Donor Egg Program - Donor Section

Thank you for your interest in the Donor Egg Program here at Columbia Fertility Associates. 

The following information explains what the program entails and how you may become involved, should you decide to do so.

• Program Overview


• Donor Enrollment
  • Step 1: Criteria
  • Step 2: Application Packet
  • Step 3: Interview
  • Step 4: Accepted into Program
    
• Donor Cycling Compensation

Program Overview

Columbia Fertility Associates is looking for healthy women, 21 to 30 years old, who are willing to anonymously donate eggs to infertile couples. 

Prior to a consultation at Columbia Fertility Associates, you will have to complete a medical and genetic questionnaire.  Please obtain a recent photograph of yourself and provide this to us also. 

After all materials have been received, a physician will review the information.  If you meet the program requirements, a consultation with one of our physicians will be scheduled to discuss the program.

At the time of the consultation, you will be given information in order to make an appointment for an interview with our mental health professional.  This appointment will last approximately one and half hours.  You will be asked to do psychological testing at a later date.

If you are accepted into the program your treatment cycle will be scheduled once a recipient has selected your profile.  The timing of the treatment cycle is based on the menstrual cycle.  During the treatment cycle, you will have blood drawn at Columbia Fertility Associates, M Street location-suite # 101, between 7:30 am and 9:30 am on approximately 10 mornings. Three of these mornings you will have sonograms as well. The morning blood draw and ultrasound take 30 minutes or less.

There are several medications given by injection that are used to stimulate the donor’s ovaries to produce multiple eggs.  The physician will decide which of these medications and the dosage that you will use. 

At the medication teaching appointment, the donor and/or her husband/partner is instructed on the proper technique for the injections. 

When the blood work and the ultrasound show that the eggs are likely to be mature, the retrieval will be scheduled. 

The day of the retrieval is the only day that the donor would miss work.  The non-surgical egg retrieval is done in a procedure room with IV sedation.  The sedation allows the donor to be sleepy and not feel discomfort as the eggs are retrieved with a needle by way of ultrasound.  The procedure takes about 15 to 30 minutes and usually the donor feels fine within an hour or two and is ready to be driven home.  The donor cannot drive for 24 hours and must have someone drive them home after the procedure.  Normal activities may be resumed the following day.

Approximately two weeks after the egg retrieval the donor should start her next menstrual cycle.  Once she starts her next cycle, the donor will come into the office to have a follow-up sonogram.  At that time, the donor will be reimbursed for her time and effort.

Below you will find information on how to become a donor in out Anonymous Donor Egg Program.

Donor Enrollment

Step 1: Criteria

You must be able to answer “yes” to the following criteria:

1. Age 21-30 healthy female
2. Non-smoker
3. Live within 1 hour of the Washington, DC center
4. No current use of psychoactive drugs
5. Able to provide own transportation
6. No history of substance abuse
7. Responsible
8. Height and weight relationship within a Body Mass Index (BMI) range of less than 30. You can use the following link to estimate your personal BMI (http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/).
   

Step 2: Application Packet

If you pass the above criteria, you are ready to complete our application packet.

Please call the Donor Egg Coordinator at (202) 293-6582 to request the application packet in the mail, or stop by at 2440 M Street, NW suite #101 to pick it up in person.

Please be available for a 5-10 minute telephone screen during your initial phone call. You can also apply online to begin the process. The following forms are available online from our web site:

1. Donor Egg Application (PDF)
   
2. Donor Egg Contact Information (PDF)
   
3. Donor Egg Profile Information (PDF)

Step 3: Interview

Once your application has been reviewed, you will be invited to our center for an interview. You will also set up an appointment with our Licensed Clinical Social Worker for your required mental heath screen. Details of your session will remain confidential; only your results will be shared with the physicians.

Step 4: Accepted into Program

Once accepted into the program, you will need to call on day 1 of your menstrual cycle and return to the center on day 2 or 3 for a vaginal ultrasound and blood draw for your communicable disease screen, as required by the FDA.

Donor Cycling Compensation

After being chosen by a recipient couple, your donor cycle will take approximately six weeks to complete. You will be required to self administer injections and visit our office for routine ultrasounds and blood draws. Once the egg retrieval --done under anesthesia-- has been completed, and you return on day 3 of your next menstrual cycle for a follow-up, you will be compensated $6,000 for your time.

Please visit the links located on this page to find additional information which will be helpful to you:

• Donor Info
• Recipient Info
• Donor Egg Pregnancy Rates (SART)
• Resources

Should you have other questions please call our Donor Egg Coordinator at (202) 293-6582, or email us at CFADonorEggProgram@columbiafertility.com.