Egg Donation and Surrogacy

Click here for Conceiving Through Egg Donation (7 of 10): Out-of-Town Egg Donors.

Does Using a Repeat Egg Donor Offer Any Advantage?

The ASRM guidelines allow any one donor to go through up to six egg donation cycles. Any candidates who have donated eggs before should be clearly marked as such on their profiles, for the obvious advantages she offers.

First of all, she knows exactly what she is getting into, and is less likely to have second thoughts about the process of donating eggs. Although she will have to be screened again for her next cycle, you can be assured she has already passed at least one screening, and has no major genetic or psychological issues. Secondly, you will know the results of her previous donations, which need to be good enough to qualify her for another cycle. These results will include the number of donor eggs retrieved, the number fertilized, and if enough time has passed, whether a pregnancy and live birth resulted.

If you choose a repeat donor, her egg donation records will be forwarded to your doctor for review as part of the donor’s screening. If you have any questions about the results, ask the clinic to send redacted records directly to your doctor to get an informed opinion. Don’t jump to any conclusions about the number of donor eggs retrieved or pregnancy results.  Keep in mind that factors beyond egg quality determine pregnancy and live birth. The stimulation course, number of eggs fertilized, transfer day, and a host of other variables determine results.

Repeat egg donors are very desirable and get matched very quickly. If you absolutely insist on a repeat donor, it may take you longer to find one. Keep in mind that being a repeat is just one of many factors that make a good candidate. Most first time egg donors pass their screenings and do well in their retrievals, and even some repeat donors can back out due to changes in their lives. A cycle with a repeat egg donor is no more likely to result in a pregnancy than one with a fine first-timer. It may even give you pause to think your donor has been responsible for numerous pregnancies before yours and you are adding more half siblings into the mix. Of course, even with a first time egg donor, any subsequent donations remain beyond your knowledge and control.

The broadcast networks are catching up with this old story about the alleged “surge” in egg donations. In ABC’s video “Egg Donations On The Rise” (shown on Good Morning America), they had one clinic owner testify that applications are up about 50%. However, the piece assumed throughout that anyone who applied could actually donate eggs; it never distinguished between egg donor candidates and actual donors.

This caused some major inaccuracies. Anyone can apply to be an egg donor; only a small percentage, about 10%, will go on to donate. There was no claim that the actual number of egg donor cycles have increased as well. [See my earlier post: Egg Donation and the Economy.]

Another claim, that a “decline in standards” would be an inevitable consequence of this influx of egg donors, is illogical on two counts. First, the bigger the pool of applicants, the more selective recipients and doctors can be; second, FDA regulations for screening are uniform and not a matter of interpretation. The report implied that egg donation agencies screen candidates, but in fact, medical professionals do. Corners are never cut in order to accommodate any candidate; it’s against the law. Although it provided no evidence, the piece implied, however, that these risks are taken. It puts a sensationalistic spin on the story, no matter how erroneous.

NBC Nightly News did a segment (“Surge in Egg Donations Raises Concerns“) which covered the alleged surge in context of the health of the egg donor, and overall was more accurate. It discussed the need for a registry for egg donors that would track their long-term health. This is a good idea; any privacy issues should be able to be resolved. The ABC piece also discussed a registry for donors so that their offspring could track their genetic heritage. I support this as well. The more we know and learn about every aspect of this process, the better off we will be.

What are the costs involved for me and do I need medical insurance?

You are not responsible for any medical costs and any long distance travel expenses will be paid by the recipients.

A special egg donor insurance policy will be purchased for you to cover any complications, whether you have your own insurance or not.