How to Donate Eggs in Dallas

Becoming an egg donor through the Dallas - Fort Worth Fertility Associates Egg Program allows you to give the incredible gift of parenthood. Along with this knowledge, egg donors will also receive compensation for their commitment to the process.

Here are the steps to becoming an egg donor.

Egg Donor Pre-Screen

The first step to becoming an egg donor is to complete a pre-screen questionnaire.

This initial screening is approximately 25 questions and takes around 3-5 minutes to complete. We use a third party service, Egg Donor Connect, to administer the pre-screen questionnaire. The results of this survey are sent directly to our staff for review.

Specifically, the pre-screen questionnaire is designed to identify ideal candidates that meet the following guidelines:

• Between the ages of 21 and 30
• In a monogamous relationship
• A non-smoker
• Has no history of substance abuse
• Is a healthy body weight (BMI<30)
• Has no significant history of chronic medical conditions or genetic diseases
• Has regular/cyclic menstrual cycles when not taking hormonal birth control
• Lives within two hours of the Dallas - Fort Worth Area

If you meet these criteria and are interested in starting the process of becoming an egg donor, you can start the pre-screen questionnaire by selecting the button below. A decision is typically made within 3-5 business days.

Start Egg Donor Pre-Screen

Egg Donor Medical Questionnaire

If you qualify after initial screening via Egg Donor Connect, you will be asked to complete an additional, in-depth screening starting with an medical questionnaire, consisting of over 200 questions. These questions cover medical history, reproductive history, family history, and your characteristics and personalities. This questionnaire gives our staff and intended parents the opportunity to learn about who you are and if you are an appropriate candidate for egg donation.

Egg Donor Medical Testing

If your medical questionnaire is approved, you will move on to ovarian reserve testing. These tests show the subjective amount of eggs remaining in your ovaries, as well as FSH and estrogen levels. If the results are within acceptable ranges, you will be invited into our office for an ultrasound to examine your follicles. Genetic testing and chromosome analysis are also performed during this visit. It takes about 3 to 5 weeks for these results to come in.

Egg Donor Genetic Counseling

If your medical testing is approved, you will meet with a genetic counselor to review your genetic test results. This review process typically takes place 4 to 5 weeks after results are received. Occasionally, our genetic counselors may request that you complete additional testing.

Egg Donor Physical Exam

Once medical and genetic testing has been approved, you will be asked to complete a standard physical exam, as well as additional lab work to test for sexually transmitted diseases and to determine your blood type. During this exam, the staff will also ask questions about where you have traveled, etc.

Egg Donor Psychological Questionnaire & Interview

The final step before you are added to the donor pool and become an eligible egg donor, is to complete a questionnaire and interview with a psychological counselor. This interview covers the mental health aspect of donating oocytes and ensures that you are completely comfortable with moving forward.

Egg Donor Matching

After completing all previous steps, you will be added to our egg donor database. This database is de-identified where intended parents have access to characteristics such your age, weight, height, eye color, hair color, etc. Your photos will also be provided once intended parents select your profile specifically. All intended parents are carefully screened before being provided access to our egg donor database.

At no point will intended parents have access to identifying information such as your name, address, phone number, etc. Similarly, you will not be provided with such information if an intended parent selects you as their donor.

The process of matching with an intended parent varies by donor but typically takes between 2 to 4 months.

The Egg Donation Process

Once you match with a recipient couple, you will complete blood work and has a baseline ultrasound. Based on these results, you will then begin the egg donation process.

Egg Donor Stimulation

In the first part of the egg donation process, you will receive gonadotropin injections (such as FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone), which will stimulate your ovaries to develop multiple eggs. After our donor nurse teaches you the proper techniques, they are self-administered at home. The syringes used have a small needle and are typically well-tolerated.

There are a few side effects you can expect after stimulation begins. These include mood swings, bloating, nausea, weight gain, and headaches. While rare, there are more severe complications that can occur. If something doesn’t feel right, please contact your physician. Our program covers any complications that arise due to the donation process.

Egg Donor Monitoring

Once the medications begin, your cycle will be monitored via vaginal ultrasound and blood work to measure when the eggs are mature. Once the follicles are mature, we can schedule the egg retrieval.

Egg Donor Egg Retrieval

The egg retrieval is performed with anesthesia and takes about 30 minutes. You are monitored following the procedure for about an hour before being discharged. Following the egg retrieval, you must have someone drive you home and should plan on minimizing physical activity for the following few days. However, it is common for donors to return to work or school the next day.

The entire process, from initiating the cycle with the first medication until retrieval, takes approximately 28 days. In those 28 days, you can expect to make around 5-7 office visits. These visits are scheduled in the mornings between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Make a Difference by Becoming an Egg Donor

Being an egg donor can be a life-changing experience for both you and the intended parents. While the process requires a time commitment, as well as mental and physical effort, the gift of parenthood is something that simply cannot be replaced.

Egg donors do receive financial compensation for the time, energy, physical effort, and sacrifice they put into donating their eggs. Please see our Egg Donor Frequently Asked Questions for current compensation guidelines. If you have other questions about becoming an egg donor, please feel free to contact a member of our team. You can also learn more about why you may want to choose to work with our egg donor program in Dallas.