Egg Donation

The application process starts by confirming basic eligibility to become an egg donor. 

To be eligible:

• 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.
• Body mass index (BMI) must be below 30.
• No tobacco or drug use.

After meeting the eligibility requirements, you will complete an in-depth survey, providing additional medical information and insight to allow our team 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.

After we receive your application, you may be contacted to schedule additional appointments with our team. 

• In-person physical exam, including a pelvic exam. You will be asked to give blood and urine, which will be used to screen for genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and substance use.
• Psychological screening, which includes an interview and a written questionnaire. 

These appointments help us determine if you’re a good match for egg donation. If you are, you’ll be entered into our donor registry.

Hormone injections are used to stimulate egg production. These injections may cause soreness and/or bruising at the injection site. 

Other side effects may include:

• Fatigue
• Cramping
• Mood swings
• Temporary water weight gain
• Headaches 

Egg retrieval is a minimally invasive procedure performed under anesthesia. It carries standard surgical risks, including bleeding, infection, and damage to pelvic organs, though the risks are very minimal.

On rare occasions, you may develop ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which is the result of fluid shifts that take place within the body, which can lead to bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, and/or vomiting. Most commonly, these symptoms resolve on their own, but severe cases may require a hospital visit for IV fluids, pain medications, or a procedure to drain fluid from the pelvis.

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

As an added layer of security, Duke Fertility provides donors with medical insurance that covers the cost of treatment for any complications related to egg donation. 

This coverage is provided at no cost to you and cannot be used for appointments or treatments other than those related to egg donation. It lasts throughout the donation process and three months after you donate.

It is in addition to any insurance you may already have. You should not discontinue your current health insurance.

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 for this additional medical coverage during and after the donation process.

There is no standard timeline for how long you may wait between completing all your screenings and when a match is made with a potential recipient.

Matches are based on the preference of the recipient. The donation process doesn’t begin until there’s a match.

With the rise of publicly available genetic testing, completely anonymous donation is not possible. However, Duke Fertility offers various donor/recipient contact methods. 

Your options are:

• Identified before, at the time of the donation
• Identified once the donor-conceived child has reached age 18
• Not identified

You'll learn more about this during your appointment with our psychology team. 

You may choose to be part of the Donor Sibling Registry, a non-profit organization that provides donors and recipients a way to communicate anonymously. Joining is optional.

Participating in this registry can be helpful if the egg recipient has questions about your health history after the donation. 

Duke Fertility reaches out to recipients and donors annually to request updates in order to provide the most up-to-date health information after the match.