How to Become an Egg Donor in Sacramento
What a powerful thing it is when a woman is able to give the gift of human life to an individual or couple who can’t have a baby on their own. That is the gift you offer when you donate eggs to a fertility clinic or a couple who needs them.
If you’re considering becoming an egg donor in the Sacramento area, odds are you have plenty of questions and concerns. Please feel free to call us here at Northern California Fertility Medical Center to learn more about the process. 916.773.2229.
Steps for Becoming an Egg Donor
In the meantime, the following is a brief outline of how you can become an egg donor in Sacramento or the surrounding areas.Image Courtesy of Stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
- Learn all you can about it. There are plenty of resources you can use to learn about the egg donation process. You can contact a fertility clinic directly, read about the process on a clinic’s website or research information on nationally renowned sites, like the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) The more you learn ahead of time, the more prepared you will be as you continue through the process and the more familiar you will be with the terms and language used in the world of assisted reproductive technology.
- Review the limiting factors. There are some factors that will automatically disqualify you from becoming an egg donor. For our clinic, these include things like: –Having a current STD. –Being adopted (family medical histories are very important). –Being diagnosed with a disease or medical condition that can be passed on through your DNA to the baby. –Having an immediate family member who has committed suicide. –Using Depo-Provera as a form of birth control (although you can be considered again once you are free of any residual hormones from Depo-Provera and are willing to switch to a pill-form of hormonal birth control). –Living more than two hours away from the clinic. If one or more of these factors applies, you may not be the best candidate for egg donation.
- Begin the pre-qualification process. Understandably, egg donors are screened very seriously before their eggs are retrieved. This is for the safety and benefit of all parties involved. You need to be the right age (between 21 and 31) and in exceptional health. Your screening will involve a full physical exam including blood work and other lab tests. Your ovarian reserve will be evaluated to make sure your multiple egg retrieval now won’t harm your own chances of getting pregnant down the road. You can begin by completing our pre-qualification form here if you are interested in getting started.
- Be matched with potential recipients. While your identity will remain 100% anonymous (unless you specify otherwise), parents interested in using donor eggs for IVF will have access to the pertinent details in your file. These include your physical attributes, your picture, hobbies, education level, interests, medical history, history of previous pregnancies, and so on. They want to have a child that matches their family as closely as possible. You will be contacted as soon as you are selected as a donor, and we will discuss the timing and steps required to move forward with the egg retrieval.
- Start the egg donation process. Once you are qualified as a donor, we will choose the right time for you to donate your eggs, which occurs via a retrieval process. This process is the same as it is for a woman who is using her own eggs for IVF. The retrieval will be synced with the menstrual cycle of the woman who will receive your fertilized eggs so your flexibility is a must.You will learn how to administer hormones to increase the number of eggs that mature and you’ll be carefully monitored throughout this process. Once the eggs are ready, they will be retrieved during a minimally invasive and relatively pain-free outpatient procedure.
