Egg Donation

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Why Become an Egg Donor

Most people donate because they want to help someone’s dream of a family come true. While egg donors receive compensation, financial gain is not the main reason that donors choose this path. Learning what motivates you to become an egg donor is part of the initial screening process. Our fertility specialists and psychologists discuss why you’re exploring egg donation so you and our team can better understand what’s important to you.

Complete an Application of Interest

If you are interested in becoming an egg donor, please contact our team. A donor nurse coordinator will reach out to discuss the process and how to get started.

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Becoming an Egg Donor

The process starts by talking with a donor nurse coordinator, who gathers information to understand your family medical history and make sure you meet the following health requirements:

First-time donors must be between 21 and 30 years old. If you’ve previously had a successful donation, you may be eligible to donate up to age 35.
Your body mass index (BMI) must be between 20 and 30.
You cannot be using tobacco, nicotine, or drugs.

If you meet these, you will receive a longer, in-depth survey requesting additional medical information and insight to get to know you better. For example, there might be questions about your strengths and hobbies. This allows the Duke Fertility Center to create a fuller profile of who you are as a person.

It’s safe for donors to have one drink of alcohol per day before beginning the donation process, in line with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. A donor should not consume alcohol immediately before donation or during the stimulation cycle.

In-Depth Screening

After we evaluate your application, you may be contacted to schedule two appointments with our staff. First is an in-person physical and pelvic exam. Blood will be drawn to test for genetic disorders and infectious diseases. We may perform a Pap smear for cervical infectious disease testing.

A psychological screening will take place during the second appointment and includes an interview and written questionnaires. The results of the physical exam and psychological evaluation will determine if you’re a good match for egg donation, at which point you’ll be entered into our donor registry.

Duke Fertility Center

Visit our location in Morrisville where we offer infertility testing, counseling, and treatment in a comfortable setting.

Visit Our Center

What to Know About Egg Donation

Donating is a safe process. If you choose to donate, you can still have children. According to peer-reviewed medical research by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, there is no link between egg donation and infertility, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or any other diseases. Egg retrieval is a minimally invasive procedure with medication to block pain.

Issues with Hormone Injections May Occur

Hormone injections used to stimulate egg production may cause soreness at the injection site. The hormones may cause fatigue, cramping, mood swings, temporary water weight gain, or headaches. On rare occasions, you may temporarily develop ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) which can cause a temporary shift in fluid levels in your ovaries, abdominal pain, and a general feeling of illness. Sometimes these symptoms go away on their own. The most severe cases require a hospital visit to drain fluid.

You’ll receive a hormone injection that greatly reduces the potential for OHSS but does not eliminate it entirely. During your initial visit, your providers will talk to you about OHSS and other potential complications.

Getting Pregnant After Egg Donation

Donating does not impact your production of eggs in the future or prevent you from having your own children.

Additional Insurance Coverage

As an added layer of security, egg recipients provide donors with medical insurance coverage that covers egg cycle-related complications. This includes your exams and any medical treatment related only to your donation and that takes place immediately before, during, and after the donation. This coverage is complementary in addition to any insurance you may already have and lasts throughout the donation process and three months after you donate. You won’t need to change or discontinue your own insurance if you have it -- this additional coverage is provided at no cost to you. It cannot be used for other kinds of appointments or treatments.

Duke Fertility Center staff will file all necessary paperwork on your behalf and ensure you’re covered. Our team will provide you with a special insurance card that can be used for medical coverage during and after the donation process.

Timing

There is no timeline for how long you may wait between completing all your screenings and when an ideal match is made with a potential recipient. Matches are based on the preference of the recipient with guidance from Duke providers. The donation process doesn’t begin until there’s a match.

Anonymity

With the rise of publicly available genetic testing, lifelong, completely anonymous donation is difficult. However, we will not share your name or contact information with the egg recipient or future children unless you authorize it. When a match is made, you and/or the recipient can choose to remain anonymous during and after donation. Our goal is to respect your privacy as well as support you and the recipient family with common informational needs. A full explanation of the latest laws and practices around de-identifying information is provided in the donor consent form. We will also discuss this topic with you in depth during the screening process.

Donor Sibling Registry

You may consider being part of the Donor Sibling Registry, a non-profit organization that provides donors and recipients a way to communicate anonymously. This can be helpful if you or the egg recipient have any questions after the donation related to your health history. Joining the Donor Sibling Registry is optional.

Call for an Appointment

855-855-6484

The Egg Donation Process

Once you’re matched with a recipient, you’ll meet with our providers to begin steps toward donation.

Before Your Egg Donation

As a first step, you will be prescribed oral contraceptive pills to help balance your hormones and allow you and the recipient to match ovulation cycles. It’s typical to take this medication for up to four weeks. During this time, you’ll be taught how to give yourself fertility injections. Once your cycle is in sync with the egg recipient’s, you will start the fertility injections to stimulate egg production. These injections typically take place two or three times a day for eight to 12 days. You’ll also visit our clinic for checkups so we can monitor your response to the medications. Visits may include a vaginal ultrasound and blood work to check your hormone levels.

Egg Retrieval Procedure

Once the fertility injections are complete, you return to the Duke Fertility Center for an outpatient egg retrieval procedure. You will receive an anesthetic drug to help you sleep during the 45-minute, minimally invasive procedure. A small needle is inserted through the vagina to retrieve eggs from the ovaries.

Recovery

We monitor you while you rest at our clinic for about an hour after the egg retrieval. You must have a support person drive you home, where you’ll continue to rest while the sedation medication wears off. Most donors resume normal activities the following day. You may feel slight bloating or cramps that can be alleviated with pain medication like ibuprofen. You may be restricted from sexual intercourse or intense exercise for up to two weeks after the retrieval.

Consistently Ranked Among the Nation’s Best Hospitals

Duke University Hospital is proud of our team and the exceptional care they provide. They are why we are once again recognized as the best hospital in North Carolina, and nationally ranked in 11 adult and 9 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report for 2023–2024.

After Your Egg Donation

As an egg donor, you will be compensated $4,500 at the egg retrieval appointment. This payment is made by check and is taxed by the IRS -- you'll receive a W-2 form to file with your taxes the year you receive payment. Our financial coordinator will walk you through these steps. If the donation is canceled for medical reasons or the recipient cancels the procedure, you’ll receive a portion of the $4,500. The exact amount will be outlined in consent forms once you are matched.

Donating Eggs More Than Once

After a successful first donation, you may be eligible to donate additional eggs up to five more times up to age 35. A successful donation occurs when you have a safe response to the medications, an egg is retrieved, and healthy embryos or a pregnancy are achieved.

There is no required waiting period to donate consecutive eggs. Donation is reliant on matching with a recipient, which has no set time frame. To remain an active donor, you’ll need to update your medical records every six months and psychological records every year.