Admissions
You’ll complete an online application for Growing Generations. Once your application is accepted, you will be contacted by our team to discuss the next steps for joining our egg donor program. This includes a video consultation, paperwork, fertility testing, and profile creation. Your completed profile will be added to our database where intended parents view and select egg donors. The process takes a few months to complete, and the timeline is determined by you. Most of that time is spent waiting for your menstrual cycle, so we can complete a fertility test and then wait for those results.
Egg Donor Selection
The most unpredictable aspect of egg donation is the time it takes to be selected by intended parents. Every intended parent is looking for a unique set of characteristics in their egg donor, and it may take time for them to find the right one. This phase could take days, weeks, or even months, but we will be with you during this time. When you’re selected by intended parents, know they have spent all that time looking for the perfect donor, which happens to be you!
Screening and Legal Process
Once you are selected by intended parents, you will be matched with a case specialist who will guide you through the donation. The first step is to complete your screening process, which is designed to make sure the egg donation is going to be a safe and healthy process. Some IVF physicians require day 3 labs, which will be dependent on the start of your next period. You will also complete a psychological and medical screening, which takes place at Growing Generations and the IVF clinic.
During this time, you will complete a legal agreement with the intended parents to outline the terms of the donation. You’ll have an attorney assigned to you, and they’ll help walk you through the contract.
Overall, the screening and legal process takes a few months to complete. After your screening, there may not be much for you to do while we wait for the results and the completed legal agreement, but your case specialist will help make sure the process is moving in a timely manner.
Egg Retrieval
Once we receive your screening and legal clearances you will begin the IVF cycle for your egg retrieval. The IVF clinic will put together a protocol for you with the dates of your appointments and list your medications (like a calendar). This is usually dependent on your next period start, and you may begin a round of birth control pills to get started.
At the beginning of the cycle, you’ll have monitoring appointments, which will be at a clinic near you. These appointments will confirm your body is ready to begin the cycle and track your progress on the medications. Once we are near the time of the retrieval, you’ll be required to attend appointments at the IVF clinic directly until your procedure takes place (this may be up to 5-12 days). From the time you start the injectable medications to the time of your egg retrieval, the IVF cycle is about 2 weeks long.
The IVF clinic and your specialist will be there for you every step of the way. We don’t expect you to be an expert in taking injectable medications. The IVF clinic will review the medications and appointments with you to make sure you’re comfortable with the instructions they provide.
The egg retrieval itself takes about 15-20 minutes, and you’ll be required to stay in town for 24-48 hours after the procedure to give your body time to rest. You’ll usually have one final monitoring appointment after the retrieval to ensure your body is back to normal. This may occur at the clinic or back home at your local facility.
Once your egg retrieval is complete, your specialist will complete your case, obtain your records, and see if you’d be interested in donating again. Our goal is to make sure the donation process is safe, healthy, and enjoyable for you, and we love when egg donors return to our program.
For the intended parents, they will continue their journey and attempt a pregnancy with the embryos that were created, either through the intended parent or a gestational surrogate. The 2-5 months you’ve just spent have helped someone continue their dream of becoming a parent, which could not be done without you.
Ready to Get Started?
Take a quick survey to see if you qualify.
Egg donation involves a screening process. Not all potential egg donors are selected. Not all selected egg donors receive the monetary amounts or compensation advertised. As with any medical procedure, there may be risks associated with human egg donation. Before an egg donor agrees to begin the egg donation process, and signs a legally binding contract, she is required to receive specific information on the known risks of egg donation. Consultation with your doctor prior to entering into a donor contract is advised.
