Advice for Egg Donors

When completing an egg donor questionnaire, do not hold back with any questions you may have. If you do not know an answer to a question, mark that question as “I do not know” instead of “no”. Please remember that there are no silly questions. Someone has asked the question before and who knows, maybe your question will result in a rephrasing of the question to be clearer! Never feel embarrassed to broach certain subjects. You are dealing with professionals, and they have all heard it before. Everything matters. You matter, your understanding of the process matters, your questions matter and your answers matter. An egg donor contributes to another life and every question should be carefully considered and answered. Be honest about your own and your family’s health histories. It is understandable that when our family medical histories are put to paper, suddenly the vision that you are healthy is shattered. This is normal. No one has a perfect family medical history. The professionals guiding you through this journey will discuss the answers with the donor in detail. It is therefore especially important that the donor accurately portrays her family medical history to avoid discrepancies. Be prepared for the egg donor journey to last longer than originally anticipated. Sometimes there is a lab error and tests are lost and an entire month is lost. A blood test could come back abnormal and treatment then retesting is needed. Since the functioning of the ovaries varies from month to month, it may be necessary to cancel a cycle and restart the following month. None of this is caused by the fault of the donor. Many delays are just human error or our biology working the way it does. Finally, do not give up. The gift of egg donation is priceless and a life changer to another couple. In the end, it will all be worth it.