how to become an egg donor

Become an egg donor.

Shady Grove Fertility egg donors have helped over 8,000 patients have a baby. If you are 21 to 34, healthy, educated, and want to help a family- come work with the leading egg donation program in the country. First time egg donors are generously compensated $7,000 for your time and efforts.

Eligibility

We screen our egg donors prior to accepting them into our donor program or uploading them as a potential donor on our registry. With this approach, egg donor candidates are compensated throughout the egg donation screening process based on the amount of time and effort they have committed.

Women between the ages of 21 to 34 with good overall health
Body mass index (BMI) between 18 to 29.9
Non-smoker
Live or work within 1 hour of one of our full service locations
Travel restrictions based on FDA regulations, which includes limitations related to the ZIKA virus
Graduated from high school

Compensation

We recognize that your decision to become an egg donor is a tremendous gift, but we agree with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) that participants cannot be "paid" for their oocytes/eggs. However, it is clearly recognized that your time, effort, and commitment should be compensated. The total compensation for a completed cycle is traditionally $7,000 for first-time donors, paid out in phases as your progress through each portion of the process. Donors will receive a 1099 form for tax reporting purposes. Consult your tax advisor for more information.

Where can I donate eggs?

Shady Grove Fertility has a variety of locations throughout Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington D.C. Egg donors must live within a 1 hour drive of one of our full-service offices. If you are unsure if you live within range, please contact one of our Donor Liaisons at 1-888-312-4499.

Step 1: Apply online

Complete the short initial application. Within 24 business hours of applying, we will notify you whether you have been accepted and are ready to fill out the Egg Donor Profile, which includes personal and family medical history, essays, photos and an opportunity for you to share why you have decided to become an egg donor.

A young woman types on her iphone

Step 2: Testing and Donor Day

If eligible, you will complete a simple blood test and ultrasound to assess your ovarian function. Once these baseline tests are complete you'll meet with your care team during Donor Day.

Donor Day is a full-day appointment in which you will review your baseline testing results, complete additional testing, review both your personal and family medical history, and learn about the donation process.

On Donor Day, an orientation takes donors through each step of the process. Donors will have the chance to ask questions of a nurse practitioner, address concerns, and become educated about everything there is to know about egg donation. Also available to donors are our reproductive endocrinologists, leaders in the reproductive endocrinology field, who are here to provide clarification and answer questions, if needed.

Step 3: Ready for selection

Once you receive both medical and psychological clearance, we will upload your Donor Profile to our donor database! Once selected, you will begin the donation process.

The time frame for a recipient to select you can take anywhere from a few days to a few months. Hint: egg donors who complete comprehensive Donor Profiles and provide high-quality pictures, detailed family medical histories, and thoughtful personal statements have a better chance of being matched quickly with a recipient.

Step 4: Stimulation

You can plan to go about your normal daily routine during your stimulation schedule. Once you've matched with a recipient, your nurse will first synchronize your cycle with the recipient's cycle using birth control pills. This can take 3-4 weeks.

Next, you will give yourself daily injections of hormones, for an average of 10-12 days. These medications will stimulate your ovaries to produce and grow a larger quantity of eggs than what your body naturally produces each month. The injections are easy to administer and have side effects similar to what you experience during your period. During the stimulation cycle, you will come to one of our full-service offices for monitoring appointments to confirm that the medications are working well and the dosing is accurate.

A doctor talks through paperwork with her patient

Step 6: Retrieval

On the day of your egg retrieval, a physician will meet with you to review any questions you might have. You will also meet with an anesthetist who will review your medical history and administer the intravenous sedation you will receive prior to the start of the procedure.

The egg retrieval takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Because you are under anesthesia for the retrieval, the entire visit typically takes up to 3 hours. After the retrieval, you are required to take the rest of the day off but can begin light activity or even return to work the following day. It is required that someone who is 18 years or older is with you for the duration of the appointment and able to drive you home after the retrieval.

Patient has her blood pressure taken

FAQs

In the words of our donors

It's the excitement and joy that I feel knowing that I can help a family in such a special way that means the most to me. My next donation is already scheduled, and I plan to continue donating as long as recipients continue to choose me.

I felt so passionate and positive about my experience, I couldn't wait to share it with more women so that they, too, could experience the same.

For me, egg donation is a privilege and I consider myself lucky to be able to give in such a profound way. The first time I donated, I remember vividly how emotionally good I felt. Pure, simple goodness in the knowledge that I created hope where previously there had been none.

My mother struggled with fertility and had my wonderful brother with fertility treatments and I would love to give another family the chance to either start a family or expand their current family.

Having a team that's with you the whole way really boosts your confidence, makes you feel safe, makes you feel like you can ask questions… It was wonderful, it honestly made me feel kind of treasured in a way.

Patient stories