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This is a question for which there is no answer. Sometimes an egg donor is matched right away, and other times it might take weeks or months. It’s all about timing: for the perfect recipients to find your profile, for an egg bank to be looking for your phenotype, and so on.
The Emerald Donors team works hard to ensure that egg donor profiles are well-presented. In our experience, egg donors with high-quality pictures, an egg donor video and with detailed answers, gets matched easier.
Please read our extensive description of the egg donation process.
Never! You will be appointed a donor coordinator who will be your support throughout the process (pre-screening, cycle, and post retrieval). Your donor coordinator accompanies you to the destination, all the treating clinic visits, retrieval, and even some sightseeing.
You’ll also have direct access to the medical personnel at the IVF facility, a fertility specialist, and the Emerald Donors team at all times.
You’ll also have direct access to the medical personnel at the IVF facility, a fertility specialist, and the Emerald Donors team at all times.
Emerald Donors was created by a passionate egg donor and an infertility specialist with the goal of creating a safe platform where egg donors get to shine as true individuals while wholeheartedly enjoying the experience. Their years in the field revealed this was missing from most international egg donor programs.
Our multilingual and multicultural team doesn’t only consist of a prestigious Reproductive Endocrinologist & Infertility Specialist and highly trained and internationally experienced Directors and Coordinators but with members who have gone through the egg donation process themselves. This means you are dealing with individuals who have first-hand experience and understand the process both professionally and personally.
You couldn’t be in better hands.
You can always contact us or setup a zoom meeting. We love hearing from potential or current egg donors!
Please read our full description on our egg donor requirements page.
Each case is unique. You usually start your stimulation in your home country and fly to your destination between days 6 and 8 of stimulation, depending on your clinic’s requirements. You’ll be at your destination for about 8 to 10 days, excluding travel time.
Egg quality is deemed to deteriorate with age. We know everyone is different, but the 32-cutoff is the general consensus for new applicants.
A higher weight requires higher doses of the stimulation medications, and the excess tissue in the body affects its ability to absorb and use the hormones. There are also anesthesia and postoperative complications associated with a higher BMI. With the egg donors safety at risk, the probability of higher medication costs for the intended parents and a chance of lower egg production, we have enforced that egg donor’s BMI must be under 28.
There are studies that indicate individuals with a low BMI are at a higher risk of experiencing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) syndrome post retrieval. Thus, with egg donors’ safety being our main concern, we have enforced that donors’ BMI must be above 18.
Please read our full description on our egg donation process page.
The medication used in this process is a combination of:
Follicle Stimulating Hormones (FSH or Gonadotropins)
Brand Names: Gonal-F®, Menopur®, Follistim®
Purpose: Stimulates, develops, and matures follicles (the structures in the ovaries which contain eggs).
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH Antagonist)
Brand Names: Ganirelix® or Cetrotide®
Purpose: To prevent premature ovulation during the stimulation.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH Agonist or “Trigger Shot”)
Brand Names: Decapeptyl®
Purpose: It induces a natural-like ovulation surge.
Please read our full description on our egg donation process page.
The medications listed are commonly used in this process and undergo rigorous testing for effectiveness and safety.
It is important to let us know if you are taking any medication before or during the cycle so neither your health nor the cycle is jeopardized.
Please read our egg donation process page.
The egg retrieval is done under sedation, so you will not experience any pain during the procedure. Some donors feel absolutely nothing, whereas other donors experience cramping and discomfort. The cramping and discomfort is similar to menstrual cramps. Each donation is different.
Yes, the egg retrieval is done under sedation.
You can only do a cycle when you finish breastfeeding. However, you may complete your profile and we will make a note.
How does donating affect breastfeeding?
It is fine to use birth control pills, the patch, an intrauterine device, or a vaginal ring as long as you have a regular period. However, the following will halt the process:
Yes, in order to be an active donor, you must be on the contraceptive pill. The pill prepares the ovaries for stimulation. Our fertility specialists use the pill to control the timing of the cycle, which is key. The pill also decreases the chances of cysts that could interfere with the cycle.
Yes, the egg retrieval takes place before the eggs are released by the body, which means it is irrelevant. Please however let us know this when you sign up.
Egg donors may be reasonably compensated for their time, effort, and commitment. The compensation varies depending on the regulations and laws of the destination.
Your recipient will pay for your medical expenses, flights, visa, food allowance, and accommodation. You are only responsible for your contraceptive pill, transportation to the airport, and personal site-seeing activities at the destination.
Please read our detailed egg donation process page which highlights the possible risks for each stage. Please read this carefully and ask us any questions!
Your IVF physician will discuss all potential risks and side effects with you as part of the pre-screening process.
Did you know you are born with about one to two million eggs? When you reach puberty, your ovaries have around 400 thousand eggs left. Every month, 15–30 eggs mature inside the follicles inside your ovaries. However, usually only one follicle reaches maturity while the rest are discarded by your body.
When you donate your eggs, the medication used fully develops all of the eggs in your follicles that are naturally available in that particular cycle. In short, no more eggs are removed than what your body naturally puts out.
A 2012 study in Belgium found that egg donation does not reduce your chances of future pregnancy. It was found that of the 60 women who tried to conceive after donating eggs, 57 were able to conceive without external help. Of the remaining three who required fertility treatment, two sought treatment due to their partner’s infertility.
However, there are serious possible complications such as OHSS or Ovarian torsion, that could affect your future fertility. Please read our egg donation process page to understand the possible risks for each phase of the journey.
Please read our full description on our egg donation process page.
Basically an egg donor donates eggs and the surrogate carries the embryo. So no, it is completely different. However, both are amazing womxn wanting to make a difference in the world.
DISCLAIMER
The Emerald Team is made up of individuals with years of training and experience in the third-party reproduction field, including an IVF Specialist (double board certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology) and women who have had personal experiences as egg donors and extensive health and safety, coordination, and compliance training.
We have taken all reasonable steps in writing the content for this site to ensure that the information provided is accurate at the time of writing. Due to new research and opinions in this ever-evolving field, the information shared may change at the time of further inquiry and is thus subject to change.
It is important to note that Emerald Donors is not a health-care service provider and that the information and services we provide are not intended to replace medical advice.
Egg Donors, Intended Parents, and Recipients are not patients of Emerald Donors or of any physician who is or may be employed by Emerald Donors. You agree to seek answers or information from your clinic, physician, attorney, mental health professional, or geneticist if you have any questions or require additional information regarding your journey.
