Egg Donor Information			Questions Asked By Egg Donors
	S.E.E.D.S. Egg Donor Requirements			Egg Donors Provide An Important Service
	The Egg Donation Process			Medical Procedures Involved In Being An Egg Donor
	Egg Donor Compensation			Application / Contact Us

Donor eggs offer the possibility of having a child to women whose ovaries do not produce viable eggs. By using In-vitro fertilization (IVF), eggs that are obtained from the ovaries of a donor are fertilized by sperm and are placed into the uterus of the recipient mother. Egg donation also gives the couple the opportunity to experience the pregnancy and give birth to their child.

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• You must be age 21 to 32.
  
• You must be under 32 at the time of application.
  
• You cannot smoke.
  
• You must not be more than 20 pounds over your target weight.
  
• You cannot be on Depo-Provera.
  
• You CAN be on the pill.
  
• You CAN have your tubes tied.
  
• You must be in good health. You CAN have allergies or mild asthma, wear glasses, etc.
  
• You should not be taking any anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication.
  
• You should not have been incarcerated.
  
• You should not have a history of serious genetic diseases in your immediate family (siblings, parents, grandparents). For example: epilepsy, manic depression, hemophilia.
  
• Some diseases are normal for people in old age (heart attack, pneumonia, cancer) and caused by lifestyle (ex: lung cancer due to smoking) these diseases within families are usually acceptable.
  
• You need to be able to describe your grandparents; this can be from family history if you do not know them personally.
  
• You cannot have been exposed to HIV or Hepatitis C.
  
• You cannot have any sexually transmitted diseases.
  
• You should have normal periods.
  
• You need a reliable car.
  
• To be motivated to give others the gift of life.
  

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What is a Donor Egg?

Eggs taken from the ovaries of a fertile woman and donated to an infertile woman. The infertile woman will then use the eggs in an assisted reproductive technology procedure to achieve a pregnancy with the donor’s eggs.

After being an Egg Donor, will I still have Eggs?

Yes. It is a fact that a woman is born with thousands of eggs that she CANNOT use in a lifetime. A woman goes through more than a thousand eggs each month to select the single one that is ovulated. The eggs that don't complete the development process normally dissolve and are absorbed by the body. The use of fertility medications helps to preserve a portion of these excess eggs that the body would normally discard. No extra eggs are used in the egg donation process.

Can I still get pregnant after the egg donation?

Yes. Donating eggs should not have any impact on your future fertility. A woman has thousands of eggs and will have many more eggs after the egg donation. After the egg donation you should be just as fertile as you were before the egg donation.

How old does an Egg Donor need to be?

An Egg Donor should be between 21 and 32 years of age. It has been found that the age of a woman's eggs is the main factor that determines her fertility. A woman enjoys her peak fertility from her teens until her mid 30's; this is the time in her life when she produces the most productive eggs.

Who makes a good Egg Donor?

A fertile young woman who is in good health and wants to help others. You should be flexible, responsible, dependable and committed to helping another woman who suffers from infertility and has not been able to achieve the happiness of parenting a child.

What is the medical process?

During this stage you will be using fertility medication (daily subcutaneous injections) for 12 to 14 days, in order to have your ovaries produce a larger amount of eggs for one cycle of your period.

How does the process work?

You will find the medical process outlined in our booklet. Please keep in mind that once you are selected by a “Recipient” (MATCHED) the match is made. Then your monthly cycle and that of the recipient must be synchronized to help the eggs you donate be fertilized when the recipient woman’s uterus is ready for them to be implanted.

How long does the process take?

The complete process can take up to 3 to 5 months from the time we receive your application, profile form and pictures. The process involves the following steps: preliminary interview, screening, matching, medical procedures. The hormonal stimulation procedure is by using fertility medication in order to have a larger amount of eggs (the medical part of it) takes 12 to 14 days, before the day of the egg retrieval can occur.

What is screening?

All Egg Donors must be screened(at no cost to the Egg Donor). The screening includes blood tests, such as HIV/AIDS, drug and alcohol testing, a physical examination, a vaginal examination, an ultrasound of the ovaries and a Pap Smear. A Psychological evaluation is required, as well as a counseling session with a S.E.E.D.S. counselor.

Where are the clinics, how do I get there?

The clinics we work with most often are located in New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. We also work with clinics and recipients throughout the United States. When a clinic is beyond driving distance we will arrange for your travel and hotel with the costs covered by the recipient.

It is your choice if you would like to donate in a state where you will need to fly and stay for approximately 2 weeks at a hotel.

Do I need to drive to the Fertility Clinic

Where will I be driving?

The fertility clinics are located in Eastern PA, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and different cities in New Jersey.

At what time do I need to be at the Fertility Clinic?

All appointments are early in the morning. In order for everyone to go on with their daily routines and to get blood work results the clinic needs to see the Egg Donor between 6:30 am and 9:00 am.

How much notice do I get for each appointment?

You will have a schedule at the beginning of the process and you will be informed of each appointment every time you go to the clinic for your monitoring.

What is matching?

Once your screening is completed, you will be matched to a recipient couple or individual. This is the woman who will receive your eggs to try to become pregnant.

Who knows about my donation?

All of our egg donations are anonymous egg donation arrangements. The recipients will see the Egg Donor Profile form that you complete with non-identifying information.

Do I have to tell anyone about the egg donation?

This is your decision. S.E.E.D.S. does not require that you inform anyone, it is completely up to you. You will need to go to several early morning appointments, and will need a day for the retrieval procedure. You will need someone to drive you for the retrieval; you cannot drive because they use anesthesia.

How am I compensated?

The Egg Donor is compensated for her donation per the retrieval, not for each egg. The standard compensation is $ 5,000 to $ 7,000 each time. In some cases the Egg Donor can receive $ 300 before the egg retrieval and the remainder following the egg retrieval. Egg donors are not charged for any services provided. This sum is intended to provide reimbursement for the time, effort and inconvenience involved with taking fertility medications, going to the clinic for tests, and for undergoing the egg retrieval.

How do I get started?

Please complete and return the application and profile form with pictures.

How do you contact me during the process?

We will call you at home, work or cell phone as needed in a discrete manner. You MUST have an answering machine or voice mail to receive messages about your medications when you are in the process.

How many times can I donate eggs?

You can donate up to 6 times. You must allow at least 2 months between donations for your body to go back to its normal cycle.

What if I am really not so sure about being an Egg Donor?

If you are ambivalent or uncertain regarding the decision to donate eggs or you feel anxious about the medical procedure, please feel free to call to discuss any concerns or to ask any questions.

In our experience most Egg Donors experience a great deal of personal satisfaction from giving infertile couples the opportunity to have a child, and many of the Egg Donors come back to donate with S.E.E.D.S. again.

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If you have further questions, please call us at 1-800-733-1673

Women who volunteer to serve as Egg Donors have a chance to give infertile couples a precious gift: a baby to call their own. Egg donation is a simple medical procedure. Thousands of women donate eggs each year.

Why do individuals or couples need an Egg Donor's help to get pregnant?

There are a number of reasons why infertile individuals or couples need donor eggs in order to have a baby. Some women suffer from early menopause in their 20's and 30's. Other women lose their ovaries as a result of surgery for severe gynecological diseases such as endometriosis or ovarian cancer. Although a woman may run out of healthy eggs in her 40's or lose her ovaries to premature menopause or surgery, her uterus remains a healthy place to have a baby, other women may have genetic or other medical issues. Receiving donor eggs from a fertile woman is a perfect solution for many individuals or couples' infertility problems.

What does egg donation involve?

What are the side effects of fertility medications?

The fertility medications are hormones made with natural or chemical ingredients. Doctors have had over 30 years of experience with fertility medications and find them safe and effective. Most Egg Donors find that the medications have relatively few side effects. The most common side effects are mood swings as a result of the hormones and some abdominal bloating as the ovaries enlarge and the eggs develop.

Can I accidentally get pregnant as a result of the egg donation procedure?

Accidental pregnancies are unlikely. It is important for the Egg Donor to abstain from sexual activity while taking the fertility medication (10 to 12 days) in order to avoid pregnancy.

What are the legal responsibilities of Egg Donors and recipient couples or individuals?

The law is extremely clear on this matter. Children born as a result of the egg donation process legally belong to the couple receiving the donated eggs. Egg Donors have absolutely no responsibility for the future welfare or support of these children. Depending on the clinic, the success rate statistics is 60% and higher to conceive a child /children from an egg donation procedure.

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STEP ONE

Contact S.E.E.D.S. by phone, e-mail or with our online information request form.

STEP TWO

Complete and mail the application, profile form, and pictures to S.E.E.D.S.

STEP THREE

After reviewing your application and profile form we will schedule an appointment for your interview at our office in Hamlin, PA.

You will have an interview with the Egg Donor Coordinator

You will meet with the S.E.E.D.S. Counselor to discuss any questions and concerns you may have.

The appointment will be scheduled at your convenience.

STEP FOUR

After you are pre-approved by S.E.E.D.S., we will start looking for a match with a suitable recipient. At the interview we will discuss how long it may take to be matched to a recipient. It can take between 1 and 6 months.

AFTER ACCEPTANCE INTO THE S.E.E.D.S. PROGRAM

• The Egg Donor Candidate will be placed on the Egg Donor registry and your profile will be presented to recipients who need donor eggs.
  
  
• The time until the Egg Donor is selected by a recipient for a potential match can vary.
  
  
• Once selected for a potential match, the Egg Donor will be notified.
  
  
• You will go to the Fertility Clinic selected by the Recipients on Day 3 of your menstrual cycle for blood tests and ultrasound.
  
  
• The Egg Donor will complete the medical interview, medical visit and screening.
  
  
• The Egg donor will have a Psychological Evaluation.
  
  
• When you have completed your screening process and been approved you will begin the medical cycling process (use of medication for the egg donation process).
  

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The Egg Donor needs to plan on about 3 weeks of cycling time.

When ready to start cycling you will be put on oral contraceptives (birth control pills) to help synchronize your body’s cycle with that of your recipient.

You will be required to drive frequently to the fertility Clinic for monitoring (approximately 3 to 4 times a week for 12 to 14 days).

As your follicles reach maturity, you may have to be monitored daily.

The nurse coordinator at the Fertility Clinic will provide you with a detailed schedule.

Monitoring hours are usually from 7 am to 9 am, 7 days a week.

Monitoring is done to determine how the stimulation is progressing. The monitoring visits include;

• Blood tests to asses hormone levels
• Vaginal ultrasound examination of your ovaries, to determine how your follicles and eggs are growing.

While you are taking the stimulation medication you become extremely fertile. We recommend abstinence or the use of contraception.

The Final medication HCG; this injection will be given 34 to 36 hours prior to your egg retrieval. This is an Intra-Muscular injection; you will need to have someone give you this injection.

HCG medication MUST be injected at the proper time, timing of this injection is extremely important.

The Final Step: Your Egg Retrieval

The Egg Retrieval is a surgical procedure, you must follow the instructions;

• You must Refrain from eating and drinking from midnight on
• You MUST Have someone to drive you to and from the Fertility Clinic
• The procedure, including admission and recovery, generally takes about 2 ½ to 3 hours to complete
• Plan to be at the Clinic for a total of about 3 hours

Post-Retrieval

• Rest on the retrieval day
• Exercise should be limited for a few days
• You are very Fertile, use contraception
• Follow the Fertility Clinic Directions, in case of any unusual symptoms, CALL The Clinic Immediately
• Appointment for follow up after retrieval; about 2 weeks later
• You will receive your compensation at the completion of the cycle; you will be compensated for your time, effort, commitment and dedication to helping a couple achieve their dream of having a child.

Many women have told us that they felt a little sore for up to three days after the procedure, but otherwise felt fine. Most donors go back to work and normal activities the next day. You will get your period approximately 10 days after the retrieval; you then MUST to go back to the fertility doctor for a final check-up.

As with ANY medical procedure there are risks and side effects involved in the medical process of egg donation. The medical facility will explain these to you in more depth and answer any questions you have about the medical procedures. The medical procedures vary by fertility center, but are usually very similar. The medications used to stimulate the growth of eggs have been used safely for many years. Hyperstimulation can occur and cause the ovaries to enlarge; in 2% of cases it is sufficiently severe to require hospitalization. All donors are monitored with a check-up after the egg donation to confirm that their ovaries have returned to normal.

The medications used are made from naturally occurring hormones, similar to those found in birth control. Reactions to the medication can include: abdominal pain, bloating, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. There is some information, although NOT proven, that using hormones can slightly increase the possibility of ovarian or breast cancer. If an immediate female relative of the donor, such as a sister, mother, blood-related aunt or grandmother has had breast or ovarian cancer at a young age it is not recommended that the donor participate in the program and use the hormonal medications.

All medical instructions must be followed as given to insure that all medications work appropriately. The fertility center can stop the medications if there is an adverse reaction, if the donor does not comply with the medications, or if there is a concern.

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• The Egg Donor is compensated for her donation per the retrieval, not for each egg.
  
  
• The compensation is $ 5,000 or $7,000 per egg donation process.
  
  
• Certain Fertility Clinics will compensate up to $8,000 to proven Egg Donors.
  
  
• Depending on the Fertility Clinic the Egg Donor can receive an advance of $300 when injections begin (Lupron) to cover driving expenses, and the remainder following the egg retrieval.
  
  
• Egg Donors are not charged for any medical services provided.
  
  
• The Egg Donor compensation is intended to provide reimbursement for your time, effort and the inconvenience involved with taking fertility medications, driving to the clinic for tests, and for undergoing the egg retrieval.

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