What are the requirements to donate eggs?
Egg donation requirements protect the health and well-being of the donors, intended parents, and donor-conceived children. Each requirement has a specific medical reason behind it. If you’re interested in becoming an egg donor, going over the requirements to donate eggs is a great first step. Here is the basic criteria for becoming an egg donor, along with the reason for each requirement.
Medical/Health Requirements for Egg Donation
#1: Be Between the Ages of 21-29 to Donate Eggs
Why: Egg quantity and quality both decrease with age, dropping off significantly in your 30s. The range of 21-29 years old provides the best window for providing several healthy eggs through donation.
#2: Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) Between 19-29
Why: BMI measures body fat based on height and weight. Your BMI doesn’t show on its own whether you are healthy or not, and we don’t use it as a measure of our donors’ health. However, BMI does affect other aspects like medication dosages and reaction to anesthesia, which the egg donation process requires. The BMI requirement for egg donation protects our donors’ health and safety.
#3: Pass a Series of Physical and Mental Health Evaluations
Why: The evaluations screen for different inheritable health concerns or medical conditions. This lets intended parents make informed decisions when choosing a donor. The screenings also help make sure that you completely understand what it means to donate your eggs, and that you are in a good place to do so.
#4: Provide a Full Family Medical History
Why: Because egg donation involves contributing genetic material, it’s important to have as much information as possible on your family medical history. Similar to your personal health evaluations, getting a family medical history helps rule out some inheritable diseases and provide a complete picture to intended parents. It also provides donor-conceived children with their genetic medical background, which they have a right to know.
Behavioral/Lifestyle Egg Donation Requirements
#1: Stop or Remove Hormonal Birth Control Before Donating
Why: Hormonal birth controls affect the menstrual cycle and ovulation to prevent pregnancy. The egg donation process also uses hormones to adjust the menstrual cycle by boosting egg production. In order for the egg donation hormones to work, you’ll need to temporarily either stop taking or remove your hormonal birth control method.
#2: Not Use Drugs, Tobacco, or Nicotine Products
Why: Substances like tobacco, nicotine, and cannabis can negatively affect egg quality, egg quantity, and ovulation. The goal of egg donation is to provide several healthy eggs to help intended parents conceive. Substance use, including vape pens and e-cigarettes, can affect a person’s ability to meet that egg donation requirement.
#3: Have a US Social Security Number (SSN)
Why: In order to receive egg donation compensation, you need to have a SSN and be able to work in the US.
#4: Abstain from Sexual Intercourse Throughout the Egg Donation Process
Why: The medications used in egg donation encourage your body to produce many mature eggs at once. This also makes you extra fertile, meaning you can easily become pregnant. To avoid an unintended pregnancy, egg donors must abstain from sex with partners with sperm from the beginning of their donation cycle to after their first period after the egg retrieval.
Do You Qualify to Become an Egg Donor? Apply Today!
These egg donor requirements help to keep everyone in the egg donation process safe and healthy. While there are other qualities that can help your egg donor profile stand out to intended parents, these criteria tend to be non-negotiable when we consider applications. If you have any questions about your specific situation, you can reach out to our egg donor team. And if you meet the requirements to donate eggs, apply to become a donor today!
