How to Find an Anonymous Egg Donor
There are two options growing families can consider when selecting an egg donor. You can work with a known (also referred to as a directed) egg donor, which is someone whom you already know, such as a family member or a close friend.
Choosing anonymous egg donation
Choosing an anonymous egg donor means that you will select your donor after reviewing a database. Information provided to intended parents within donor databases can vary, but generally speaking, you will be privy to the following information:
- Physical traits such as hair color, eye color, height and weight
- Ancestry
- Education and career information
- Hobbies and interests
Egg donor motivations
Anonymous egg donors can have a variety of reasons for donating their eggs. For the most part, egg donors are empathetic to the needs of those intended parents who require egg donation. Perhaps the donor knows someone who is LGBTQ or someone who has struggled with infertility. Donors are compensated for the time and effort they give to the donation process, which is far more involved than the sperm donation process. Many donors use this compensation to cover costs associated with their education or personal ambitions, like paying off debt or traveling.
Fresh vs. frozen donor eggs
Intended parents have the option of choosing between using freshly donated eggs or frozen donated eggs during fertility treatment. There are pros to each option, so it is ultimately up to the intended parent(s) as well as their fertility specialist’s recommendation as to which is best for their situation. For example, in a frozen egg donor cycle, there is no need to sync the donor’s menstrual cycle with the recipient’s. Treatment can begin once the frozen donated eggs are selected. Your fertility specialist can provide a breakdown of the aforementioned pros and cons if you are unsure which is best for your family planning goals.
If you are interested in using an egg donor to have a baby, please contact the fertility specialists of Chelsea Fertility NYC today. Our team has worked with countless couples, both LGBTQ and infertile, to build their families using egg donation.