Egg donation (oocyte donation) is a regulated medical procedure where a woman provides her eggs to another individual or couple to facilitate a pregnancy. Demand for donor eggs is substantial, driven by factors like age-related infertility, genetic issues, or the needs of same-sex male couples and single fathers. For prospective donors, understanding the specific timeline is paramount, as the process is governed by strict medical protocols and physical requirements.
Age and Regulatory Requirements for Donation
The initial timeline for donation is determined by the donor’s age, guided by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Most fertility clinics adhere to a preferred age range, typically between 21 and 34 years old. This limitation is based on the biological certainty that egg quality and ovarian response decrease significantly after the early thirties.
Clinics often require donors to be at least 21 to ensure legal capacity for complex contractual agreements and informed consent. While the legal age of majority is 18, ASRM recommends a psychological evaluation for donors under 21 to confirm maturity. The upper age limit, often set around 29 to 32, maximizes the probability of a successful pregnancy for the intended parents by ensuring the highest chance of retrieving chromosomally normal eggs.
Potential donors must also meet educational and psychological criteria before beginning the medical process. A mandatory psychoeducational evaluation assesses the donor’s motivation, emotional stability, and understanding of her role and the non-identifying nature of the process. Many programs require donors to have a high school diploma or higher education, which indicates reliability and the ability to follow complex medical instructions.
Mandatory Health and Genetic Screening
After meeting age requirements, the next phase is an intensive screening process to ensure the safety of the donor and the future child. This comprehensive evaluation must be fully approved before a donor can be matched with intended parents or begin the medical cycle. The medical assessment includes a full physical examination, a review of personal and family health histories, and a detailed lifestyle questionnaire.
A significant component of screening involves hormonal testing to assess ovarian reserve and predict the response to stimulation medications. This testing includes measuring serum biomarkers, such as Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), and performing a transvaginal ultrasound for an Antral Follicle Count (AFC). These metrics provide an objective measure of the number of resting follicles, which correlates directly to the potential egg yield.
Infectious Disease and Genetic Screening
Infectious disease testing is mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This includes screening for communicable diseases:
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- Hepatitis B and C
- Syphilis
- Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
Genetic carrier screening is also rigorous, involving blood or saliva tests to determine if the donor is a carrier for common recessive genetic disorders. If the donor is identified as a carrier, the intended parents’ partner is also tested to prevent the combination of two carrier genes, which could result in a child with the disease.
The Physical Timeline of the Donation Cycle
Once approved and matched with recipients, the physical donation cycle begins, typically spanning six to eight weeks. The initial step involves legal consultation to finalize contracts with the intended parents, establishing the rights and responsibilities of all parties. Following this, the donor starts taking oral contraceptives to synchronize her menstrual cycle with the clinic’s schedule.
The central and most active phase is ovarian stimulation, lasting between 10 and 14 days. During this period, the donor self-administers injectable hormones, primarily Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), to encourage multiple follicles to mature simultaneously. This phase requires frequent monitoring appointments at the clinic, often every one to three days, involving blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds to track follicle growth and adjust medication dosages.
When follicles reach an optimal size, the donor administers a single injection, known as the “trigger shot,” which finalizes egg maturation. The timing is precise; the egg retrieval procedure must occur exactly 34 to 36 hours later, just before natural ovulation. The retrieval is a brief, outpatient procedure, typically lasting 20 to 30 minutes, performed under light sedation using an ultrasound-guided needle to aspirate the fluid and eggs from the follicles.
Compensation and Frequency Limits
Compensation for egg donation is considered reimbursement for the time commitment, inconvenience, and physical discomfort associated with the process, not payment for the oocytes themselves. Payment is typically provided only after the successful completion of the retrieval procedure. If a cycle is canceled before retrieval due to poor ovarian response or medical issues, donors may still receive a partial payment to cover their time and effort during screening and medication phases.
The ASRM recommends a limit of no more than six stimulated cycles in a woman’s lifetime. This guideline safeguards the donor’s long-term health by minimizing the cumulative risk associated with repeated ovarian stimulation, such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). After a successful donation, a mandatory rest and recovery period of two to three months is required before a subsequent cycle. This waiting period allows the body and ovaries to fully recover and ensures the donor is medically cleared for another round of hormonal stimulation.