Donor Egg
Donor egg treatment is defined as an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle in which a person with female reproductive organs uses another person’s eggs (the donor) rather than their own.
We are among the leading provider of donor egg treatment in the United States, and home to more than 12,000 babies born from donor eggs. We are one of only a few centers that recruits, selects, and prescreens (medically, psychologically, and genetically) its own ready-to-cycle egg donors prior to making them available on the donor registry.
What to expect
Donor egg treatment is commonly needed by:
- People who are unable to use their own eggs for conception.
- People who have decreased ovarian function, premature ovarian failure, or genetic abnormalities. In most cases, donor egg treatment offers a high chance of pregnancy even if other infertility treatments were unsuccessful.
- Cancer survivors
- Same-sex male couples
- Single men
Your SGF care team
When an individual or couple decides to move forward with donor egg treatment, their physician will provide them with a specialized donor care team featuring the following members:
- Nurse
- Patient Care Coordinator
- Recipient liaison
- Financial coordinator
- Psychologist/social worker with expertise in fertility and third-party reproduction
Though the patient will not be using their own eggs, they will still be carrying the child, so they must undergo the same screening as all infertility patients (the same goes for their partner). Additionally, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) requires donor egg recipients to meet with a social worker. The social worker will provide support and education to patients about this new way to have their families.
Selecting a donor
At Shady Grove Fertility, our goal is to make the donor selection process as smooth as possible for our patients. All of our donors have been through rigorous screening before they appear in our donor database. They have already undergone medical, psychological, and genetic screening, ensuring that the eggs our patients receive have the optimal chances for success.
Our donor team deidentifies applicants but ensures transparency in the process, and the donor database provides patients with a wealth of information. Each donor has a profile featuring demographic characteristics (eye color, race, ethnicity, etc.) and childhood photos, and 95 percent will include adult photos. The profile also contains the donor’s individual and family health history, likes and interests, and a personal essay about their motivation to donate.
Some patients do not always find the right donor in our database. These patients (and any of our donor patients) also have access to Donor Egg Bank USA and Fairfax Egg Bank, vast databases of donors with the ability to ship eggs all over the country, without presenting any risk to the eggs themselves. This provides our patients with a multitude of options when making this important decision.
Additionally, some recipients may opt for a directed/known donor (i.e., a friend or family member) or go through an agency. In either instance, donors will still undergo the same medical and psychological screening as donors recruited by Shady Grove Fertility.
Once a patient has chosen their SGF egg donor, they will pay a flat fee and receive six eggs from a single egg donor, including access to both fresh and previously frozen eggs. Patients can secure additional eggs at a per-egg cost. SGF guarantees at least one blastocyst embryo for eligible patients.
Patients using a non-SGF egg donor will work with their clinical and financial team to outline available options.
Cycle logistics
Once an egg donor has been identified, the eggs will be inseminated and embryos will be frozen. The recipient or gestational carrier will then undergo a Frozen Embryo Transfer, known as an FET.
Success rates
Cost
Patients with little or no fertility coverage have access to two self-pay packages, giving them peace of mind knowing what their out of costs will be. The following packages are for patients matching with an SGF Egg Donor.
The Single Cycle Package includes everything a patient needs, including:
- One donor egg cycle of at least 6 eggs
- Routine laboratory services to create embryos
- Cryopreservation of embryos
- Routine cycle monitoring for the recipient or gestational carrier (ultrasound and blood work done at SGF in preparation for an embryo transfer)
- One embryo transfer
- All donor expenses (SGF donors only)
Patients have the ability to secure additional eggs at a per-egg cost, allowing patients flexibility.
Additionally, eligible patients can take part in SGF’s Shared Risk 100% Refund Program, which covers up to six donor egg packages, outlined in the Single Cycle Plan, and receive a 100 percent refund if a baby is not delivered (some exclusions apply). Patients must use all frozen embryos before moving to the next donor egg package. Patients in the Shared Risk 100% Refund Program may also secure additional eggs at a per-egg cost.
