FAQ's
Who is a good candidate to be a Donating Woman?
The women we accept into our Shared Cycle program must be 33 years old or younger, have good family health histories, have good FSH numbers as determined by their Reproductive Endocrinologist(s), be willing to share half of their eggs in any given retrieval and have the support of their partner or spouse, if there is one. She and her partner must be willing to undergo testing before starting the cycle and repeat some of the blood work before the retrieval as per FDA regulations. She and her partner must have one session with the program-approved therapist and work with a lawyer to agree to the contractual terms of the shared cycle – which includes not only sharing her eggs and part of the fees associated, but also relinquishing all future rights to any child or children born, and not knowing the outcome of her donation – whether or not there is a pregnancy or birth for the Recipient.
Who is a good candidate to be a Recipient?
If you need an egg donor – because of age, high FSH, lack of ovarian reserve or ovaries among other things – then you are already a good candidate. If you are holding off pursuing using an egg donor because of long waits at your clinic for an “affordable donor”, or need an egg donor but are dismayed by their high fees and high agency costs, then you are a good candidate for being a Shared Cycle Recipient.
How do I pick a Donating Woman if I am a Recipient?
When you decide you are interested in looking at the available donors, you will sign onto our website, provide us with some preliminary information about yourself and then get a password. With that password, you will be able to sign on to see if there are any donors that you might be interested in sharing a cycle with. You will have a chance to read through the profiles and medical histories, view childhood pictures and decide on which donor feels right for you. It is a very personal decision. However, we are available to talk about your feelings or concerns at any time. We've also gone through the process of selecting our own egg donors, as well as helping many of our surrogacy clients choose their egg donors, so we are very familiar with all of the questions and emotions involved.
How do I pick a Recipient if I am a Donating Woman?
You don’t. For the Donating Woman the process is completely anonymous. What you will do is fill out a questionnaire that will include a complete medical history of yourself and immediate family, a physical description of yourself, your strengths, and pictures of yourself from childhood. You can rest assured that like yourself, the Recipient will have a counseling session with an agency-approved therapist to discuss the psychological issues invovled in this arrangement.
Will the Donating Woman learn anything about the Recipient Couple?
No. But you will learn about how deserving the Recipients are, how much they've struggled with infertility and much they want a child. To maintain anonymity, we will not provide any other information or identifying factors. We can however, refer you to another organization called The Registry, which is an online program designed to help children or couples in the future anonymously contact their 'donors.'
How do you I know if we will get enough eggs for a cycle?
While we can keep the costs of the cycle under control, we cannot remove the risk of the outcome of an IVF cycle. This means we cannot promise that the egg donor will stimulate well, or that the resulting eggs or embryos will result in a pregnancy. The best predictors of a good retrieval are to check the donor’s FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and to look at her resting follicle count. Often there are more follicles than the doctor can initially count, but the RE will not proceed unless they can count a minimum of 10 resting follicles. Like a regular egg donation cycle, there is no guarantee of success. That is true even with a proven donor. But if the donor is not stimulating well and is not showing at least 10 nicely progressing follicles by day 7, the RE will cancel your cycle. In the event that this happens, you will be matched with a new donating woman with no additional agency fee and you will only pay for one IVF cycle. (Other screening costs fees may be incurred again).
What if an uneven number of eggs are retrieved?
If the number of eggs retrieved is uneven, the extra egg goes to the Recipients since they have shouldered a larger portion of the finances.
Will the Donating Female’s partner be required to donate sperm to the Recipient couple?
No, Each party is responsible for donating their own sperm whether it's the person’s partner or sperm donated through a cryobank. The only things being shared are the eggs, not the sperm.
What are the chances of getting pregnant?
As with any egg donor cycle, the statistics of your clinic are the best indicator. All of the clinics we work with have a better than 48% pregnancy rate for women under 35 and a better than 58% chance with an egg donor. Your statistics should fall somewhere in there.
Should we talk to a therapist?
Yes, we feel it is a good idea. Which is why we require all parties involved to talk with an agency-approved therapist who will go over many of the issues that can arise from this type of arrangement. Those issues can include: how does it feel to anonymously pass on your genes, or the flip side, how will you feel raising a child that is not biologically connected to you? These are common issues that arise and it is best if they are explored and dealt with now, rather than later.
Is this legal?
Any state that permits egg donation and recognizes the contracts will allow and recognize the contracts between the Recipient(s) and Donating Woman and her partner. All parties will meet with an agency-approved lawyer to go over the contracts before everyone sign. These lawyers are highly experienced, are well-versed in reproductive law and have many years experience drafting egg donor agreements.
I see other programs offering a similar service for a lower fee. What is the difference?
If you look closely at the fee structure breakdown in every case we have found, there are fees missing from their total price. We have attempted to figure in all costs – outside of travel – that you might incur. Any additional expenditures outside of travel and the possible need of a sperm donor are listed on the website even if they are not figured in --such as embryo freezing and assisted hatching, which given the young of the eggs it is unlikely you will need.