Donating eggs can be one of the most selfless and rewarding experiences. As an egg donor, you can help individuals or couples struggling to have a family. Although donating your eggs can feel overwhelming. At First Step Surrogacy, we are committed to helping you during the process and solving any question or concern you may have. Here you will find information about how to be an egg donor.
There are many reasons to become an egg donor. For example, you could help a friend or family members. But even other women in your community struggling with fertility or LGBTQ couples dreaming of having a family. No matter why you decided to be an egg donor, we thank you for your empathy and selflessness.
We hope you become an egg donor and give others the generous gift of life. Join our egg donor program. We welcome diverse candidates. We are associated with the best egg donor clinics in Miami, Florida. If you want to donate your eggs, ask us any questions about becoming an egg donor.
Here you will find information about the egg donation process, how long the egg donation process will take, egg donor compensations, and requirements. Contact us for personalized and local help if you want additional egg donor information.
At First Step Surrogacy, we have an expert, professional and empathic team that can accompany you in your unique situation. A case manager will guide you through the donation process. At our egg donor center, we only work with professional and compassionate people.
If you have any doubts, contact us. We are here to help.
Egg Donation at First Step Surrogacy
A donor’s compassionate gift plays an important role in the process of creating new families. But what’s more, while you are helping another family fulfill their dreams, you can also earn enough money to make your own dreams a reality at the same time. Whether it’s funding your studies, a trip of a lifetime, saving towards a home, or anything in between, egg donation is an admirable way to expand the lives of others as well as your own.
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From the moment you apply with First Step, you will have an experienced and dedicated case manager to assist and guide you through the entire egg donation process from application to completion of the medical cycle. Your case manager will counsel you through any necessary paperwork, the matching process, legal considerations, medical protocols, and more. It is important for us to get to know you so we can provide the most personalized experience possible. First Step allows egg donors to decide on some of their preferences when it comes to intended parents to match with. We work with single or coupled intended parents from all ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, and locations.
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Becoming an egg donor is simpler than it seems but there are several qualifications required by First Step, some of which are listed below. It will be important to understand these before applying to see if you qualify. Contact us for a free consultation if you have any questions.
Egg donation process and risks
Egg donation is when a woman donates her eggs or oocytes to another woman to help her have a baby. It is a process that can help women who can’t use their eggs for different reasons—for example, ovarian problems, congenital anomalies, or advanced age.
The procedure involves the following steps. First, the doctor begins stimulating egg production by administering prescribed medication. After that, the specialist removes an egg or eggs from the donor. Next, the donated egg is fertilized in a laboratory. Then the resulted embryo is transferred into the recipient’s uterus through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Specialists can also freeze the donated embryos to implant them in a different woman.
The egg donation process takes about two to four weeks from start to finish. You attend from 6 to 10 doctor appointments, and then when you are ready, you have an egg retrieval procedure requiring light anesthesia.
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We have further information on How to donate eggs? and what donors and recipients should know
Egg donation risks and side effects
Egg donation risks and side effects are relatively low. Doctors implement to the egg donors the same medications and procedures they use with women using their eggs in the in vitro fertilization process (IVF).
Doctors prescribe egg donors medication to stimulate ovulation. The medicines are similar to your body's natural hormones but at a higher concentration. In some cases, this process can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) during an egg donation cycle, which can be mild, moderate, or severe. In all cases, no matter how mild OHSS is, you should consult with your doctor.
Some donors may experience swelling, breast tenderness, bloating, pressure, abdominal pain, and moodiness, which often goes away in the next menstrual cycle.
Doctors use light anesthetic during the egg retrieval, which can carry a negligible risk, but serious problems are uncommon. Also, some women may experience bleeding when the doctor inserts the needle into their ovary. Severe damage to other organs or blood vessels may occur, but it is rare. Finally, an infection may occur during the egg removal process, and the doctor may prescribe antibiotics to avoid this.
Types of Egg Donation
Known
Donation
This donation allows donors and intended parents to share contact information and communicate. This opens up the opportunity to get to know each other and enables contact in the future.
Known
Donation
Semi-Known Donation
With this type of donation, only the donor's first name and location of residence are shared with the parents. Donor's can choose to stay anonymous or if both parties agree, there is the possibility for some limited contact with each other.
Semi-Known Donation
Anonymous Donation
Donors can choose to remain unknown and have no contact with the intended parent(s). This means they will never meet the recipient nor will they know if a pregnancy occurred from the recipient’s cycle.
Anonymous
Donation
Egg donation disqualifiers
If you are thinking about being an egg donor, we thank you for your interest in helping others become parents. Our policies are designed to ensure the egg donation process is safe for both donor and recipient. We accept healthy young women from different backgrounds and ethnicities. However, we have some disqualifications for egg donors to improve the chances of conceiving using donated eggs.
The main egg donation disqualifiers are:
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Donors younger than 20 and older than 29 (some clinics accept applicants under 35)
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Donors who use cigarettes or recreational drugs.
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Donors have a history of alcoholism or drug abuse.
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Donors don’t have a healthy BMI.
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Donors have untreated sexually transmitted infections.
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Donors have inheritable genetic disorders.
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Donors have problems with infertility.
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Donors don’t have the medical history of their biological parents, siblings, or grandparents.
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Donors have a busy schedule that is not flexible to attend medical appointments.
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Donors don’t have a way to transport them to appointments.
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Donors don’t have a person to accompany them on the day of the egg retrieval.
If you have any egg donation disqualifiers, don’t worry; you could still apply in certain circumstances. For example, although you can’t change your age, genetic disorders, or medical history.
There are other disqualifiers that you can remove by changing your lifestyle. For example, BMI, sexually transmitted infections, and use of recreative drugs. Others, such as the time restrictions, can change in the future with appropriate time management.
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Overall we welcome healthy, reliable, and committed to the process. That way, we can improve the success rate during the donation process.
How to begin an egg donation process?
The first step is to apply to be an egg donor. You complete a questionnaire about your medical history, family history, background, and personal details. If you pass the prescreening process, we can arrange an interview with a psychologist and genetic counselor. The final step in the screening process is to have a blood test, other laboratory tests, and a doctor's appointment to assess your physical and reproductive health. If you pass the tests, you are a selected candidate and can start the medical process of egg donation.
Egg Donor Requirements
The enthusiastic young women in our egg donation program must meet specific qualifications before being accepted as a First Step egg donor. Although our qualifications may seem extensive, we value the health and safety of our donors so we take general and mental health into consideration to ensure donation is in your best interest. Screening thoroughly also increases your likelihood of being selected by intended parents. Below is a list of minimum requirements although all applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Application and Background
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Complete an in-depth application with First Step that includes details about family life and medical history
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Reside in the United States and between the ages of 21-30
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Have reliable transportation and flexible schedule for appointments and traveling as needed
​Health Reviews
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Be in overall good health with a BMI of 28 or less
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Have both ovaries and regular menstrual cycles
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Have had a pap-smear within the last two years with normal results
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Have no history of genetic disorders and be able to obtain up-to-date family health history
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You must NOT have taken depo-provera or had a hormonal IUD in the last month (you must have had one regular menstrual period post removal of your hormonal IUD/Depo-Provera)
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You cannot be on Nor-Plant.
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Willingness to use injectable medications
Evaluations
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Complete and pass a drug screening of drugs and nicotine
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Complete psychological evaluations and not have any psychiatric illness
If you have additional questions about our egg donor requirements, please feel free to address them with us before applying. After applying, if you meet our minimum requirements, we will schedule a video interview with you and one of our case managers to review the donation process, expectations, and next steps in more detail.
Egg donation near me
If you are looking for “egg donation near me.” Become an egg donor with First Step Surrogacy; we are located in Miami, Florida. Our specialized team will accompany you during the egg donation process. We are located in an accesible place. Traveling to Miami is easy and convenient for residents of South Florida.
Why prefer egg donation near me? A local service allows you to attend medical appointments quickly without interfering with your other daily routines. A local agency such as First Step Surrogacy knows the local area and its cultural diversity. Our bilingual staff can give all the information and support you need during the process. We welcome egg donors from different backgrounds and ethnicities. We maintain a diverse egg donor database.
First Step Surrogacy can offer local egg donors an easy and hassle-free process with all the emotional and medical support egg donors deserve. We have years of experience as an egg donor center and are committed to helping many families become real families through egg donation.
Egg donation over age 30
Many clinics and egg donation agencies only accept donors younger than 30, sometimes younger than 35. But why egg donation over age 30 is restricted? Although every woman is different, according to science, women's fertility has a predictable pattern.
Female fertility peaks in her 20s and early 30s. In these years, is when the woman has the highest chances of conceiving. Around age 35, her egg quantity and quality decrease. Therefore her fertility starts to decline. In her late 30s and 40s, her fertility declines more sharply until she hits menopause, where she is no longer fertile. That's why after 35 is harder to get pregnant, and there is a higher risk of miscarriage.
Most egg donation centers don’t perform egg donations over age 30, due to the fertility decline after that age. However, some accept healthy women ranging from 30 to 35 years.
Frequently asked questions
How many eggs do they take when you donate?
When you donate eggs, usually between 5 and 24 eggs are retrieved per cycle. The exact number of eggs you donate varies from woman to woman because it depends on how many eggs your ovaries naturally produce each month, how your body responds to fertility medication, and your clinic guidelines. Those factors will determine how many mature eggs you have available.
How many times can you donate eggs in your life?
You can donate eggs up to six times in your life. Although your egg reserve doesn’t diminish when you donate eggs, this restriction is explained by the following reasons: to leave your body to rest after receiving fertility medication and going through the retrieval procedure and to limit the number of babies with the same DNA.
How painful is egg retrieval?
During the egg retrieval procedure, the doctors administer IV medication that puts you in a sleep-like state. Because of this anesthesia, you do not feel pain during the egg retrieval procedure. However, after the process, you can experience abdominal cramping, bloating, fullness, and overall discomfort for a day or two.
Can you still have kids after donating eggs?
Yes, you can have kids after donating eggs; the egg retrieval process will not impact your future fertility. Most women who donate eggs can have healthy future pregnancies. Only in infrequent instances, the procedure can diminish your fertility.
