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The Egg Donor Screening Process: What You Need to Know

by MyEggBankin Learn About Egg DonationOctober 28th, 2024

Understanding the egg donor screening process can help alleviate anxieties that intended parents (IPs) may have about using donor eggs to grow their families. Let’s break down the egg donor screening process and how IPs can learn more from an experienced donation team.

General Requirements for Egg Donation

Different egg donor centers may have slightly different requirements. Generally, egg donors should be between the ages of 21 to 34. Donors under 35 offer the best chances of pregnancy success. Other common requirements include:

  • Possessing a healthy fertility level
  • Having a family history free of genetically inherited disorders
  • Being a non-smoker and non-drug user
  • Having a healthy lifestyle
  • Having a healthy body weight
  • Maintaining a flexible schedule with sufficient time for donor procedure visits and screenings

Egg Donor Screenings

Potential egg donors must undergo medical, genetic, and psychological screenings to ensure they’re physically and mentally healthy and prepared to donate their eggs.

Medical Screening

A medical screening for egg donation typically involves:

  • A complete blood count
  • Blood type and screen to ensure Rh compatibility
  • Infectious disease testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C, syphilis (RPR), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibodies, as well as cervical cultures for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis

Potential donors will also undergo a physical exam to ensure general health and wellness.

Genetic Screening

Genetic screenings play an important role in the egg donation process, as there are certain groups of people who are at a higher risk of carrying genetic diseases. Testing may include a genetic karyotype as well as screening for diseases such as Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease, sickle cell anemia, and cystic fibrosis.

Psychological Screening

A psychological screening is necessary for egg donation for various reasons. It ensures the potential donor understands what it means to be an egg donor, and once started, will fulfill their responsibilities for the cycle. Psychological screenings can also help ensure the mental well-being of the child potentially born using the donor’s eggs.

A psychological assessment is performed by a qualified mental health professional. It focuses on family psychological history, educational background, motivation to donate, current life stressors and coping skills, difficult or traumatic reproductive history, interpersonal relationships, sexual history, history of major psychiatric and personality disorders, substance abuse in donor or first-degree relatives, legal history, and history of abuse or neglect.

Learn More About Egg Donation

Egg donor screenings are thorough and can be time-consuming, but for good reason. The goal is to ensure the best mental and physical outcomes for the donor, the IPs, and the resulting child. These screenings benefit donors because they get a free and comprehensive health report that is theirs to keep, and they are generously paid for their time and effort.

If you’re an intended parent interested in using an egg donor to grow your family and want to learn more about the egg donor screening process, contact the well-known and top-rated team at MyEggBank. We offer the largest and most diverse donor egg bank network in North America.

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