4 Characteristics of an Ideal Egg Donor
Dec 12, 2023
People decide to donate their eggs for many reasons. For some, it’s a financial decision. For others, it’s a part of the process of freezing their eggs for future fertility options. Whatever your situation, it helps to understand the characteristics of an egg donor.
Here at Gen 5 Fertility, we want to help with our patients’ fertility needs. Our providers — Dr. Samuel Wood, Dr. Benito Villanueva, and Dr. Martin Bastuba — focus on patient satisfaction and offering individualized care that specifically suits you on your fertility journey.
Being an egg donor is akin to giving an incredible gift. You’re helping someone who can’t have children achieve their dream of becoming a parent. And for those who receive this gift, there is often an invisible bond of appreciation between the donor and the receiver, even though they never meet.
The current regulations about who can and can’t be an egg donor are relaxed in the United States compared to other countries. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t specific characteristics we and other clinics look for when choosing an egg donor.
Egg donors must be in good physical health. Different clinics require different health standards, but for the most part, a handful of traits are considered. BMI is one of these. Egg donors usually need to be within 20 pounds of their ideal body weight, according to their BMI.
Egg donors must be nonsmokers, non-drug-users, and without any significant physical health issues. Many clinics also require that egg donors have a relatively clean family history that doesn’t include medical issues or substance abuse.
As we now understand mental illness to be a condition that easily passes through the genetic line, egg donors should also be free of mental illness and have stable mental health. This is explored through the donor’s family history by most clinics. What’s more, the process of signing up for egg donation sometimes requires the donor to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Egg donors in the United States can be as young as 19, but maturity is also a key component of being an ideal egg donor. The process is complicated and requires a lot of work from the donor to be successful. It requires organization, thoughtfulness, and planning, not to mention making your appointments on time and keeping up with your injection schedule.
Being committed to the process is essential to being an ideal egg donor. This is often discussed with the donor early on so they understand the importance. If you choose to freeze your eggs to be used later, you have an excellent reason to commit to the process, and we encourage you to consider donating as well.
Whether you want to donate your eggs or inquire about donor eggs for IVF treatments, there’s never been a better time.
To make an appointment at our San Diego, California, office, reach out through a phone call or make an appointment online now.