Egg Donor Requirements & Qualifications
If you are considering donating your eggs to help another family conceive, you’re in the right place. At Extraordinary Conceptions, we’re experts on building families through the helping hands of women like you. The egg donation process takes around 12-16 weeks and involves several steps, including matching with your intended parent(s,) medical screening and monitoring, penning a contract, and undergoing a retrieval procedure.
If egg donation sounds like the right path for you, we invite you to submit an application with us. However, we recommend you ensure that you meet our egg donor qualifications and requirements before you apply.
BMI Requirements for Egg Donation
We are often asked about the BMI requirements for egg donation. BMI, which stands for Body Mass Index, is a system that measures your weight in proportion to your height. In the US, the BMI requirements for egg donation are that candidates must have a BMI between 19 and 29.
Please note that this rule is not in place to body shame! The BMI requirements for egg donation are about health and safety, not desirability. This rule is in place to protect the health of the potential donor. In candidates with a lower or higher BMI than average, the preparatory medications needed for retrieval can trigger conditions like Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. Being overweight or underweight can also affect a potential donor’s fertility or egg quality.
If you don’t know your height and weight stats, you can use a digital BMI calculator to see if it meets national egg donor requirements.
Why the Age Requirement to Donate Eggs?
When it comes to the rules of egg donation, age is an important one. The egg donation age range was chosen to protect both the donor as well as her intended parent(s.) As the quality of eggs tends to decline over time, it is required that donors are under the age of 30. However, anybody under the age of 18 is too young to become a donor. Since women under the age of 18 cannot legally enter into a contract, the minimum age requirement to donate eggs was set.
Like many egg donor requirements, egg donation age wasn’t determined by Extraordinary Conceptions. Instead, it is a national guideline. The age requirement to donate eggs was set by ASRM or the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Egg Donation Disqualifications: What Are They and Why?
BMI and egg donation age aren’t the only factors that can disqualify potential candidates. Although we wish we could accept every enthusiastic candidate, there are several egg donation disqualifications. These disqualifications were put into place to protect all involved parties, including you.
Many egg donation disqualifications are flexible with time. For instance, women are not eligible to become egg donors when they are breastfeeding, but they can once their baby has been weaned. Conversely, certain disqualifiers are fixed and automatically disqualify potential donors. Candidates who have been diagnosed with HIV, AIDS, or any genetically transmitted disease are not eligible to become egg donors. The disqualification is in place to protect the woman who will be receiving the eggs, as well as her baby, from a potential infectious transmission.
Potential donors need to be upfront about their medical history, medications, and personal habits like smoking, even if they’re considered egg donation disqualifications. If the screening shows that a candidate has given misleading information, we will be unable to compensate for travel and medical costs.
We urge all egg donors to heed their doctors’ requests and advice throughout the entire process. For example, whilst taking Lupron, you will be asked to abstain from heterosexual intercourse to avoid accidental pregnancy. In the case of unplanned pregnancy during this time, your egg donation cycle may be canceled.
Why the Age Requirement to Donate Eggs?
If you meet all of the egg donor requirements, you can apply to become one today! We offer support and guidance to all donors, and our benefits packages are the best in the country.
After you’ve applied, someone from our team will reach out to you. In the meantime, if you need any help navigating this process, we are here to answer any of your questions and address any concerns. At Extraordinary Conceptions, we’re experts! We’ve helped countless donors, surrogates, and families make their dreams come true since 2005. Now, we’re honored to become a part of your exciting journey.
Additional Sources:
- https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-booklets/egg-donation/
- https://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/donor-eggs-in-fertility-treatments#091e9c5e8001054d-1-2
Read About Becoming an Egg Donor From Women Like You!
Take a look at what some of our own surrogates have said about their experience with Extraordinary Conceptions:
“Seeing the parents hold their baby for the first time was the best part of my journey and I knew immediately that I wanted to do this again”
“Extraordinary Conceptions really made the process of surrogacy a wonderful one. Always making me feel comfortable and being there to answer every single question. Thank you for introducing me to my intended parents and letting me help make their dreams come true.”
“Any “difficult” parts of the pregnancy were immediately erased the moment I saw the look on my Intended Parents’ faces. It was pure joy for all of us!”
“I just wanted to thank you guys for working so hard with us to make this happen! I feel so grateful being able to help such an awesome couple.”
