Frequently Asked Questions for Donors
We will cut to the chase here. Yes, egg donors do have a genetic connection to any children conceived from their eggs. They do not, however, have any parental relationship or responsibility to the children.
The recommended number of times a woman can donate her eggs is 6 times.
Some donors, once they have successfully helped someone grow a family, wish to make another donation. It is an incredibly fulfilling feeling, and we understand why such caring and remarkable women want to come back more than once. That being said, you might wonder, what are the limitations of donating eggs?
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the leading nonprofit multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the advancement of the science and practice of reproductive medicine, has concluded there is a finite number of times a donor can undergo a donation cycle.
ASRM has advised limiting the number of a donor’s stimulated cycles to 6 times. Furthermore, they recommend limiting the successful number of donations from a single donor to no more than 25 families per population of 800,000. This recommendation is made in an effort to limit concerns regarding too many blood-related children from different families in one geographic location. The best way to do this will be more reliant on the number of donation cycles than anything else.
Yes, you can still donate eggs if you’ve had a hysterectomy. We would, however, carefully investigate the reason for the hysterectomy at such a young age to determine if you would qualify to be an egg donor.
Yes, you can still donate your eggs if you have had your tubes tied! Tubal ligation only affects your fallopian tubes, not your ovaries and egg production.
You will be under sedation and feel no pain for the actual egg retrieval procedure, which takes just under 30 minutes to complete! Some women experience mild cramping or light bleeding in the days immediately after the process, but these side effects will not last.
Really, the only part of the egg donation process that might be uncomfortable is the at-home hormone injections. A nurse will teach you how to properly self-administer them, and the needle is so small that most women do not report any significant discomfort.The short answer is yes! We understand that, for many women, birth control offers the safest method of protection against unwanted pregnancy, and we would not want you to be deterred simply because you are taking precautions.
So, yes, you can donate your eggs if you are on certain forms of birth control, such as birth control pills, the nuva ring, the patch, and any IUD. However, you must have non-copper hormonal IUDs removed if you are matched before cycling.
If you are currently using a non-accepted form of birth control for at least 6 months before being eligible to donate. As with all things regarding your healthcare, always consult your OB/GYN before changing your birth control.
Yes, you can donate without health insurance. The recipient parents will be responsible for purchasing an insurance plan that covers all the egg donation expenses.
Your ovaries typically release one mature egg per month. The FSH injections you will self-administer stimulate your ovaries to increase the number of eggs that mature in a single cycle.
The exact number of retrieved eggs will vary from woman to woman. However, the average number retrieved in a single donation ranges from 10 to 20 eggs. Healthy, fertile women in their 20s have hundreds of thousands of viable eggs, so these retrievals don’t even come close to taking all of your eggs.
At Everie, we use a database called EDC Nexus that houses all your medical history and information. This allows us to account for any new developments in your health.
Occasionally, a donor might develop a medical condition or receive a diagnosis after completing their donation. We never want our donors to feel guilty about updating their Nexus database with "bad news" or that they are letting down the recipient parents or donor-conceived child(ren). We want our donors to be as transparent as possible. This transparency gives recipient parents and donor-conceived children all the necessary information about their medical history, helping them prepare for any obstacles that might come their way.
Your honesty and commitment to updating your medical information are vital to the genetic inheritability of the donor-conceived child.
Frequently Asked Questions for Parents
Everie is a pioneer in the fertility landscape, combining decades of experience with a fresh vision of what egg donation should be. We believe in thoughtful, forward-looking decision-making so that your future children can grow up secure in their identities and proud of their origins, with the power to learn more about their family history.
With Everie, you will find unparalleled support and expertise and our unwavering commitment to you, your egg donor, and the family you help grow together. Learn more about what sets us apart in the questions below.
Everie supports every person’s path to parenthood. Whether you are partnered, single, heterosexual, LGBTQIA+, facing fertility issues, or consciously choosing to grow your family a different way, there is a home for you here.
TTC stands for "trying to conceive" in online fertility groups and forums. These groups can be good sources of support and information throughout your journey. Other acronyms you might come across include HPT for home pregnancy test and EDD for estimated due date.
One of our proudest contributions to the assisted reproduction community is the concept of a mutual match.
Traditionally, egg donors aren’t aware when their eggs are used or by whom. Giving both the donor and the recipient parents the chance to say “yes” to one another is the basis for our mutual match. Egg donation touches many lives, and we believe each person should be considered in the decision—especially your future children.
Aligning with a donor about short and long-term expectations and feeling a genuine kinship with one another brings more confidence and warmth to a process that can easily feel transactional or antiseptic.
Everie encourages disclosed donation, which involves sharing donor-identifying information with recipient parents and children conceived from the donors’ eggs.
Our donors can choose the level of disclosure they are most comfortable providing, whether it is sharing all their contact information (“known”), giving a first name only (“Semi-Known”), or keeping their identity suppressed until the donor-conceived children come of age and request information about them (“ID Release”).
We believe in the power of disclosed donation to create a strong foundation for a child’s identity. At Everie, we are working toward a vibrant, inclusive future where the next generation can know their origins without shame or secrecy and take pride in all the people who helped create their families.