Who Needs Donor Eggs?
With the exception of arranged known donations, our egg donation process is completely unidentified despite its compassionate and intimate nature. Neither recipients nor donors are given any identifying information about one another. Each walks away from the experience with a different outlook. One, forever grateful and the other empowered by the ability to change and bring forth life.
While the recipient is granted access to a select amount of information about the donor, the donor receives no information on the recipient. This can create a level of curiosity from donors about the recipient receiving their eggs. Often, our egg donors ask questions about donor recipients. They want to gain a sense of how recipients choose donors, as well as the preparation required to receive the eggs donated. Donors also tend to wonder who the recipients are.
Who are the donor recipients?
Donor recipient’s average age is 35-45 and they seek the help of egg donors for a number of reasons. Some have tried to have a baby for many years and after several failed attempts, had the sad and sudden realization that fertility assistance may be needed. Others have postponed their dreams of family in the pursuit of personal goals only to discover that they are unable to conceive when they are ready. An injury or illness may also thwart the effort of conception. Reasons aside, donor recipients are eager prospective parents who rely on egg donors to help them build families because for them there is no other way to have a child.
At Shady Grove Fertility, we ensure that our egg donors experience the same quality of care as our donor recipients. We believe that by creating a positive experience for both donors and recipients, each can have an equally rewarding outcome from the donation. It’s important to educate our recipients on all the measures that donors take in order to give them a chance at parenthood. Likewise, we feel it equally important to inform the donors of the journey the recipient must go through for the sake of having a baby.
Below you will find some interesting facts about donor recipients that may assist you in understanding the experience a recipient goes through in preparation for utilizing the help of the egg donor.
Where are donor recipients located?
Recipients travel from all over the world to come to Shady Grove Fertility. We have worked with patients from over 35 countries. From the UK to Africa, Shady Grove Fertility has many recipients who are eager to start a family and rely on the help of a donor to do so.
Do donor recipients have to go through screening similar to egg donors?
Yes, donor recipients must have medical reasons to use an egg donor; therefore, they complete extensive screening prior to getting the opportunity to select a donor. All donor recipients meet with a physician to review their medical history before moving ahead with treatment. Medical testing is scheduled after the initial consultation to assist doctors in creating a treatment plan for the Recipient. Similar to Donors, it is required that some recipients attend a “Recipient Day” that consolidates much of their testing within one visit. At Shady Grove Fertility, we believe that a counseling session is a beneficial part of the medical treatment and is required of all participants of the Donor Egg Program. This means that both egg donors as well as donor recipients must meet with a mental health professional prior to any medical treatment. Recipients must also take injections in order to prepare their bodies to receive the embryo(s) created as a result of the eggs donated.
How much does it cost a donor recipient to receive treatment?
The expense of the programs varies according to the number of attempts, program chosen, location, and travel expenses. Most insurance providers do not cover donor egg treatment, therefore patients are financing their entire treatment. Fortunately, Shady Grove Fertility’s Shared Risk 100% Refund Program helps eliminate the financial burden by allowing recipients to participate in up to 6 cycles for a flat fee.
Do recipients ever know who their egg donor is?
Typically no. The only way a donor recipient would know who their donor is, would be if they introduced that donor to us – a “known donor”, i.e. a friend or family member. Most of our donor egg cycles involve use of unidentified donor egg. We have numerous levels of protection regarding the donor’s identity. We insure there is no identifying information on the portion of the profile provided to recipients. All records are sealed further prohibiting identification of either a recipient or a donor .
The recipient’s journey requires a high level of commitment of time, dedication, and effort. Without the cooperation of both the egg donor and the recipient, the goal of a baby becomes impossible.