The Background of Donors
Our donors are chosen by several methods such as recruitment from local colleges; on-line advertising and referrals from other donors or doctors. We conduct an initial phone interview in order to verify basic eligibility requirements such as age, overall health, weight and height. The next step is a face- to- face interview in our office where the donor completes a 10 page profile and application along with medical tests including blood level measurements of the donor’s FSH, LH, and estradiol blood levels. Also, a vaginal ultrasound is performed to evaluate the donor’s ovaries and follicle count, followed by a complete physical exam to insure compliance with FDA regulations. A psychological evaluation is then scheduled with a licensed therapist. Then, our donor eligibility committee meets and decides if this donor is a good candidate for the Frozen Egg Bank donation program.
During the next step, the donor must undergo the following tests:
A donor will become ineligible if any of the tests results are positive.
The preparation for the donor’s egg retrieval and subsequent egg freezing is the same as that for a standard in- vitro fertilization cycle. This includes specific medications to program the donor’s cycle, followed by hormone injections to stimulate the donor’s ovaries and ripen her follicle eggs sacs. When the eggs have matured, they are harvested with an ultrasound-guided vaginal ultrasound technique under intravenous sedation. The egg quality is determined by the scientists and only the mature oocytes are frozen using a patented method.