Who can become an egg donor?
To become an egg donor at AED, you must be a healthy Asian woman between the ages of 20 and 29. You should also have some flexibility to your schedule that will allow you to make the necessary clinic appointments (generally in the early morning 7-9am) during the last 2 weeks of the process.

What is the compensation for being an egg donor?
The guidelines established by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) as the following: "Although there is no consensus on the precise payment that oocyte donors should receive, at this time sums of $5,000 or more require justification and sums above $10,000 go beyond what is appropriate." Our Agency’s recommended compensation range is $6,000-$8,000 per cycle in an effort to keep the costs down for our recipients while providing adequate compensation to our donors.

What if I am chosen by a recipient who lives in a different state?
Arrangements will be made by our agency for you to travel to the recipients' clinic for the initial screening appointment and the final week for the retrieval at the end of the process. For the retrieval trip, you may also bring a responsible adult companion with you. Your recipient will pay for travel expenses incurred as a result of your donation, including the travel expenses for your companion.

How long does it take? How does it work?
The donor is required to attend clinic appointments 6-8 times during the course of 2-3 months. The donor will self-administrate daily hormone injections for about 2 weeks to stimulate her ovarian production. She is closely monitored by a clinic physician throughout this process by vaginal ultrasound and blood hormone tests. Once her eggs are “ready”, she is scheduled for a procedure (retrieval) to remove the eggs from her ovaries. This procedure is done under sedation in an outpatient setting without pain.

How safe is the egg donation procedure?
Egg donation has been arround for 30 years and more than 100,000 babies have been born through this method. All medical procedures are not without some risk. However,egg retrieval is considered a low risk minimally invasive procedure, and today you have less than 1% chance of any severe side effects. Egg donation should not affect your fertility-the eggs retrieved are only taken from your current month's menstrual cycle and those same eggs would have been discarded by your body anyway. Your future eggs will be safe and you should have no issues getting pregnant later.

Does it hurt?
You may experience mild abdominal cramps or discomfort like menstrual cramps after the procedure and are encouraged to relax for the rest of the day. Most donors return to work or school the following day.

Is it ok for me to take my birth control pill?
Yes, you will be required to take birth control pills as prescribed by the clinic.

Can I still donate if I have had my tubes tied?
Yes. The eggs are produced and retrieved directly from your ovaries – it doesn’t require use of the fallopian tubes.

Can I run out of eggs if I donate them to someone else?
No. Each woman begins with millions of eggs in their ovaries. During a normal menstrual cycle, a woman's ovaries develop many follicles; one egg is selected to mature for ovulation while the rest of the follicles are discarded and absorbed into the woman's body. Egg donation stimulates these follicles to maturity. Most donors will have 10 to 20 eggs retrieved each donation cycle.

Will the egg donation process affect my future fertility?
No, the egg donation process does not affect your future fertility.

Do I meet the recipients that I donate my eggs to?
Most donations are anonymous, but a meeting can be arranged if both you and the recipients are comfortable with a meeting. It would not create an obligation for the two parties to continue a relationship after the retrieval. In most cases, it is only a chance for the recipient to better understand their donor's personality and ask remaining questions that were not addressed in the donor's profile. These meetings can be attended with a clinic counselor or agency staff and only first names are given-some donors may choose to use an alias.

Will any children from my donation ever be able to find me?
f it is an anonymous donation, the couple will not be able to find your personal identification, such as your name and personal contact information. They will only know your characteristics from your donor profile. However, if the child does want to look for donor, both couple and donor agreed, he/she is suggested wait until they are an adult.

What are the risks?
The primary risk is a condition called Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome. This is relatively rare (1-3% of IVF cases). Careful monitoring will be done by doctors to avoid this possibility. Symptoms include weight gain and a feeling of extreme bloating. Also, as with any procedure, a risk of infection exists, you will most likely be given antibiotics to avoid this. Lastly, around the time of the egg retrieval, your body will become extremely fertile and abstaining from intercourse will be required to avoid an unwanted and likely multiple-birth pregnancy.

Will I miss a lot of school or work?
Most appointments are scheduled for early in the morning so a donor will have as little disruption to her schedule as possible. The egg retrieval procedure will require an entire day free, however. It is very important that you recognize the level of responsibility required in making and keeping these appointments, and in doing so, be very honest with yourself as to whether or not donation would be possible for you and your work, school and personal schedule.

How many times can I donate? How often can I donate?
You can donate up to six times, with 2-3 months apart.

Can I still apply even if I’m not 100% Asian?
Yes, we accept all donors with any Asian background. In fact, the interest in Asian donors with multiracial ethinic backgrounds have been very high among many of our recent recipient couples.

After I finish the donation process, will there be any other responsibilities required from me?
We require that you keep us updated with your contact information and any new medical issues that arise up to 18 years after your retrieval. keep in mind that until you disclose these new issues, the maternal medical history of the conceived child/children will remain a mystery to them, complicating aspects of their lives.

See our experenced donor's blog for more questions and answers.