You’re familiar with people giving blood and plasma to help others in need, and if you are a woman, the same can be done with your eggs! Egg donation is the backbone of today’s growing fight against infertility. Women who cannot have babies themselves, same-sex couples, and other hopeful parents can now access anonymous egg donations in order to grow their families.
These eggs come from women who meet certain criteria and commit to the egg donation process in exchange for a sum of money. If the following seven traits describe you, then you could make a perfect egg donor!
You’re Physically Fit
Physical health is an important component to your selection as an egg donor. Your health history, as well as your family’s, will be carefully evaluated when you apply to become an egg donor. Any history of smoking or substance abuse will disqualify you, as will family history of congenital health problems like cancer and diabetes. You should also have a BMI between 19 and 29 and have regular monthly menstrual periods.
You’re Between the Ages of 21 and 29
Though eggs are most certainly still viable after the age of 29, you need to be younger than 30 for the purposes of egg donation. This ensures prime reproductive health and minimizes the chances of complications. Though some agences do accept women for egg donation at 18 years old, it is best to wait until you are 21 to ensure that you understand the implications of egg donation on the rest of your life.
You Have a Positive Mindset
Though you are financially compensated for donating eggs, you are best fit for donation if you also have a positive attitude and feel compelled to help others by donating the eggs that they desperately need. Since egg donation is not entirely risk-free, it is important that you are genuinely interested in helping others when you sign up.
Your Can Be Flexible and Patient
Donating your eggs is not as simple as giving blood. You can’t just walk into a clinic, undergo a 10 minute treatment, and go back to your daily activities. Egg donation is a multi-month process. It begins with your fertility, medical, genetic, and psychological screenings. You then must wait to be matched with a recipient, at which point you are put on medication that synchronizes your menstruation cycle with her’s. Many weeks, tests, and injections later, your eggs are retrieved in a 30 minute procedure. Given all of this, it’s important that you can be flexible and patients over a few month’s time!
You’re Comfortable Taking Injections
Egg donation does require a variety of medications, many of which you must inject yourself. You will first self-inject Lupron for one to two weeks after your menstrual cycle has synced to the recipient’s cycle. After that, a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is self-injected for up to 10 days to help grow the egg follicles. Finally, HCG is given to help your ovaries release eggs. If needles cause you to panic, you may find egg donation difficult.
Working with a compassionate and professional egg donation agency will ensure that your experience as an egg donor is seamless and enjoyable. Open Arms Surrogacy and Egg Donation works with prospective egg donors throughout the United States. Call (941) 741-4994 to learn more about how you can play a role in making a hopeful parent’s wishes come true.
