become an Egg Donor
(also called "Ovum Donor")

IHR.com directory of egg donor programs

By becoming an egg donor, you will help a family suffering from infertility, who has been prevented from obtaining their dream of having a family. You will give a woman the chance to carry, and deliver, a baby that shares her male partner's genetic material. You will be giving the gift of life, and the people you help by egg donation will be forever grateful for your gift.

In addition, you will be financially compensated for your time and for your physical commitment.

This page contains information about how to become an egg donor.

Where to apply to become an egg donor

  1. IVF clinic: Many IVF clinics now have their own pools of egg donors, which they provide for prospective recipients. IHR.com has a list of IVF clinics.
     
  2. Egg donor agency: Egg donor agencies maintain pools of qualified donors. IHR.com has a list of egg donor programs.

Typical requirements to become an egg donor

Every donor egg program has their own basic requirements to become and egg donor. See some typical requirements.

Some background information about egg donor programs

  1. Providing egg donors is a relatively new service and there are no licenses or degrees required to operate an egg donor program. There are no legal guidelines to determine what egg donor providers should, or shouldn't, be required to do when matching donors and recipients.
     
  2. ASRM does, though, offer a list of egg donor egg donor agencies that have signed an agreement with the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). The agreement states that they will abide by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Ethics Committee Guidelines governing the Financial Compensation of Oocyte Donors. The egg donor program information is self-reported and has not been verified by either ASRM or SART.
     
  3. Also, please review out How to Avoid a Fraudulent Egg Donor Agency page.
     
  4. Much of the process of selecting an egg donor program is similar to selecting any professional service. You would want to know how long they have been in business and their background. Additionally, you would pay attention to whether they are adequately answering your questions and whether you feel comfortable with them.

Some guidelines and questions to ask

Here is a sampling of some common guidelines and questions to ask that may make your process more effective:

Egg donor program background information

  1. How long has the egg donor program been operating? This is an  especially important question for an egg donor agency. Has the agency been in business under the current name or under a different name?
     
  2. How many donors has the agency matched with recipients in the last year?

Screening and other issues

Potential donors are typically screened on many levels, including psychological, financial, personal medical, and family medical.

  1. In order to keep costs down, many donor programs conduct only basic initial screening for all donors. Then, after a recipient selects a particular donor, they provide additional donor screening for that donor. So, ask what kind of screening the program requires before and after donor selection.
     
  2. If you don't have medical coverage, will the donor program help you find coverage?

Contract

  1. What is the legal contract the donor program requires you to sign?
     
  2. Are you required to work only with that program for any specific period of time?

Donor payment and fees

  1. What is your compensation? Can you set your compensation or does the donor program only set your compensation?
  2. How, and when, do you get paid?
  3. Are there conditions about getting paid?
  4. What is covered and what will you need to pay for?

Before you start

Before you begin an egg donation cycle, the IVF physician, to whom you've been assigned, should discuss all of the possible risks and side effects of being an egg donor

Additional information from other websites