What is the egg donation process like?

Upon applying to be an egg donor, you will attend an interview and endure a preliminary screening. This includes blood work, an ultrasound, and an assessment of your family history. Once accepted as a usable applicant you will be started on contraceptive pills to prepare your body for an egg donation cycle.

For the next 2 weeks you will self-administer hormonal injections to produce eggs and frequently visit our clinic (5-7 times) to monitor your progress. If you do not live close to NYC, some of these visits can be done at an outside monitoring facility. Once our physicians decide that your eggs are ready, you will trigger ovulation with an injection and your egg retrieval will be performed 36 hours later. The procedure lasts around 10-15 minutes and we require you to stay in our recovery room for about 1 hour.  Following the procedure, we require you to be picked up by someone and rest for the remainder of the day.  You may feel sore for a couple days after the retrieval, but most patients return to regular daily activities the following day.

How does egg donation affect my fertility?

Women have many eggs in their ovaries but typically only one egg develops per month. During an egg donation cycle, we aim to retrieve 15-20 eggs. These are not taken from future cycles and we only grow and retrieve the eggs that would not have otherwise developed. Egg donations do not trigger premature menopause and will not cause difficulty getting pregnant in the future. While you are more fertile during the egg donation cycle, your fertility status will return to a normal state upon completion of the process.

How often can I donate?

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidelines, you can donate up to 6 times in your life.  At Generation Next, we require each donation to be at least 3 months apart.

What are the risks associated with egg donation?

Egg retrieval is performed under ultrasound guidance.  However, there remains a small risk of injury, bleeding and/or infection to the surrounding tissue or organs.  To minimize this risk, we give all patients and donors a course of antibiotics beginning the day before egg retrieval.  Another risk associated with egg donation is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). When OHSS occurs, the ovaries become enlarged and fluid may collect in the abdominal cavity. OHSS can cause bloating, weight gain, and severe pelvic pain. In the most severe cases, OHSS can require hospitalization.  However, we monitor our donors very closely to ensure their safety.

Can I remain anonymous throughout this process?

Yes.  If you elect to remain anonymous throughout the egg donation process, the recipient(s) as well as future offspring will not receive any identifying information about you. However, they will see your donor profile, which includes characteristics about you.

Do I have to avoid anything while going through the donation process?

Egg donors are to abstain from sexual intercourse, strenuous activity (including exercise), and alcohol for the duration of the egg donation process.

How much will I be compensated for donating my eggs?

For one egg donation cycle compensation starts at $8,000 , regardless of number of eggs we are able to retrieve. Returning egg donors can earn up to $24,000.

If donor chooses to stop mid-cycle for any reason, there will be partial compensation for the days that donor is on medications