One of the most important factors to consider in choosing an egg donor is her age. Success rates will be much higher if a donor is young because the eggs will be of better quality. In general, it is recommended that the donor be age 34 or younger. Most clinics and agencies recruit donors who are between 21 and 30 years of age. It is reassuring if a donor has had a prior pregnancy, however many potential good donors will have never tried to become pregnant, so “proven fertility” should not be a requirement. A good outcome from a prior donor cycle can also be reassuring, but it is important to consider that the donor’s prior cycle involved different sperm, a different uterus and often times a different fertility practice, gamete laboratory and/or stimulation protocol. The donor should have no history of infertility herself and must have a favorable ovarian reserve. This will be evaluated with an ultrasound performed by a physician at the donor’s screening appointment. Most couples attempt to match some basic physical characteristics (e.g. race) of the donor with the physical appearance of the woman who will be the mother of the child. Even though an oocyte donor may have certain favorable physical characteristics, it is important to understand that her oocytes will contain genetic material from all of her ancestors. That means the baby may not necessarily inherit the donor’s traits, but instead resemble someone in her family history, father, sperm donor, his ancestors or a combination of everyone in the unique pedigree.
It is not recommended that a woman donate her eggs if she has current marital instability, chaotic lifestyle, a desperate financial situation, current high stress, high risk sexual practices, or if she has a history of substance abuse or legal difficulties. It is also important to review the family history of the donor because this information may be very valuable to the future health of your child. Many recipients decide that they wish to have a mutually anonymous relationship with their donor. Medical and social history obtained by the agency or FPNC will be made available to potential recipient parents about the donor. The donor will not know any identifying information about the couple. Other recipients decide that they wish to have some greater degree of contact with their donor and they can identify an agency which will accommodate this desire and find a donor through that agency who is comfortable with the desired contact. |
