.png)
Egg Donor Program: Finding an Egg Donor
What is Egg Donation?
Egg donation is a process in which a healthy, fertile woman donates her eggs to help others have a baby. The donor eggs are fertilized in a laboratory with the intended father’s sperm (or donor sperm) to create embryos. Once fertilized, the highest quality embryo(s) are transferred either to the intended mother’s or to a gestational surrogate’s uterus to carry the baby to term.
​
At Giving Tree Surrogacy, we carefully select egg donors who are emotionally, physically, and mentally ready for the process. They are compassionate individuals who are committed to helping others experience the joy of parenthood.
Fresh Egg Donation
Fresh egg donation is the process in which eggs are retrieved from a donor and immediately fertilized to create embryos. Once the embryos are created, they continue to grow in a lab for 5-6 days, and are carefully monitored and graded for quality.
​
Once the embryos reach the right maturity, intended parents may choose to transfer a high-quality embryo to gestational surrogate or intended mother’s uterus, or freeze them for a later use.
How Much Does Egg Donation Cost?
Egg donation costs will vary depending on the specifics of your cycle. These costs are typically in addition to surrogacy journey expenses.
Egg donation program costs for intended parents include:
-
Agency fee
-
Egg donor compensation
-
Egg donor travel expenses
-
Egg donor local monitoring expenses (if applicable)
-
Psychological screening
-
Donor genetic testing
-
Legal needs
-
Insurance
-
Escrow management
Not included in our Egg Donor Program costs are any funds paid directly to the IVF clinic, which include her medical screening, medications, and cost of the egg retrieval.
For fresh egg donation, an average cost for egg donation is around $24,000. However, intended parents can expect costs ranging from $24,000 – $50,000+, depending on donor experience and compensation.
If you require both an egg donor and a surrogate, our 3-Step Family Forward Concierge Program may be a fit for your family.
Why fresh and frozen egg donation costs differ?
There are a few reasons why costs may vary in a fresh egg donation cycle:
​
-
The number of eggs retrieved can vary depending on the donor’s response to medication, which may result in more embryos.
-
The process involves full IVF clinic coordination, medical monitoring, and retrieval procedures.
-
All retrieved eggs belong exclusively to the intended parents, allowing full use of the cycle’s outcome.
How Do I Find an Egg Donor?
Choosing an egg donor is an important step in your path to parenthood. A good first step is to sit down and write out a list of characteristics you value, and potential traits of your future child(ren), such as:
-
Physical traits (eye and hair color, height and weight)
-
Education and interests
-
Ethnicity
-
Medical history
-
Personality traits
Next, you will view egg donor databases to see if you find a donor match. Giving Tree has an extensive egg donor database filled with bright, selfless women hoping to make a difference. You can also speak with your IVF clinic about finding an egg donor.
The Egg Donation Process for Intended Parents
Egg donation is a wonderful way to grow your family. The egg donation process usually starts with a conversation between the intended parents and their IVF clinic. If intended parents do not yet have a clinic, Giving Tree is happy to connect them to one of their trusted clinic partners.
​
The egg donation process for intended parents can be broken down into key milestones:
01
Choosing an Egg Donor.
Once you’ve selected an IVF clinic and physician you trust, the next step is to choose an egg donor. Before browsing donor profiles, it can be helpful to list the characteristics you value most in a donor, such as:
-
Height and weight
-
Eye and hair color
-
Education and interests
-
Racial or ethnic background
-
Family medical history
-
Personality traits
You can have peace of mind in knowing how rigorously Giving Tree screens all our donors; only 2% of all egg donor applicants make it into our egg donor pool.
02
Determine a Sperm Source.
The sperm can come from the intended father, or both intended parents (for same sex couples), or from a chosen donor if there is no intended parent providing sperm. This decision is personal and depends on your family goals, genetic preferences, and medical considerations.
03
Sperm Analysis & Fertilization Method.
After deciding who will provide the genetic material, you will visit the clinic to give a sperm sample. Laboratory staff will analyze the sample to assess quality and decide whether conventional insemination or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is most appropriate.
04
Embryo Creation.
The most viable sperms will be combined with the egg donor’s eggs to create embryos under the supervision of an embryologist. Embryos are typically cultured to the blastocyst stage (day 5–6) before transfer.
05
Genetic Testing.
Selecting a healthy embryo is a priority for intended parents, the gestational carrier, and the egg donor. PGT-A testing can identify chromosomal abnormalities and, as a by-product, reveal the sex chromosomes of each embryo.
06
Embryo Transfer.
When the embryo has reached blastocyst stage, it will be transferred into the intended mother’s/gestational surrogate’s uterus.
Read full details on the IVF process for egg donation.
Some of the reasons Intended Parents choose to work with Giving Tree Surrogacy
Frequently Asked Questions
