Considerations of Becoming an Egg Donor

Egg donation is an act that some women take on to help families who cannot have children on their own due to fertilization issues they may have. If you are a woman that wants to help other families have children, and you want to donate your eggs to achieve this, you may be under a misconception regarding the requirements of this action. There are certain requirements that women must meet in order to become an egg donor at most donation centers. Here are those requirements.

Age Requirements

Most of the donation centers in the United States do have an age requirement for their egg donors. This requirement generally falls from the age of 21 through the late 20's or very early 30's. There are several reasons for this requirement. The concept is that someone who has reached the age of 21 is capable of making the choices to be an egg donor, understand what that means, and understand what the future holds as someone who has become an egg donor. The age limit is restricted generally to keep the egg donations within a normal healthy range for the eggs to avoid health complications or fertilization complications.

Period and Birth Control Restrictions

One of the points that will be covered by most egg donation centers deals directly with your period and any birth control you may be on at the time of the donation. Most centers prefer you to have a history of regular periods with no issues of gaps between periods or periods that have been consistently irregular. This helps determine when the eggs can be harvested and when the best time to harvest the eggs will be. The center you use may also require that you be on no birth control that requires an injection, such as the depo-provera, as this form of birth control may affect the eggs in a negative way causing problems with fertilization.

Commitment

Beyond the health and personal requirements, there are also requirements that you be committed to the process. The process of becoming an egg donor requires several months of commitment to the program and being available for contact by the clinic when they are ready to harvest the eggs for donation. The misconception is that egg donation is as simple or quick as a sperm donation process. The truth is, the clinic must be aware of your periods in order to track them to determine an ongoing cycle of when the eggs are fertile in order to harvest them at the right time for optimal fertilization. This takes commitment on your part and should be considered.

These are just three of the considerations and requirements that you should consider before becoming an egg donor. If you are unsure if you are a good candidate for egg donation, contact your local donation center for a consultation. Click here for more information.