Where do I donate eggs?
If you’re considering donating eggs, you may be asking yourself, “where do I go for egg donation near me?”. There are several different ways to donate eggs. These include: for a friend or family member, with an egg donor agency, and with an donor egg bank. When you donate eggs, you also work with a fertility clinic, where the medical aspects of egg donation take place. Egg donation is a rewarding experience that requires a special medical process. It’s important to donate eggs at a place where you feel comfortable, confident, and supported by your team. Here is some information to keep in mind as you search for egg donation locations near you.
What Is Egg Donation?
Sometimes, people who wish to become parents are unable to conceive naturally. This might be for medical reasons, or because they don’t have eggs of their own (for example, cisgender male couples). In these instances, egg donation serves as one way for intended parents to build their families. In egg donation, individuals with plenty of healthy eggs go through a medical process to retrieve some of those eggs. The eggs can be fertilized in a lab via in vitro fertilization (IVF) and then transferred to an intended parent’s or gestational carrier’s uterus to grow into a pregnancy. In return for their time and effort, egg donors receive compensation.
Where Can I Donate Eggs Near Me?
In general, there are three ways to donate eggs:
- Through an egg donor bank
- Through an egg donor agency
- For someone you already know, such as a friend or family member (called a “directed” donation)
Nondirected Egg Donation (Donor Bank/Donor Agency)
If you donate eggs with a donor bank or donor agency near you, you usually will not meet or have a relationship with the intended parents or children conceived from the donated eggs. This type of donation is called a nondirected donation. Depending on your donor contract, you may choose to allow any donor-conceived children to access your name and/or to contact you once they turn 18.
At a donor bank, approved donors go through the donation & egg retrieval process. The retrieved eggs are then cryopreserved (frozen) and stored at the bank. Intended parents can look at the available eggs and choose which ones they’d like from the bank. Then, their fertility clinic thaws the donated eggs to fertilize into embryos.
A donor agency is similar to a donor bank, but may offer fresh donor cycles. In a fresh cycle, the intended parents choose a donor from the agency’s donation pool. That donor then goes through the egg donation process. The retrieved eggs may be fertilized immediately, or frozen for later thawing and fertilization.
Directed Egg Donation
On the other hand, a directed donation involves donating to a friend or family member. These donations have unique emotional and legal considerations. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends that all participants in a directed donation receive specific counseling to ensure everyone has a full understanding of these considerations.
In all three donation situations, the medical aspects of the donation process (screenings, medication monitoring, and the retrieval) take place at a fertility clinic. Donor banks typically work with a partner clinic, while agencies and directed donations will often screen donors at the intended parents’ fertility clinic or a fertility clinic near the donor.
How Do I Choose an Egg Donation Program Near Me?
As you look for a donor egg program, keep in mind which type of donation you think you’d like to pursue. Of course, you don’t have to know all the details or have made a firm decision. Every egg donation location, whether it’s a bank, agency, or clinic, should answer your questions and provide detailed information to help you make your decision. However, having a starting idea can help you narrow down your options. For instance, if you’d like to donate soon rather than wait for a matching process with intended parents, a donor bank would meet your needs.
In addition, look for a donation organization that clearly answers your questions, emphasizes donor care, and partners with a quality fertility clinic. For instance, at PNWF we founded our own partner donor egg program, SIMPLIFY, because we wanted to ensure that our donors and intended parents all received excellent care. Donating your eggs is a generous act, and you deserve the very best care and support during the process.
If you are near the Seattle area and wish to learn more about our egg donation program, contact us today.
