Finding Your Ideal Donor
Your Ideal Donor Profile
Who is your ideal donor, and how do you want to present yourself to her? Below you will find guidance on choosing your egg donor selection criteria.​
​
First, we’ll help you understand how to find your ideal donor profile.​
Defining Your Egg Donor Criteria
Your egg donor will contribute half of your baby’s biology: a mix of genetics, personality traits, physical attributes, and more! Defining the qualities you hold most dear when considering your future child(ren) will be an important step in the egg donor selection process.
The following exercise can be completed alone, with a partner or loved ones, or separately before comparing notes. We encourage you to have open and honest discussions about your preferences and priorities so you can find the right donor for you.
Below is a list of topics to consider when defining your egg donor criteria. Each one is accompanied by a set of questions that can help get the conversation started. As you go through each one, we invite you to dive deeper and expand on the topics as you see fit.
Physical Attributes
How important is it that your child physically resembles you?
If you have other children, are there any physical characteristics you’d like to keep consistent?
What physical traits do you hope your donor possesses (e.g., height, eye color, hair color)?
If your egg donor database includes childhood or current photos of the egg donors, it can help you envision what a child conceived from their eggs may look like. Some recipient parents seek donors that share a physical resemblance to them, while others may prefer to look for specific ethnicities or physical characteristics.
​
Considerations:
Health and Genetics
Reflect on your family medical history. Are there any genetic risk factors or prevalent health conditions you should be aware of before searching for a donor?
How critical is your donor’s medical history and genetic background?
Do you want to screen for any specific health conditions or genetic carrier statuses in your donor’s family history? (Please know that donors will undergo full testing during the medical screening process.)
Comparing an egg donor’s personal and family medical history against your own can also be a useful screening tool. Some recipient parents, for example, may be genetic carriers for conditions such as cystic fibrosis, making it imperative for them to find an egg donor who has a negative carrier status. Although the risk of passing the condition onto the child will not be eliminated entirely, the chances will be significantly reduced. All donors and parents will undergo genetic testing as part of the initial screening process prior to formally matching. However, gathering all the information possible early in the process will help reduce the disappointment of finding a donor that feels like the right match and learning later that you aren’t able to move forward with them.
​
Considerations:
Personality and Interests
What personality traits do you value (e.g., kindness, creativity, a sense of humor)?
Are shared interests, hobbies, or talents important to you?
Does your ideal donor have certain traits, such as athleticism or musicality, that you hope your child will share?
Remember that your egg donor contributes more than just her biology to your future child. Her athleticism or musical ability may be passed on, or shades of her personality may also be present. Voice, mannerisms, and demeanor can also inform your decision and provide a complete picture of your shared future.
​
Considerations:
Education and Intelligence
How much emphasis do you place on your donor’s educational background?
Is it essential for your ideal donor to have specific academic achievements?
Are there certain types of intelligence that matter to you (e.g., naturalistic, logical-mathematical, linguistic-verbal)?
Considerations:
Culture and Ethnicity
Is it important for your donor’s ethnicity and cultural background to match your own?
Do you want your child to have exposure to certain cultural traditions?
As parents, you will share your culture with your future child. Your egg donor may have an ethnicity that is different from yours, as well as cultural traditions and values.
​
Considerations:
Religion and Personal Values
How essential is it for your donor to share your religious beliefs or values?
Do you want your child to be raised within a particular religious or spiritual framework?
There are many factors outside of genetics that shape who we are as people. Some of those factors include religion and personal values. While these lifestyle choices may not be passed down to your child, it’s important to recognize them when reviewing donor profiles.
​
Considerations:
Donor Experience
Is it important to choose an experienced donor with a successful egg donation history (regarding the quantity and quality of eggs retrieved and live births resulting from her eggs)?
Do you mind if your child has other half-siblings through egg donation or the donor’s own family?
Are age and life experience big considerations in your selection decision?
Another aspect to consider is how experienced you want your egg donor to be. If her eggs have been previously used, did they result in live births? If so, how many half-siblings would your future child have?
​
Knowing how many eggs have been retrieved in each donation cycle from your donor can also indicate how many you might receive if you work with them on a fresh donation. An experienced egg donor already knows what to expect from this process, making them a knowledgeable resource in your shared fertility journey.
​
However, some recipient parents may relish the idea of working with a first-time donor, preferring other qualities over a tried-and-true record of donation.
​
Considerations:
After reflecting on these questions, we encourage you to prioritize your criteria based on what is most important to you and where you can be more flexible.
If you are looking for further guidance, we outline other considerations on our egg donor selection criteria page. We also discuss the different search filters and options to help you navigate our egg donor database to find your best match.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically, choosing an egg donor involves reviewing donor profiles in a database and looking for someone who resonates most with you. At Everie, you can see photos and videos of our donors and learn about their medical and family history, education, interests, and more. You will also get to read in their own words why they are choosing to donate their eggs.
​
Please read our article about egg donor selection criteria to learn more about finding the right egg donor for you.
Everie thoroughly vets our egg donors. All of our donors are young, healthy women who have passed comprehensive evaluations of their physical and psychological health to ensure they are suitable candidates for egg donation.