How to Select an Egg Donor Agency

At PVED, we understand how overwhelming beginning the process of creating or adding to your family through egg donation can be. There are many decisions to think about, and one of the most important is selecting the right egg donor agency. With that in mind, we’ve put together an informational “How To” to help guide you as you start the process.

We know that it’s not been easy for you. If you are at a point in your life where you are considering using donor eggs to grow, add to, or create your family, then you’ve probably heard your fair share of disheartening news, most likely enough to last you a lifetime.

Egg donor agencies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are very large and well established, while others are small and new to the egg donor industry. Regardless of what egg donor agency you end up selecting, we at PVED want you to be educated, savvy, and informed. Above all, egg donor agencies are service providers, meaning you are in the driver’s seat. They may have the egg donor you need to grow your family, but in the end, you are writing the check, and they need your business to stay in business.

With that in mind, we feel strongly that you need to ask the following questions before you commit to any egg donor agency.

· How long has the agency been in business? Are they an LLC? Has the egg donor agency ever been in business under a different name?
· How many donors has the agency matched with recipients in the last year? Does the egg donor agency have references from recipient parents?
· How many donors are available at any one time?
· How many pregnancies and live births have resulted from cycles with the agency’s donors?
· What is the agency’s fee for their services? What exactly do the fees cover?
· What do you have to pay up front and what do you pay once you have selected a donor?
· Is the fee refundable if you change your mind about a donor or decide not to proceed with any donors in that agency?
· Does the agency provide a service agreement between the egg donor agency and recipient/intended parents?
· How much is the donor compensated, and when is the compensation given to the donor?
· Can the egg donor set her own level of compensation?
· Does the egg donor undergo psychological screening before being placed on the prospective donor list? Who performs this screening (i.e., the agency or another third party)?
· Does the agency facilitate a meeting between you and the egg donor if you desire to meet her?
· Does the agency provide anonymous donors, identified donors, or both?
· How long are records kept on anonymous donors?
· How does the egg donor agency manage its information and records regarding its donors? Where does the agency keep its information?
· How long does the agency keep its information? In the event that the agency were to go out of business, who would be responsible for keeping its egg donor information in case a need may arise to contact an anonymous egg donor? Where are these records maintained?
· Does the agency adhere to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Guidelines for Oocyte Donation?
· What is included in the legal contract that the donor signs?
· What is included in the legal contract that the recipient couple signs?
· What kind of medical insurance coverage for the donor does the agency provide, and what are the terms?
· Does the egg donor agency help the uninsured donor find medical coverage, or is that the recipient parent’s responsibility?
· How is the recipient parent protected in the event the egg donor doesn’t take her medication as agreed?
· How is the recipient parent protected in the event the egg donor chooses to discontinue the process halfway through a cycle?
· Does the agency provide a fair refund policy?
· Does the donor program require that the recipient work only with their agency?
· Is the donor required to work only with that program for any specific period of time?
· Has the donor worked with other programs?
· How long and how much effort will the agency put into finding a donor with specific characteristics?
· Does the egg donation agency and/or broker charge differently if you pay cash, check or credit card?
· Does the program charge the same price for every donor, or is there a higher charge for certain donors (e.g. for donors with successful previous cycles)?
· If the recipient pays the donor’s expenses, does the agency provide an itemized list of expenses?