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Egg Donation Program

Egg Donors and Recipients

Human egg donation has played a successful role in assisted reproduction in the United States since the early 1980s. From their inception, egg donation programs like the one at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut have brought together two groups of women to achieve a successful pregnancy:

1. Egg recipient - woman who receives eggs
2. Egg donor - woman who donates her eggs

At RMA we work with egg donors from a variety of ethnic backgrounds including: African American , Asian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Jewish and Korean among others.

Egg Donation Recipient

Egg recipients are women who want to conceive, carry and give birth to a child but are unable to do so because of an unresolved medical issue. There are several reasons why this may happen and why a woman may choose to become an egg (oocyte) recipient.

Medical or physiological conditions that lead a woman to become an egg recipient include:

• Inability to produce healthy eggs
• Unsuccessful superovulation therapies
• Early onset of natural menopause or surgically-induced menopause
• Premature ovarian failure which can be due to cancer treatment
• Repetitive failures with in vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Women who carry certain genetic disorders

In all these cases, the Egg Donation Program at RMACT can help recipients achieve their dream of giving birth to a healthy baby.

Recipients of donated eggs and their partners are screened and tested early on in the egg donation process and must meet certain requirements. Medical and psychological evaluations are administered by RMACT staff to help educate the recipient about the process and to determine whether egg donation is the best infertility treatment option for them.

Egg donation recipients and their partners are counseled about the donor screening process and the egg donation protocol, including synchronization of cycles and the IVF procedure. Psychological counseling is available to the couple on an ongoing basis throughout the process.

Egg Donors

Egg donors are women who want to help other women become mothers by providing half the genetic material needed - their eggs. An egg donor could be called generous or altruistic, but at RMACT we call them "Dreammakers" because they help make another woman's dream of experiencing pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby come true.

There are two types of egg donation at RMACT:

1. Egg donors that are identified meaning the identity of the egg donor is revealed to the recipient. Often these candidates are family members, friends, or through an outside agency.
2. Donating eggs anonymously requires undergoing careful screening. The identity of the egg donor is at no point revealed to the recipient. As an anonymous egg donor you are compensated for your significant commitment of time and effort throughout the donation cycle.

A candidate must be screened prior to being accepted into the egg donation program. This process includes medical, genetic and psychological evaluations. Potential anonymous egg donors must be between the ages of 21 and 32 and adhere to the screening process. Screening is conducted according to guidelines recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Egg donation candidates fill out a questionnaire reviewing their medical and family histories and social habits, all of which are subsequently reviewed by the Clinical Coordinator and the Medical Director to determine the donor's suitability and ascertain potential risk for significant medical or genetic disorders. Potential donors also undergo various tests to assure good medical health, including a physical exam by one of our physicians or physician assistants, as well as laboratory and genetic testing.

The potential egg donor and her partner (if applicable) are then invited to meet with our team to learn why women need egg donors, the process used for egg donation, and the emotional, psychosocial, ethical and legal issues that pertain to egg donation. This counseling is important to evaluate the egg donor's well-being and level of comfort with the unique stresses of being a donor.

Women interested in becoming an egg donor can download the egg donation questionnaire from this website, email us, or call (203) 750-7410.

Confidentiality
At RMACT, we take great care to preserve the confidentiality and anonymity (when required) of both the donor and the recipient. Both parties may remain anonymous, if desired, with each agreeing not to seek information about the other.

Contact us for more information about the egg donation program.