The egg retrieval, also called Trans Vaginal Aspiration, almost always takes place in the morning and last about 15-30 minutes.  The donor will be sedated for this procedure with “Twilight Sedation” not general anesthesia.  This means that the donor cannot drive herself home and alternative arrangements need to be made in advance as well as a last-minute backup plan in case of emergency.   The aspiration is done vaginally, without incision or the need for…

Usually a cycle starts with the egg donor being put on birth control for a month followed by 2-3 weeks of hormone treatment (injections, pills, patches, creams).  During the treatment phase of the cycle, the egg donor should be prepared to make 4-6 visits to the IVF clinic for monitoring, blood work and vaginal sonograms to monitor her egg development.

To avoid potential legal issues, the intended parent(s) should have an attorney draft an egg donor contract or if the word “contact” is to official, then at least an agreement between everyone.  The contract should state that the egg donor is waiving her parental rights and that all children born from her donated eggs will be the children of the intended parent(s).  Also, if you know the egg donor, the egg donor contract should spell…

The donor will be asked to speak with a psychologist/mental health professional to make sure she fully understands the benefits and risks of egg donation and has proper motivations for becoming a donor.  A donor’s mental and emotional health is an important consideration to exclude the presence of psychiatric disease which could be inherited by a child. The donor will also complete a standardized psychological test, the most common being the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2…

The ultrasound is performed internally. Donors have reported it is uncomfortable and likened it to a pap smear/cervical screening.