If you apply to become an egg donor you may have several medical visits before you are accepted for egg donation. These visits will include a physical and gynecological exam, a medical and family history, blood and urine tests, and a psychological evaluation. You will also discuss your rights and responsibilities with a program representative. A donation will not occur unless you are accepted, matched with a woman who will receive your eggs, and give your consent.

Using donated eggs to establish a pregnancy involves in vitro fertilization (IVF). First, you will take a series of fertility drugs (some of which must be injected) to stimulate your ovaries to produce many eggs at one time. While using the drugs, you will have frequent medical tests. Removing the eggs from your ovaries involves a minor surgical procedure. After you recover from egg retrieval, your part of the treatment cycle is finished.

Your eggs will then be mixed with sperm from the intended father in the clinic's laboratory. If embryos result, they will be grown in a lab dish before one or more are transferred into the uterus of the recipient. If she becomes pregnant and delivers a child, she will be the birth mother and legal mother of that child even though the child will be genetically related to you.

Tips & Warnings

• The optimal age for an egg donor is 21 to 34 years old.
• Clinic visits and egg removal should be free of charge to the donor.
• Recovery from the egg removal procedure usually takes 1 to 2 days. Many women have been able to return to work the day after the donation.
• Schedule appointments wisely. Egg donors can miss significant work attending all of the doctor's visits and consultations. The initial consultation and tests can take up to 4 hours on its own, but follow up visits can usually be done during lunch hours or after work. Some clinics stay open late for women who work during the day.
• Egg donor must understand that she holds no connection to the child when it is born. In most cases, egg donor will not even be told whether the implantation of the egg was successful. These can be hard to deal with for some women, not knowing if you have children out there. If this is the track that your mind is on, you should not donate your eggs. The children that become of your egg are in no way yours. This is a point that must be stressed and understood.
• The most important thing to remember with ovum donation is that if you are doing it for the money, it is the wrong reason. The money that is offered to you may seem like a high amount, but it is really only enough to cover the inconvenience that you must endure during the process. The reason should be to make a couple happy to have the chance to bring a child into the world.