How to Get Started with Donor Eggs – 3 Steps to Follow

Becoming a parent with the help of an egg donor is a wonderful possibility for couples or single women having trouble conceiving on their own. But the journey from the first thought to becoming pregnant can be a long and tricky one. Read this article to get an overview of what to consider during the different steps in the process.

To make the journey from thought to baby a bit clearer, we have elaborated 3 of the steps you need to go through before your dream of parenthood can begin:

• Investigate the regulations in your country and decide which type of egg donor you would like
• Find the right fertility clinic
• Choose the right egg donor.

In the following article, you can read more about what to consider during the 3 steps. As well as an elaboration and explanation regarding the different types of profiles and the Cryos Donor Egg Guarantee.

Which type of egg donor would you like?

You must start your journey towards parenthood by finding out which type of egg donor you would like to use. The legislation regarding fertility treatment depends on the country you are going to receive treatment. In some countries, it is only possible to choose a non-anonymous egg donor and in others, it is only possible to choose an anonymous donor. Therefore, it is important to find out which type of egg donor you would like to use, before choosing where to receive the treatment. In some countries egg donation may not be allowed altogether, however, this is not the end of the road as many patients travel abroad for treatment. If such a rule applies in your country of residence, you can choose a suitable country for your treatment abroad and select your egg donor based on the regulations of the country you will have the egg donation treatment.

Find a fertility clinic

When you have an idea of your preferred type of donor, you can start your search for the right fertility clinic. On average, clients that have chosen Cryos egg donor, need 6-8 eggs to develop a successful embryo. Because you are going to visit your fertility clinic multiple times, we recommend you choose a clinic that feels right for you. Cryos has over 30 years of experience in donor gametes and can help you find a suitable licensed fertility clinic.

Choose the right egg donor

Then it is time for the sometimes confusing and overwhelming, but also very exciting process of finding the right egg donor. For some, the donor can be found in a few hours and for others, it can take several days or longer to find the perfect match. Before starting your search for a donor, we recommend you think about how much information you would like about the donor.  

Cryos International Sperm and Egg Bank has a large selection of donors with either a basic profile with only basic information or an extended donor profile with more information about the donor. Read more about these different profile types further down in this article or visit their free egg donor search to see the selection and filter on your preferences. 

All Cryos’ egg donors are high-quality donors, that have undergone a thorough screening process, where their physical and mental health have been examined. When you have made your choice of donor, you can have the donor gametes shipped to your clinic to begin your treatment.

ID Release or Non-ID Release Egg Donor

One of the most important choices you are going to make is whether you want an anonymous (Non-ID Release) or a non-anonymous (ID Release) egg donor. By selecting an ID Release egg donor, you are providing your child with a choice of being able to obtain identifiable information about the donor once the child turns 18. By choosing a Non-ID Release, the donor’s identifiable information will never be disclosed.

There is no wrong choice when thinking about the donor’s anonymity status, it all depends on your needs and which type of profile you think will be the best for your future child. When choosing between ID Release and Non-ID Release, it is recommended to be aware of your country’s regulations regarding egg donation, since some countries have made it illegal to choose ID Release donors or wise versa.

The information released to your donor-conceived child consists of the donor’s full name, date of birth, and the latest known address. By choosing an ID Release Egg Donor your child can decide for herself/himself, whether he/she wants to reach out to the donor and learn more about their origin. For some donor-conceived children, it becomes important to know about their genetic heritage and for others, it is not important.

On the other hand, by choosing a Non-ID Release Donor you make sure that the donor does not play a part in your child’s life, which could save them from concerns connected with the possibility of getting in contact with the egg donor. There are advantages and disadvantages connected to both ID Release and Non-ID Release Egg Donors. The most important thing is to make the choice that feels right for you.

Basic or Extended Profile

Another choice you must make is the level of information accessible regarding the donor. Do you only want to know the basics, such as skin, hair, and eye colour? Or do you prefer to know more about the donor’s life story, like their reasons for donating, voice, hand written note and photos of them as a child? No matter which type of profile you choose, it is possible to find both ID Release and Non-ID Release Egg Donors.

The Basic Egg Donor Profile contains the following elements:

• Race and ethnicity
• Eye and hair colour
• Height and weight
• Blood type
• Education and/or profession at the time of donation.

Most people that choose an egg donor with a Basic Profile prefer to know as little about the donor as possible. They just want to make sure that the physical appearance of the donor matches theirs. For many, it is also a question regarding financial expenses, as donor eggs from a donor with a Basic Profile are cheaper than donor eggs from a donor with an Extended Profile.

The Extended Egg Donor Profile contains the following elements:

• The same information as in Basic Profiles
• Detailed Q&A with the donor, describing her interests, experiences, family background, and more
• Photo(s) of the donor as a child
• An Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Profile
• A handwritten message
• A voice recording
• A staff impression.

The Extended Profile contains a lot more information regarding the egg donor than the Basic Profile. From the Extended Profile it is possible to create a detailed image of who the donor is, what she likes, and if her personality matches any of yours or your potential partner’s characteristics. The possibility of seeing childhood photos of the donor also enables you to get an idea of the potential physical appearance of your future child. By choosing an Extended Profile, you can also enrich the conversation you are going to have with your donor-conceived child about his/her origin, by sharing all the information you have about the donor.

If you wish to have an even better impression of the donor, it is also possible to select egg donors with adult photos. This feature gives you an idea of your future child´s physical appearance as an adult. If you choose an Egg donor with Adult Photos available, you should be aware that they are always ID Release donors.

The Cryos Donor Egg Guarantee

For most people, the process of undergoing fertility treatment will demand a lot of emotional and financial resources. Cryos knows this and they want you to feel as comfortable and secure during your fertility treatment as possible. Therefore, Cryos offer their customers a Donor Egg Guarantee, which acts as a kind of safety net for their customers, so all you need to concentrate on is the fertility treatment.

Cryos already has a high success rate with donor eggs, in part because of the high quality of donors and in part because of the fertility clinics they cooperate with. To qualify for the Cryos Egg Donor Guarantee, you need to have at least six oocytes delivered to your fertility clinic. The guarantee makes sure that the donor eggs develop into at least one blastocyst or pregnancy from embryos that have not reached the blastocyst stage by day 5.

If these parameters are not met, Cryos will ensure that the oocytes purchased are replaced one time free of charge. If the culture does not result in a blastocyst on day 5, but viable embryos less than the blastocyst stage are available, a transfer must take place for the guarantee to be in effect.

Besides the number of donor eggs purchased, the clients must fulfil the following criteria to qualify for the Cryos Egg Donor Guarantee:

• The client must receive fertility treatment in a Cryos reference clinic
• The sperm used in the fertility treatment must contain a minimum of 5 million total motile sperm cells with a morphology of 2% or higher. Before insemination, the sperm must be checked, to verify it lives up to the criteria.
• The sperm cells may not have been retrieved through a surgical procedure that requires TESA, TESE, or MESA.
• All kinds of previous sperm quality tests must provide favourable results.
• Any history of clinical or embryological significance may be requested for review.

On average clients purchasing more than six donor eggs from Cryos will end up with more than one high-quality embryo. Hopefully, this can give the clients peace of mind when entering fertility treatment and the possibility to focus their time and energy on the treatment process.