Frequently Asked Questions

We hope to eliminate most of your conerns with regard to egg donation by answering any questions you might have. The following questions are those most frtequently asked by our prospective parents. Please know that we are available by email, phone or in person to answer any additional questions you may have.

Q. How old are your donor candidates?

Egg Donor Select accepts first-time donor candidates who are between 20 and 29 years old. If a donor has proven fertility and has been a successful donor, we will extend the age limit.

Q. How have you pre-screened your donor candidates?

We believe we are one of the leading companies with regard to egg donation pre-screening. Approximately 10 percent of all donor applicants will meet our strict application criteria. Donor candidates participate in phone and in-person interviews and are educated on the obligations and expectations required of them during the egg donation process. Information stated in the donor candidate’s profile will be cross checked to ensure accuracy. Background and social media checks are performed on each donor candidate. Once selected, each donor candidate will be vetted by the clinic's donor coordinator and will undergo medical, genetic and psychological screening to ensure her suitability to cycle.

Q. Will the donor try to find my child in the future?

Our contracts are written to protect the privacy of recipents and donors.

However, with the introduction of consumer DNA technology, it is important for recipients and egg donors to understand that anonymity cannot be guaranteed for any egg donation cycle, as these kits are designed to "connect the DNA dots."

Q. Can my child contact the donor once the child has reached the age of 18?

EDS supports “known” donor relationships; however, we cannot guarantee that a donor will agree nor will we establish this type of relationship at the inception of the cycle. We are happy to communicate the recipients’ desire to have a relationship beyond the intended semi-anonymous relationship, but EDS requires that donors wait until a baby is born from her cycle before making this important decision.

Once the baby is born, EDS will provide the recipients’ contact information or their preferred registry program information to the donor. It will be up to the donor to follow through / respond to the recipients’ request.

The reason we have taken this position is two-fold...

Egg donation is considered tissue donation... the donor is not donating a baby and is not the “mother” of the donor-conceived child. She is providing a wonderful gift of her eggs in order to help the recipients achieve pregnancy and become the donor-conceived child’s parents.
We do not wish for the donor to feel pressured into making a decision, requiring her to establish the recipients’ desired relationship at the onset of the cycle. We want for her to be able to take time to carefully consider whether or not a decision to establish any long-term relationship with the recipient family meets her own desires and goals for egg donation.

We fully support a donor’s decision should she wish to establish a long-term relationship with the recipient family. Should this be the recipients’ wish, we will inquire which way the donor is “leaning” with regard to her feelings relating to a long-term relationship or being available should the donor-conceived child wish to contact her at the age of majority.

EDS understands that a recipient may wish to seek another agency to meet their needs if our position is not acceptable. Our goal is for a recipient to feel that their needs are met, and we will always wish recipients great success whether they work with Egg Donor Select or a different agency.

Our desire is that your fertility journey is behind you, and that you can focus on your beautiful family!

Q. What does our donor know about me?

The short answer is "whatever you would like her to know." On occasion, donors will ask, but we will only share information you are willing to or comfortable sharing. If you would prefer they know nothing about you, the conversation stops there. Oftentimes, any relationship or information sharing initiates once the donor-conceived child is born.

Q. How many eggs are generally retrieved?

Although numbers vary by race and can vary cycle to cycle, there are some generally accepted numbers to consider...

On average, approximately 15 - 18 total eggs are retrieved
On average, approximately 12 - 15 mature eggs are retrieved
It is generally accepted that approximately 6 mature eggs are enough to create a baby if egg and sperm quality are normal

Q. What are the success rates of children conceived through egg donation?

Success rates for a donor egg procedure are generally higher than for an IVF procedure, primarily due to the age of the donor and the quality of her eggs. We ask recipients to check with their physicians to inquire about their success rates related to fresh and frozen cycles. Please visit sart.org or cdc.gov to view success rates for reporting clinics, as well as a national summary. The data is typically two years old (usually updated in the spring) because annual results need to wait for the last beautiful babies to be born from the correlating year's cycles.

Q. What are the costs and what do they cover?

We are happy to share our pricing structure upon request. Because our desire is to customize your cycle to fit your individual needs, it's difficult to provide pricing without a detailed explanation. However, if wishing to receive all eggs, we have a three-tiered single fee structure... First-time donors carry the lowest cost. Repeat donors are slightly higher, and Select donor cycles are the highest but can be shared with your clinic's egg bank (if applicable) or another recipient working with your clinic. The single fee model covers the following:

Donor Compensation
Donor Complications Insurance
Donor Legal Contract*
Donor Psych Interview*
Donor Psych Written Evaluation (Personality Assessment Inventory)*
Genetic Family Tree Consult*
Donor Incidental Cycle Expenses
EDS Admin Fee

* EDS will cover up to $1000 in total for Psych Interview and Psych Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Genetic Carrier Status Screen, Genetic Family Tree Consult (if required by clinic), and Donor Legal Contract (if required by clinic). These fees are non-refundable as they are pass-through to other providers. EDS provides up to $350 for Psych with PAI, $200 for Genetic Carrier Status Screen, and $200 for Genetic Family Tree Consult (if required by clinic). If clinic conducts these evaluations internally or through their own providers, EDS will reduce the amount of the backend payment up to the amounts described above.

Please note that EDS does not cover donor stimulation medications.

We also incorporate a "flat fee" remote monitoring and travel price structure to include:

Donor Initial Evaluation with Primary Clinic (if required)
Donor E2 and Transvaginal Ultrasounds at Remote Clinic*
Donor and Guest Travel to Primary Clinic for Retrieval Week to include...
- Airfare x 2
- Lodging
- Meal Per Diem
- Ground Transportation
- Incidental Travel Expenses

*Please note that EDS does not cover any remote monitoring expeneses other than transvaginal ultrasounds and E2s. Any other evaluations performed remotely, including but not limited to toxicology screen, FDA labs, physical evaluation, Donor Eligibility evaluation, are the financial responsibility of the recipient(s).

Q. What happens if my donor fails to qualify for my cycle or if the cycle is canceled following approval?

If a Fresh All egg donation cycle is canceled, the following conditions apply...

If cycle is canceled due to donor failing to qualify per recipients’ medical provider’s advice for medical, genetic or psychological evaluation results, Donor shall be paid $0. All non pass-through monies paid to EDS will be refunded to recipients or applied to another donor.
If cycle is canceled by recipient due to no fault of the donor during medical, genetic or psychological screening process, 50 percent of the "single fee" deposit will be refunded to the recipient less any "pass through" professional cycle expenses. All unused monies for "flat fee" remote monitoring and travel will be refunded to the recipient.
If cycle is canceled due to no fault of the donor following medical provider acceptance but prior to initiation of injectable medications, donor shall be paid a fee of $500. Unused monies paid to EDS can be applied to a new donor for up to one year from the date of cancellation. New donor fees may apply.
If cycle is canceled due to no fault of the donor following the initiation of injectable medications, but prior to retrieval, donor shall be compensated $1,000. Unused monies less $2,500 paid to EDS can be applied to a new donor for up to one year from the date of cancellation. New donor fees may apply.
If cycle is canceled due to no fault of donor but retrieval procedure is recommended for the health and safety of donor, donor shall receive full compensation. EDS will provide a 20 percent cycle credit for all fees paid to EDS for up to one year from the date of retrieval. New donor fees may apply.
If cycle is canceled due to donor's failure to complete cycle following physician approval, donor shall be paid $0, and 100 percent of the unused (non pass-through) monies may be applied to a new donor... or 50 percent of the unused single fee cycle monies paid to EDS will be refunded to the recipient up to four months (120 days) post cancellation date. New donor fees may apply.

In the event the egg retrieval process is canceled for any reason, donor shall be reimbursed any expenses incurred up to the time of the cancellation.

In the event of a remote donor cycle, all unused travel and remote monitoring monies will be refunded to the recipient or applied to a new donor.