What if I’m on birth control?

It’s okay to be taking "the pill". You should not be using the Norplant or taking injections of Depo Provera for birth control. The reason for this is it will prolong the time it will take before your cycle is normal enough to be an egg donor.

After you have been selected as a donor, the time commitment usually ranges from 4-6 weeks.

Does it hurt?

One of our prime concerns is the comfort and safety of our donors. Egg donation is a simple medical procedure. Thousands of women donate eggs each year. Generally, our donors will give themselves their injections in the privacy of their own home or dorm room. Most donors report to us that they do not find the injections particularly uncomfortable.

The egg retrieval process is done as an outpatient procedure in a physician's office or fertility clinic.

The recipient family pays for any and all expenses that are associated with the egg donation process. If travel is required the recipient family also covers these expenses.

I want you, as a prospective egg donor, to understand where I stand on the issue of compensation. As the President of Loving Donation, but also as a woman, I do not believe I have a right to set some pre-selected amount that you will receive. Other agencies set their own levels of compensation that they then ask the recipient parents to pay. Throughout the country, and of course all over the Internet, you will find compensations ranging from $3000.00 all the way up to $25,000.00 for egg donors who are considered the absolute top of their class in their educational status and their overall intelligence as well as stunning good looks and a spotless medical history.

I personally do not think that a prospective recipient parent need pay such an amount simply to be able to find a suitable egg donor. The authority in this field that sets the standards that our industry follows is A.S.R.M., (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) which makes the following statement regarding egg donor compensation, “Although there is no consensus on the precise payment that oocyte donors should receive, at this time sums of $5,000 or more require justification and sums above $10,000 go beyond what is appropriate.” Loving Donation is a proud member in good standing of A.S.R.M. and as such we adhere to the guidelines that they set.

As of January 2004, I am so very proud to say that Loving Donation has the largest egg donor database in the country with over 500 available donors, and that each and every one of the wonderful women whom I accept into my program, share with me their thoughts regarding why they want to help. Together, and based on the individual issues surrounding the particular cycle that is being offered to you, such as the amount of travel, and the amount of time the cycle will require, you and I will decide on an amount that is appropriate. Having said that, at no time are you as the egg donor obliged to accept any offer, from any family, for any amount! You alone are the only person who can find the right balance of your desire to help the couple as well as having the cycle represent an opportunity for you.

How long after completion of the donor cycle before I receive my compensation?

Immediately following notification that you have successfully completed the retrieval process, we will FedEx your compensation to you!

Can I run out of eggs if I give them to someone else?

No. Few women are aware that each month many eggs are dissolved and absorbed by their own bodies prior to the selection of the single egg that will be ovulated. Fertility medications preserve a portion of these excess eggs, which the body would have ordinarily discarded. Therefore, no extra eggs are used up in the process.

Our agency has never had an accidental pregnancy of a donor, because it is extremely unlikely. However, around the time of the egg retrieval there will be a “critical window” when you will be advised to abstain from intercourse.

In accordance with the contract you will be asked to sign, any and all children born as a result of the egg donation process will legally belong to the couple receiving the donated eggs. Egg donors legally have absolutely no responsibility to the future welfare or support of any children who may be born from their donation.

No, you do not. It is our agency’s policy that we only assist in anonymous egg donations. It has been our experience that due to the complicated nature of this process and the legal ramifications of it, this policy achieves the most desired results for all parties concerned.