The Best Egg Donor Agencies
As you embark on your path to parenthood, it’s natural for questions (and a few complicated emotions) to arise. You may find that joy and longing can coexist or that excitement comes with its own share of nervous anticipation.
The best egg donor agencies understand this and are committed to guiding you through every step of the process. Think of them as a companion and confidante, and you’ll get a better sense of the reassuring, ongoing relationship you can expect.
Choosing the right egg donor program can seem like a momentous task, but the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re in the best hands possible cannot be overstated.
What Is an Egg Donor Agency?
An egg donor agency facilitates the relationship between egg donors and recipient parents and coordinates the retrieval of fresh eggs after a match has been made.
Recipient parents may need to wait until their preferred donor is available (i.e., if she is already contracted with someone else, it could be months before she is next eligible to donate). The donor’s fertility cycle also affects how soon eggs can be retrieved.
Although fresh eggs may be cryopreserved prior to the embryo transfer, the fresh egg cycle differs from its frozen counterparts in two key ways:
The eggs are already fertilized
They have matured into blastocysts (undifferentiated embryonic cells)
How Do I Choose an Egg Donor Agency?
After talking to your doctors, reading egg donation reviews and recipient parent testimonials, and doing all of your research, the time has come to pick your guiding light in this process.
If you’re wondering, “What criteria should I use to select an egg donor agency?” the following list can help.
Credentials & Involvement
Success rate – How often are viable embryos created? What is the live birth rate resulting from these embryos?
Experience – How experienced is the egg donation agency team? Have any members gone through this process personally (as either donors or parents)?
Recipient parent resources – How will your egg donor agency set you up for success? What support, counseling, legal advice, and educational tools are available?
Relationship – Will the egg donor agency create an ongoing relationship with you, or is it more transactional? What type of relationship do you want with your egg donor agency?
Gestational Surrogacy – Does your egg donor agency assist you in finding a surrogate (gestational carrier)?
Egg Donor Screening
Screening process – How rigorous is the screening process for egg donors? Does it cover both physical and mental health as well as their family medical history? Are donors required to take genetic carrier tests, and if not, can you request them?
Timing – Are donors already pre-screened and pre-qualified by the time you begin the matching process, or do you have to wait until after you’ve selected a donor to determine whether they will be eligible?
Egg Donor Database
Size – How many egg donors are available? How frequently is the database updated?
Diversity – Are you looking for an egg donor from a particular ethnic background? Does your egg donor agency provide enough options, or do you feel overly limited?
Egg donor availability – Will your preferred egg donor be available when you match with her? What are your options if she isn’t?
Egg Donor Selection
Matching process – What is the matching process like? Do the donor profiles include videos or donation cycle history? Are you able to talk to a donor before selecting them?
Egg donor relationship – Does the egg donor agency encourage known donations? Does the donor get a say in who gets her eggs? What kind of relationship do you want with your egg donor?
Donation type – Is your egg donor open to having her identity disclosed and having a relationship with you and your future children? If she doesn’t wish to be a known donor, will your child be able to find out about her when they come of age?
Is an Egg Donor Agency Right for Me?
Egg donor agencies are an increasingly popular fertility program option, but fresh egg donations may not suit every recipient parent. Here are some factors to consider:
Fresh egg donations are very successful when it comes to live birth rates, but the timing and logistics of egg retrieval can be unpredictable. However, a fresh egg donation cycle does give recipient parents a greater number of eggs than the 6-egg batches available in frozen egg donation.
Recipient parents pursuing fresh egg donations also need to be flexible in their timelines—not only in finding their match but waiting for their donor to be available and ready for the procedure. Her travel and medical expenses will also need to be factored into the total cost, especially if she is from out of state.
If greater control over your family-building timeline and a fixed, upfront cost are important to you, frozen egg donation may be the better fit.
As you consider your options for egg donation, we encourage you to remember that the best egg donor agencies, banks, and donor programs prioritize transparency, partnership, and mutual consideration for all parties involved—not just the egg donors and recipient parents but also their future children as well.
Everie offers the best of both worlds: an egg donation program offering both fresh and frozen donation options and a thoughtful, forward-thinking approach to matching donors with parents. We make sure that every donor has the right to say “yes” to their recipient, and we support our recipient parents in growing their families their way.
Our team brings first-hand knowledge and 25+ years of experience to what can often be a complicated process. We are here to demystify all of the complexities and ease all of the uncertainties so that your road to parenthood is as smooth and enjoyable as possible.