Egg Donation- Egg donor information

 Welcome to the egg donation program at Nashville Fertility Center.  The following information should answer your questions about egg donation in general and our program in particular.  We hope you find it beneficial, and we look forward to working with you. 

Candidates for egg donation are healthy non-smoking women between the ages of 21 and 28 years old and are in the normal weight range for their height (BMI <25).  You can look up your Body Mass Index (BMI) on the BMI Table.  If you are interested in becoming an egg donor after reviewing this information, please send the completed Patient Information-Egg donor form and a recent photograph of yourself to the attention of Jordan Vaughan to the NFC address.  The photograph will be used by the doctor/nurse for matching purposes only and will become part of your confidential file.  It will not be shown to any patients.  Pat will contact you, once your Patient Information form is received, with further instructions.

 Why women request egg donation:

Women may choose egg donation for variety of reasons.  Some of these women have tried to become pregnant for years without success, mainly because they do not produce eggs of their own.  Previous chemotherapy, ovarian surgery, premature menopause and absence of ovaries from birth are some of the common reasons why ovaries are absent or function poorly.  Also, some women carry a genetic disorder and do not want to transmit it to their child.

 The screening process:

If we feel that you may be eligible to be an egg donor, you will be instructed to download, complete, and mail in several consent forms, instruction forms and a detailed profile of your medical and family history.  Our coordinator will contact you to schedule further screening.  This would include a physical examination and tests to insure general health and the absence of infectious disease.  Potential donors also undergo psychological screening with a psychologist.  Unless you are disqualified during the screening process, you will be eligible to be matched with a recipient.  The length of time before you are matched with a recipient is not possible to determine.  It could be several weeks to several months. You will never meet the recipient, and you would not know if a pregnancy occurred from the recipient’s cycle.

 Egg donors will experience some discomfort, inconvenience and medical risk during the donation cycle. You will receive hormone shots, frequent vaginal ultrasounds, blood tests and finally a surgical procedure to remove the eggs.  Egg donors are compensated financially for their time, discomfort and risk.  Although rare, it is possible that a donor may respond poorly to medications. This could result in a cancellation of the cycle before aspiration of the eggs. If this occurs through no fault of your own, your compensation will be prorated as determined by Nashville Fertility Center.

 Protocol for donor egg cycle:

It is very important that you comply with the following restrictions during your cycle. You should use no medication other than Tylenol or that prescribed by the NFC physicians.  You should take a daily multivitamin.  Any medicines required for other illnesses should be discussed with our staff. You should not smoke or drink alcohol, and caffeine should be limited to one or two beverages per day.  The actual egg donation cycle will require approximately six weeks of your time.  You will begin by taking a birth control pill for several weeks, until the IVF nurse tells you to begin taking a series of medications that are given as subcutaneous injections.  You can give yourself these shots or have someone else give them.  The first one is Lupron (Leuprolide acetate), which is used to suppress ovarian hormone production and synchronize development of your eggs.  It is given once a day for two to three weeks.  You will come to our office for a blood test and ultrasound and, if your ovaries are suppressed, you will begin injections of FSH (Gonal-F or Follistim) once or twice a day for 9-12 days.  After beginning FSH, exercise should be done in moderation only (walking is preferred).  This medicine stimulates the ovaries to produce multiple eggs.  On the fourth or fifth morning of FSH, you will begin daily monitoring (blood test and ultrasound) until you are ready to have your eggs retrieved.  When the blood tests and ultrasounds indicate your eggs are nearly mature, you will be given instructions to take HCG.  This is to trigger the final maturation of your eggs.  The nurse will give you a specific time to take this injection (usually between 8 p.m. and 12-midnight).  The egg retrieval will take place exactly 35 hours after HCG.

 Egg Retrieval

The egg retrieval is performed in our office’s surgery center and takes 20-30 minutes. You will be given light anesthesia through an IV.  The egg retrieval procedure involves passing a thin needle through the top of the vagina and into the ovaries.  Light suction is then applied to remove the eggs.  Recovery is very quick, and the majority of patients are able to leave within two hours.  You will need to arrange for someone to drive you home since you will feel sleepy the remainder of the day.  Most people can return to their normal activity the following day.  You should abstain from intercourse or use barrier contraception during the time you are on medications and for the month following egg retrieval.  

 In Conclusion

 In vitro fertilization with donor oocytes is a high-tech, complicated process, and it is difficult to express in words how much this means to the fortunate couples who will receive your eggs. We will do everything we can to make this process easier for you.  It is important to remember that the couple(s) who will be the fortunate recipient(s) of your eggs are investing a great deal of time and money in the process.  Please follow instructions very closely, never skip your medicine and always be at your scheduled appointments at the appropriate time.  These steps are critical in order to have a successful cycle. 

Prospective Egg Donor Health History and Consent Forms: Once NFC has received and reviewed your Patient Information - Egg Donor Form and photograph, Jordan Vaughan will contact you and ask you to complete the Uniform Donor Application Form and email it to her at: jvaughan@nashvillefertility.com.  You will also be asked to print off the two consent forms below and bring the completed forms in with you to your first appointment.

 Consent for Ovulation Induction for IVF

Anonymous Egg Donor Consent

Thank you for you interest in Nashville Fertility Center's Egg Donation Program.