Becoming an egg donor is a satisfying, noble endeavor

Have you considered becoming an egg donor? It’s a deeply satisfying experience that helps bring great joy to families. In fact, for many families, egg donation offers the only means they have to give birth to a child.

You may be surprised to learn that the dream of having children is not as easy to achieve as some may think. There are a range of reproductive issues that may not come to light until a woman starts trying to get pregnant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 13.4% of women aged 15 to 49 experience impaired fertility. For married women of the same age, it’s 16.3%.

For more than 30 years, fertility specialists have utilized assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) using donated eggs, which has enabled more and more families to grow and thrive. The increasing demand for egg donors can be attributed to an increase in women delaying pregnancy until later in life, then finding they have fertility issues like diminished ovarian reserve and others. Demand for donor eggs is also growing due to the desire of LGBTQ+ individuals and couples and single people to have families and needing someone else’s eggs to accomplish that.

Egg donors remain anonymous

Another big plus for an egg donor is that she remains anonymous. That means that the donor and the recipient, either the intended parent(s) or a gestational carrier, do not know each other’s names. This is the case whether donating to Ember’s in-house egg donation program, a local egg bank or a national one.

While it is possible that donors and recipients can make their identities known, in most cases both parties choose to remain anonymous. When the two parties decide to have an open (non-anonymous) donation, it usually involves family members or friends.

Our clinic ensures the protection of the egg donor’s privacy and the recipient’s. We will never share their identity. This gives an egg donor peace of mind from having any liability or responsibility for the baby in the future, such as potential custody or child support responsibility.

Why become an egg donor?

The reasons to donate your eggs include the following.

• Hundreds of families need help. Since 2005, the overall demand for donor eggs has increased by 50%, according to the CDC. Women past the age of 35, those who have undergone cancer treatment, or those who may have genetic or other risk factors are often not able to get pregnant naturally and can’t use their own eggs in IVF.
• Strong desire to help others. Egg donors help other people who are unable to conceive. Donors provide a priceless gift to help individuals or couples fulfill their dream of starting or growing a family.
• Sense of personal satisfaction or accomplishment. Some women find the process of egg donation extremely rewarding. The knowledge that they have made a significant difference in someone else’s life can bring a great sense of happiness and pride.
• Dedication to community service. Some women see egg donation as an act of community service, similar to donating blood or organs.
• Reward and compensation. Egg donor pay comes as financial compensation for time and effort, yet another reward for such a noble endeavor.

If you are thinking about donating your eggs, it’s beneficial to understand what motivates you. Self-reflection is important because egg donation is a serious decision that takes into account a time commitment, medical procedures, potential health risks and emotional considerations.

Egg donors speak from their hearts

Financial gain typically is not the main reason that an egg donor chooses this path. Here are motivations given by actual egg donors who have worked with Ember Fertility Center.

“One of my cousins experienced IVF due to an infertility issue. I saw how her family struggled and experienced heartbreak. So, I decided to help people who are in the same situation as my cousin.”

“My mom is an oriental medicine provider, and she actually encouraged me to help people. She supported me.”

“I wanted to save the money for my dreams, whether that’s being able to pay my student loan or pay for my law school.”

“I am single and I enjoy the single life. I’ve decided not to have children myself, but I’d like to donate my eggs to families who love children. I feel my DNA can still be passed to someone’s offspring, and my life still can be continued in the world.”

Egg donor requirements

A potential egg donor will work with our fertility clinic team to undergo extensive health screenings and evaluations to determine eligibility. Common requirements include:

• Age 21-30 years old.
• Menstrual cycles monthly.
• Body mass index (BMI) between 18-25 (calculate your BMI).
• Physically and mentally healthy.
• No recreational drug use.
• No smoking. 
• Flexible for appointments over the course of 5-6 weeks.
• Able to self-inject medication.
• Able to abstain from sexual intercourse during the process.

Because egg donors need a healthy mind and body, it’s helpful to start exercising regularly and eating healthfully several months prior. Another key element to success is having a support network in place for any emotional experiences that may arise.

How much is egg donor pay?

At Ember Fertility Center, first-time egg donor basic compensation starts at $10,000. Repeat donors start from $12,000. Compensation also depends on the donor’s qualifications, such as education level (advanced degree or prestigious universities), ethnicity, and unique talents and other merits, such as earned awards in arts, sports or other fields. Some compensation could reach $70,000 or more for more rare qualifications, such as an advanced degree (master’s or higher), top-ranking schools, Olympic athletes or internet influencers.

It should be noted that payment is compensation for the donor’s time and trouble, not for the eggs themselves. Selling human tissue or organs is illegal in the United States.

Prior to starting the process, egg donors receive a customized package outlining the process, all the procedures, time commitments and benefits, including payment. Once we match a donor to specific intended parents, compensation payments will be made by a third-party manager and are scheduled at key milestones.

When a donor utilizes Ember’s in-house egg bank program, we will freeze the donor’s eggs at our own expense before matching the donor to specific intended parents (or parent). The eggs will remain in our inventory, and we will thaw the eggs when the intended parents are ready to use the eggs.

Why you should donate eggs at Ember Fertility Center

For our egg donors, we cover health insurance, travel, accommodations, legal assistance, psychological review and genetic carrier screening. Egg donors living outside of California can expect all expenses to be covered, including flights, hotels, meals, gas and parking. (All covered travel expenses will be listed in your benefit package.)

We offer each egg donor a personalized experience, including a dedicated coordinator who will guide you through each step of the process. Many of our coordinators are bilingual or trilingual. Because we focus on quality, we intentionally work with a smaller number of patients, which means our egg donors also get exceptional support and care.

We offer a high-end boutique experience for our patients and egg donors while delivering state-of-the-art, evidence-based fertility treatments. We focus on the smallest details and specially designed our fertility center with service to patients as the focus of everything we do.

Far more families need help having children due to poor eggs than there are egg donors. If you desire to make a difference and achieve something extraordinary, submit your application now.