HOW IT WORKS:
Becoming an Egg Donor
CAROLINAS FERTILITY INSTITIUTE

You can help a family achieve their parenting dreams by becoming an egg donor

Throughout the Carolinas there are families who are unable to become parents on their own, so they reach out to the Carolinas Fertility Institute (CFI) for help. Our nationally renowned fertility experts guide each family on their journey to parenthood using the latest and most advanced reproductive techniques

Becoming an Egg Donor

Every year CFI relies on hundreds of healthy women between the age of 21-32 to become egg donors to help these families achieve their dream of parenthood.

CFI’s egg donor candidates are women who lead healthy lifestyles and have a strong commitment to helping others. Our donors’ participation is completely voluntary, and they are fully compensated for their time, inconvenience, and risks undertaken. CFI’s highly specialized team of medical professionals works closely with egg donors throughout the process to ensure their health is the highest priority.

The 8 Steps on How to Become an Egg Donor

Egg Donor Qualifications:

  • Good physical and emotional health
  • Ages 21-32
  • Proven fertility is desired, but not required
  • Stable social and sexual status
  • Drug and nicotine free
  • Healthy weight/height ratio
  • Free of communicable disease
  • Within travel distance to Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, or Asheville
  • Flexible schedule

Women interested in becoming an egg donor should begin by completing the one-page pre-screening questionnaire by clicking below. If the screening application is accepted, you’ll get an email that provides access to your confidential online donor profile. If you have passed the pre-screen application and have a password, you can login to complete the donor profile below. You must enable your password. This information will ask for health, sexual, and social history, as well as, family medical history.

The information submitted through this application is reviewed by our Third-Party Reproduction Program Team. If accepted, an in-office donor interview is scheduled. The interview is performed at CFI in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, or Asheville.

Egg Donor Screening

Required testing and screening is performed on all CFI egg donors to ensure the health of the woman and eggs, including:

  • Donor interview and a donor risk assessment questionnaire
  • Medical History form (ASRM)
  • Transvaginal ultrasound to assess ovaries (AFC) and ovarian reserve blood test (AMH)
  • Physical exam by a CFI provider every 6 months during donations
  • Pap smear per Ob/Gyn recommendations
  • STD testing with each egg donation cycle
  • Genetic carrier screening panel including cystic fibrosis
  • Blood testing for communicable disease every donation: Syphilis (RPR), HIV 1 & 2, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C antibody, HIV/HCV/HBV by PCR, hepatitis B core total antibody and West Nile virus and possibly T. cruzi and ZIKA depending on your travels
  • Psychological consultation with a psychologist who is familiar with third party reproduction issues (The testing and screening is completed in 3-4 appointments)

To eliminate the possibility of an unintended pregnancy, all donors must agree to use a barrier method of contraception or abstinence during the screening and donation process.

Additionally, all egg donors and recipients are required to sign respective consent forms. The consents help to assure and document that all individuals involved in egg donation have been advised of medical risks and possible adverse effects, such as those that may occur with ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval.

Egg Donation Process

The egg donation process is approximately 2-3 months starting with testing and screening to verify a donor qualifies. The next step is a medication teaching class to prepare CFI donors for self-administration of hormone injections. Lastly, frequent clinic visits will be coordinated during the ovarian stimulation process for monitoring via transvaginal ultrasound and blood testing. All donors must be available during weekday business hours for required appointments.

Eggs are retrieved under monitored anesthesia and as an outpatient procedure. The donor must arrange for a ride home following the egg retrieval procedure and can return to work the next day.

Egg Donation Compensation

A donor is not financially responsible for any fees associated with the screening process, the treatment cycle, or the fertility medications. All donors are covered by a health insurance policy that covers additional costs associated with the donation process should a complication occur.

Donors are compensated for their time, inconvenience, and the risk undertaken. The donor compensation package starting at $5,500 for a completed donation. All payments are made at the completion of the egg retrieval and sent by mail, arriving within 30 days.

An egg donor may undergo a maximum of six egg retrievals per the recommendations of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

Record Keeping

Medical records, including medical work-up, treatment, and consent to participate in the program are maintained for a minimum of 10 years. These records identify each cycle outcome and allow for reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and regulatory agencies. The names of anonymous donors will not be furnished to recipients unless under the direction of a court order. Carolinas Fertility Institute can NOT guarantee anonymity due to the advancements in technology associated with commercial genetic testing, although if you choose to participate in our anonymous program, CFI will make every effort to protect your identity.

Thank you for considering Carolinas Fertility Institute where we help families achieve their Parenting Dreams, one family at a time!