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About Our Donors
Ensuring the availability of a large group of carefully screened donors and empowering patients to choose their own donor are cornerstones of the Donor Egg IVF program at the Genetics & IVF Institute. GIVF matches its donor pool to the diverse ethnicity, talents, educational background, and interests of its patients. With approximately 150 fully-screened, immediately-available donors, you can choose the donor who is right for you and rest assured that all donor screening has taken place at GIVF. You will find extensive information about all of our donors available to you. While your patient care team is available to guide you through the search, the selection of the right donor for you is up to you.
Our donors are healthy women between the ages of 19 and 33. They are college-educated and have good family health histories. Our “doctoral donors” hold or are pursuing advanced degrees in medicine or other academic specialties. Other donors are talented musicians, artists, and athletes. Only a very small percentage of donors who apply are actually accepted into the program because few meet our rigorous standards. Click here to read the personal stories from three of our egg donors.
To learn more about the donors, you may search GIVF’s online donor base. Searches may be focused based on specific criteria, including ethnicity, physical characteristics, educational history, and other characteristics. New donors are added to the donor roster frequently. Donor profiles, childhood photos, and other information are all accessible at the click of a button.
Information to Help You Select A Donor
It is important to note that GIVF is one of the few programs to offer such an extensive amount of information on each donor. Knowing how important the choice of a donor is to our patients, GIVF provides patients with the following information about each donor:
• Current photos
• Childhood photos
• Audio interviews
• Blood type
• Ethnic background of donor’s mother and father
• Height
• Weight
• Whether pregnancies have been achieved
• Body build
• Eye color
• Hair color and texture
• Years of education and major areas of study
• Occupation
• Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and grade point averages
• Special interests
• Family medical history
• Essays by donors
• Personality typing based on the Keirsey test
Donor Screening
Before they are accepted into the program, donors are interviewed and must pass a physical examination. The GIVF team of reproductive endocrinologists, geneticists, and genetic counselors studies each donor’s individual and family health histories, medical tests, and other information to ensure that donors meet our highly selective standards. Donors also undergo a psychological assessment of their commitment to the donor program and their appropriateness as a donor. They are extensively tested for genetic and infectious diseases, including the following:
• HIV
• Hepatitis
• Sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia
• Full chromosome analysis (karyotype)
• DNA testing for Cystic Fibrosis and Fragile X
• Appropriate genetic testing based on genetic risk factors such as sickle cell disease, Tay Sachs, Gaucher’s, and Canavan disease
• Fertility evaluation and hormone testing.
Hormone and Ovarian Evaluation for Fertility Potential
Only a small percentage of donors who apply are actually accepted into the program. Donors who have completed and passed the medical screening are added to the donor pool and can be selected (matched) by prospective recipients. Unlike many donor agencies, GIVF provides continuity of care for donors as well as for patients. After screening the donors, the same GIVF medical staff cares for them throughout their egg donation cycle.
How to Become an Egg Donor |
