Questions to Ask When Choosing an Egg Donation Agency

Intended parents who wish to use an egg donation agency have many choices when it comes to selecting the right agency. It is important to choose a reliable, trusted, experienced egg donation agency such as Simple Donations, a subsidiary of Simple Surrogacy, LLC. We work with all intended parents regardless of sexual orientation, marital status, race, religion, and ethnic background. When you are deciding upon an egg donation agency, the following are some important questions you should ask the agency’s representatives before electing to use them to help you fulfill your dreams of adding to your family.

How long has your egg donation agency been in business?

As intended parents, the egg donation agency you choose to work with is of great importance in the process of increasing the size of your family. You should select an egg donation agency that has been established and in business for a number of years. Simple Donations, for example, is an established company that has been around for almost two decades.

How many egg donors do you have who are currently able to donate?

This is a very important consideration to intended parents who are selecting from an array of egg donation agencies. You want to be sure that there are enough egg donors that meet your preferences and from which you can choose the right one for you.

How do you screen egg donors?

The egg donor screening process is a vital one for any egg donation agency. You should select an agency that has thorough screening procedures. For example, at Simple Donations, our egg donors must meet the following qualifications:

• Be at least 21 years old but no older than 30
• Reside in the United States or Canada
• Have a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or lower
• Have no psychiatric illnesses
• Be willing to undergo a psychological assessment
• Have at least a high school diploma/GED
• Be a non-smoker
• Be a non-illegal drug user
• Have no dependence on alcohol
• Have no sexually transmitted diseases
• Be willing to travel for egg retrieval
• Have not had a Depo Provera shot in the past eight months
• Have had a pap smear in the past 12 months
• Not be on Norplant birth control
• Have had no tattoos or piercings in the past year
• Know at least half of your genetic background
• Have no genetic medical conditions
• Be willing to abstain from sexual intercourse during the egg donation process
• Not be breastfeeding or pumping breast milk currently
• Be dependable and commit to all injections and appointments
• Be willing to follow physician’s recommendations
• Be at least two months postpartum
• Have a true wish to help another single/couple in increasing the size of their family

What are your requirements for intended parents?

Egg donation agencies do place strict requirements on egg donors, and the best agencies will also require intended parents to meet certain requirements. At Simple Donations, these include:

• Be at least 21 years old and not older than 60
• Honesty
• Pass a criminal background check
• Be stable financially
• Reside in a stable situation
• Have your partner/spouse’s support (if applicable)
• Be willing to have a psychological assessment conducted
• Be willing to respect the egg donor’s time and commitment
• Be willing to sign a retainer to become a client of Simple Donations

What is the schedule for fee payments? What do fees include?

All egg donation agencies have their own schedule for when fees must be paid by intended parents. Some agencies’ fees are more comprehensive than others. It is imperative that you, the intended parents, understand all of an egg donation agency’s fees before you sign an agreement to work with them. For example, at Simple Donations, our egg donation program agency fees are $5750. We charge no application fees, no fund management fees, and no travel coordination fees. Also, unlike some other egg donation agencies, Simple Donations do not take ten percent from the egg donor’s compensation. We have no hidden, surprise fees, and will outline all fees when you sit down to talk with us about our egg donation process.

Can we be matched to a donor that fits our preferences?

It is vital that intended parents get to choose an egg donor that meets their personal preferences and what they wish to see in a child. At Simple Donations, intended parents who sign an agreement to use our egg donation services will have the opportunity to view the egg donation profiles of various egg donors who fit your preferences. The egg donor profile will usually include a photo of the egg donor, her age, height, weight, body measurements, eye color, race, skin tone, hair color and texture, ability to tan, shoe size, dominant hand and other pertinent information. Intended parents will not learn the name or contact information of any of our egg donors, as they will remain anonymous.

How much will the egg donor receive as compensation?

Another consideration many intended parents have when selecting an egg donation agency is the compensation that the egg donor will receive. All agencies vary in the compensation that they offer their egg donors. At Simple Donations, for example, our egg donor compensation starts at $7000, with miscellaneous incidentals added as needed.

How do I begin the process of registering as an intended parent to work with your egg donation agency?

Every egg donation agency has its own policies and procedures regarding intended parents signing up for their services. At Simple Donations, the process begins when intended parents fill out our online application to work with our egg donors.  This application will ask for your contact information, as well as have you outline how you meet our requirements for intended parents. You will be asked to sign an agreement that you will adhere to all of Simple Donations’ policies regarding honesty and anonymity of egg donors. When you are accepted into our program, you will be given access to view egg donor profiles. If you have any further questions about our egg donation agency, please don’t hesitate to contact Simple Donations today!