Become a Donor
We sincerely thank you for considering our donation program. Egg donation provides the gift of life to those who could not otherwise have children without this opportunity. Egg Donors provide an incredible service; therefore, our Donors are well compensated in recognition of their time and the inconvenience and the procedures that the process requires.
Agency Donation versus Egg Bank Donation
When you work with an agency, you will be matched with a couple or individual rather than just donating to an egg bank which is often found to be impersonal. When you work through an agency you receive information about the couple or individual who will receive your precious donation. The experience is much more personal and therefore rewarding.
Reasons for needing an egg donor:
- Some women are born without ovaries or other reproductive organs or they have been damaged due to disease or have been surgically removed
- Some women have had cancer or chemotherapy causing infertility
- Early onset of menopause which can occur in women as early as their 20’s
- Waiting until later in life to start a family
- Gay couples unable to have a child without the help of an egg donor and gestational surrogate
Reasons for Becoming a Donor
Donors are women who make this decision because they genuinely want to help others and you may find you feel the same way. In return for your efforts, you will receive compensation that can help you to realize your own dreams. Perhaps those dreams involve paying tuition for school, paying down credit card debt, saving for that dream vacation or new home. Whatever your dream is, becoming a donor may be the most incredible opportunity that you have ever had to help others.
Requirements to Become an Egg Donor
You will notice that age is a factor. The reasons for this are that we need to ensure that you are entering into this decision when you are considered to be an adult and when you are able to make this decision knowingly; therefore, we have set 21 as the minimum age. We do consider younger women on a case by case basis but not younger than 19 years of age. The maximum age for egg donors in our program is 32 years of age. The upper limit reflects the time in their lives when women respond best to fertility drugs.
Egg Donor checklist:
- You must be between the ages of 21 and 32.
- You can be on the pill
- You can have your tubes tied
- You cannot smoke
- You are within 5 pounds of having a body mass index of 19-25% (calculate BMI)
- You cannot be on Depo-Provera
- You must be in good health
- You should not be taking any anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications
- You should be able and willing to share a great deal of information about yourself, your personality, your family history, provide photographs so that families who may choose to use your eggs have as much information about you as possible since your genetic material may result in the birth of a child they will parent
- You should not have a history of serious genetic diseases (e.g., epilepsy, manic depression, hemophilia) in your immediate family (siblings, parents, grandparents)
- Some diseases are normal for elderly people such as heart conditions, pneumonia, cancer and may be caused by lifestyle such as smoking causing lung cancer. Such family history is usually acceptable
- You should not have a criminal record and you must agree to a criminal background check
- You need to have knowledge of your parents and your grandparents
- You cannot have been exposed to HIV or Hepatitis C. You cannot have any sexually transmitted diseases
- You should have normal menstrual periods
- You need reliable transportation
- You are committed to the process which will require traveling to and from the fertility clinic for monitoring (blood tests and ultrasounds) and retrieval as well as taking numerous injections on a strict schedule. Appointments are generally early in the morning.
- You are very dependable.
- If you have been adopted and do not have detailed medical and psychological information about your parents, grandparents, and siblings, you will not be a good candidate for egg donation
If you think you would like more information, please visit our frequently asked questions page or check out more information on the process. The New York State Task Force on Life and the Law with the support of the Ford Foundation has also published a thorough booklet on egg donation. If you think you meet our qualifications and would like to become an egg donor, feel free to contact us and we can send an egg donor package to you and also spend some time either visiting with you personally or on the phone to answer your questions. If you are ready to begin, complete our online application.