Egg Donor FAQs

When you become an egg donor, you will incur no out-of-pocket expenses or have any other financial obligations. We cover all medical costs associated with your stimulation and egg retrieval process.

If eligibility requirements are met and you are approved to become an egg donor with our program, then one of our donor coordinators will contact you to plan the donation cycle. Once you begin stimulation medications, the cycle is typically completed within two weeks. It’s important to note that the egg donation journey is different for every person, so the amount of time it takes can vary.

The egg donor application process can be completed in two steps:

1. Your pre-screening egg donor questionnaire (registration) is reviewed within 24 hours. Your full profile application will be reviewed within 5-7 business days from submission.
2. If the profile application is accepted, you are invited to begin the egg donor screening process. Final approval comes once all eligible screening has been completed and accepted. This can be completed in 4-6 weeks depending on your availability.

Egg donor screening and monitoring are two different steps in the egg donation process. Screening is a series of tests that are performed before you officially become an egg donor to evaluate your overall fertility health and determine if you are eligible to proceed with egg donation. This process will allow us to evaluate your reproductive health, genetic history, and psychological well-being (at no charge to you).

Monitoring is an important part of the actual egg donation process, and involves evaluating your body’s response to the ovarian stimulation medications as you prepare to have your eggs retrieved. These appointments are required and are typically daily or every other day to monitor your response. The monitoring appointments consist of a vaginal ultrasound and bloodwork. Each appointment usually takes about 30 minutes.

Becoming an egg donor is inherently generous, but this altruistic act is not without its considerations. Egg donor requirements play a vital role in safe-guarding the well-being of egg donors and intended parents alike. At Reproductive Biology Associates, our egg donor requirements are as follows:

• Between the ages 21 to 32
• Healthy BMI
• High school diploma required; secondary education preferred
• Willing to undergo medical and psychological screening
• Non-smoker
• Reliable and responsible
• Able to provide a full medical history of biological family members
• Have flexible schedule

For more information about egg donor requirements, please call us at 404-843-0579.

Reproductive Biology Associates (RBA) was established in 1983 as the first IVF center in Georgia and is one of the world’s leading fertility clinics. RBA first started freezing eggs in 2007; in 2009, we created the world’s largest frozen donor egg bank. Later in 2010, RBA founded MyEggBank. Together, RBA and MyEggBank have helped thousands of individuals and couples achieve pregnancy through egg donation who otherwise could not start a family. To learn more about RBA, go here.

RBA cares deeply about the young women who offer to donate their eggs to help families struggling with infertility, LGBTQ+ aspiring parents, single aspiring fathers, and countless others achieve their family-building dreams. In addition to providing high egg donor compensation rates for each donation, RBA also provides fertility preservation and 10 years of free storage for each egg donor as part of their third donation treatment cycle. As another added bonus, egg donors who choose to return to RBA to use their stored cryopreserved eggs will be entitled to one free embryo transfer cycle and will only be responsible for the cost associated with the pre-treatment evaluation.

For more info, call us directly at 404-843-0579.

There is no direct correlation between donating eggs and future infertility. Additionally, all results of the screening and testing performed will be provided to you and can give you better insight into your own fertility and future family planning. Our number one priority is our donors’ health, safety, dignity, and respect.

The egg donation process can cause some discomfort at various points of the process. For example, during the stimulation process, which involves blood tests, transvaginal ultrasounds, and self-administered injections, you may experience some discomfort, depending on your personal pain tolerance level.

The egg retrieval process itself is performed under IV sedation and requires no incision, stitches, or risk for scars, which greatly reduces the amount of discomfort you will experience during the procedure. One of our experienced physicians will perform a vaginal ultrasound to visualize the ovaries, which house your eggs. The physician will then introduce a thin needle into the ovary, carefully removing the eggs. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes; afterward, you may have menstrual-like cramping for which prescription medications will be provided.

RBA egg donors have the option to allow an adult photograph to be viewed by registered recipients of MyEggBank, along with the required childhood photos. RBA releases no identifiable information to any party outside of our network.

You do not need health insurance to become an egg donor. RBA provides insurance coverage for you that will protect you during your egg donation cycle.

Egg donors are typically on stimulating medications for about two weeks. Daily morning appointments are scheduled between 7-10:30 am. The office appointment includes a vaginal ultrasound and bloodwork collected by one of our experienced phlebotomists. The appointments typically last about 30 minutes. There are several office locations available for the egg donor’s convenience.

Some donors are taken off of their birth control before getting started, while others may be put on a pill to coordinate the cycle. This is based on each individual donor and it is not recommended that any applicant change her regimen of birth control prior to seeing an egg donor nurse coordinator unless she wishes to change or stop for her own reasons.

An average healthy 21-year-old woman has approximately 200,000+ eggs. Every month, one egg reaches maturation and is released from the egg follicles into the fallopian tube. Meanwhile, several “immature” eggs are also released, but instead of reaching full maturation, they are absorbed back into the body. In an egg donation cycle, the medications used to stimulate ovulation help to trigger the development of multiple mature eggs at once. These are eggs that would have otherwise been lost as part of the body’s natural ovulation cycle. As such, only the eggs a donor has available for that month are stimulated and retrieved – typically around 20-30 eggs.

Before beginning your medications, an egg donor coordinator will provide you with medication teaching, including injection technique and administration of the medication. These are subcutaneous, self–administered injections. You will also have a chance to review instructional videos specific to each medication, which walk you through the administration of the injections before you come in. If you have any questions or concerns about your medications, there is always a nurse on call after hours to assist you.

As with many medications, there is the possibility of side effects. Some egg donors experience no side effects, while others suffer from heightened PMS symptoms such as bloating, cramping, nausea, headaches, and breast tenderness.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) occurs when the ovaries become swollen and painful, typically because of ovarian stimulation injections. OHSS can cause a donor to experience bloating, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and temporary problems urinating. However, since the current stimulation protocol used by RBA/MyEggBank has been implemented, there have been no reported cases of OHSS.

An egg donor can complete up to a maximum of six egg donation cycles in her lifetime; however, prior to repeat donations, the cycle is reviewed by the RBA/MyEggBank team. The team reviews the thaw, fertilization, and outcome information for the donation cycle prior to a repeat cycle.