National Infertility Awareness Week 2021 - What Are The Most Common Questions About Egg Donation?
For National Infertility Awareness Week, we’re answering some questions about egg donation that we hear every day. Infertility affects about 1 in 8 adults in the US, yet it still isn’t commonly discussed. If you are experiencing infertility and considering egg donation, we want you to know that you are not alone, and the SIMPLIFY team is here to support you through your journey. Read on for some answers to the most common egg donation questions and a list of resources for more information.
1. Who uses egg donation?
Egg donors are most commonly used by individuals with low egg supply or egg quality. Often, these intended parents are in their late thirties or forties, at which point they have fewer healthy eggs available for conception. Egg donors are also used by single men or gay male couples, who may use donor eggs with a gestational carrier, or surrogate.
2. Who donates their eggs?
Egg donors come from a wide range of backgrounds; in general, all egg donors are healthy young adults between 21-29 years old, and are either college graduates or current college students. Donors do receive compensation for their time, but all of them are motivated by a desire to help intended parents grow their family.
3. What is a donor egg bank?
Intended parents considering egg donation have two options: fresh eggs or frozen eggs. Donor egg banks are where frozen eggs are stored, until they are transferred to an embryology lab to be thawed, fertilized, and implanted. SIMPLIFY Egg Bank is unique in that we offer a two blastocyst guarantee to improve success rates and reduce stress. Our close partnership with the embryology lab at PNW Fertility ensures that we have comparable success rates for fresh and frozen donor egg cycles.
4. How do intended parents get started with egg donation?
For intended parents seeking fertility treatment, the first step is a consultation with a fertility doctor. From there, your doctor will recommend specific fertility tests to assess your overall reproductive health and create a treatment plan. If you and your doctor agree that egg donation is the right next step for you, then you select a clinic, egg bank, or donor agency that matches with your values and needs as an intended parent. From there, you will view a variety of egg donor profiles and select your preferred donor(s). Your facility should provide you with support and guidance to answer all of your questions about the egg donation process as you make your selection and begin the implantation cycle.
5. What are some additional resources on egg donation for intended parents?
There are tons of great resources for intended parents with questions about egg donation. Our parent clinic, PNW Fertility, has more information on egg donation here. We highly recommend the book Three Makes Baby by Jana Rupnow for all parents considering third-party reproductive options (she also has a podcast!). Some other excellent general infertility resources can be found at resolve.org, reproductivefacts.org, and drlorashahine.com.