All kinds of intended parents choose egg donation as the way to build their families. LGBT+ couples, single parents, couples experiencing fertility issues, hopeful parents with genetic illnesses and more turn to donor eggs to safely conceive their child.
When should you consider egg donation?
Hopeful parents decide to pursue egg donation differently – for example, a male couple might plan to use an egg donor to build their family from the beginning, whereas another hopeful parent may choose egg donation after discovering a genetic illness.
Many couples who use egg donation have experienced fertility issues in the past. If a woman has gone through unsuccessful hormone stimulation of her ovaries, has had issues with egg quality in prior rounds of IVF, is in menopause, or is facing other similar fertility struggles, her reproductive endocrinologist may bring up egg donation as a strong option for family building.
Who becomes an egg donor?
Women of all backgrounds donate eggs. Many choose to donate eggs because they plan to be childfree and want to help someone else start a family who otherwise could not. Other egg donors choose to donate after witnessing a friend or family member go through a fertility struggle. Some women even donate eggs to a couple or hopeful parent that they know, such as actress Brittany Daniel’s story of cancer treatment and conception via her twin sister’s eggs.
Today, many women donate their eggs, but they all undergo a series of psychological and medical screenings to ensure that they are healthy and prepared to donate. They are also given thorough information about the egg donation process. Those who cannot or ultimately are not psychologically prepared to donate do not pass this stage.
How do you choose an egg donor?
We have extensive resources for parents who are beginning the egg donor search and aren’t sure what to look for – check them out here!
Most parents typically seek out a donor who resembles them and shares their ethnic background. Many parents who have conceived via egg donation chose egg donors who they connected with, based on the extensive questionnaire in the egg donor’s profile. Our general advice is to search for someone that you like and feel you would be friends with. One question our team reminds hopeful parents is, “When your child asks why you chose this donor, what will you say?”
Reading each egg donor profile carefully and considering egg donor candidates holistically may help your decision. Ultimately, the best egg donor is one who is healthy and happy to donate her eggs to help start your family.
