BECOMING A DONOR
Step 1: Donor Qualifications
- You are between the ages of 21-29
- You have a high school diploma or higher
- You are a non-smoker and do not use illegal drugs
- You have not tested positive for HIV-AIDS
- You do not have family history of alcoholism
Step 2: Application
The first step to complete is a very detailed application – which serves as your introduction to potential parents.The application has questions about your family health history, personal habits, education, interest/hobbies, employment, and past pregnancy information.
It is important to provide as much education as we can to perspective parents because they need this information to help them decide whom upon which applicant they will prefer for future child.
Your information is protected when we receive your application and all donators are given a confidential number. Our Egg Donor Program is anonymous so you cannot speak or meet the recipient couple.
It is helpful to provide photographs of yourself with your application.
This will help the couple make a decision in their selection - especially if close physical resemblance to the respective parents.
Please email us a recent photograph of good quality.
Prior being included as an egg donor, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with
Dr Brandeis directly. This appointment will last for approximately an hour and may include Blood work and/or Vaginal Sonogram.
Step 3: Selection & Screening
Once you have been selected, the donor coordinator will call you to confirm your selection, and schedule you for screening testing, - which would be done at our medical center.
The screening will include:
- A medical examination
- Blood will be drawn for HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, and other sexually transmitted diseases.
- Vaginal Ultrasound (Sonogram) to see if you have any ovarian cysts
Step 4: Stimulation of Multiple Eggs
As a donor, you will be required to take a series of medications which are fertility hormones called Lupron, Bravelle, Repronex, or Menopur as well as HCG.
Lupron
The first drug taken is Lupron and the purpose of this drug is to prevent you from releasing your eggs before they are abled to be obtained (retrieved)
If we do not give you Lupron, before you start the other fertility medications, there is a risk that you will ovulate (release your eggs) before they can be recovered.
Bravelle, Repronex, and Menopur
These hormones are injected directly under the skin of your upper thighs.
The active ingredients in these drugs are FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) and LH.
The purpose of these drugs is to increase the number of follicles that develops on each ovary. The follicles are fluid filled sacs within the ovaries that contain the egg cells.
Monitoring
While taking these fertility medications, your response to these medication is monitored closely.
Office visits are either early morning or evening.
Monitoring is necessarily to determine and follow the growth and development of the follicle sacs that contain the eggs.
The ultrasound allows us to contain a image of the follicles as they grow and develop in the ovaries. Both the number of follicles are developing and the increase in size of the follicles after several days of stimulation can be determined by a ultrasound – which is a painless procedure. With a vaginal ultrasound, you can sometimes fail the pressure of the transducer into the vagina – this is not harmful to you.
As follicles develop, the ovaries produce increasing amount of the hormone estradiol. The level of estradiol that indicates the degree and progress of stimulation of the ovarian follicles.
The Estradiol blood test and vaginal blood test is done every other day over the period of 10 days. These two values allow us to adjust the dosage of medications that you receive daily as well as to determine the day that the eggs should be removed (retrieval).
When the follicles reach an appropriate size, then you’ll be given an injection of HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropins)
HCG is a natural hormone and helps mature the eggs so that when they are removed during egg retrieval, they will be fully matured (ready to be fertilized with sperm)
HCG is your final injection and retrieval is usually done 34-36 hours after the received HCG.
Step 5: Egg Retrieval
Eggs are retrieved in our surgical suite in our Hospital based IVF facility.
Egg retrieval is simple procedure performed under light IV sedation anesthesia, so that you will be totally comfortable and pain free.
The ultrasound probe with the needle guide is placed into the vagina, which allows the aspiration needle to be inserted safety through the upper portion of the vagina directly into each ovary. The ultrasound image allows Dr Brandeis to accurately guide the needle for each egg cell aspiration. As the fluid is aspirated, the egg is recovered in the fluid and bought to the laboratory.
The retrieval process takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
Following retrieval, you’ll be asked to remain in the center to recover from anesthesia. Please have someone with you to drive you home because you may still be under the effects of anesthesia.
When you are released from the office, you may resume light daily activities the next day.
It is very common to experience some cramping spotting the next day.
Please be cautious of your increased fertility for several days prior to the egg retrieval and for several days after the egg retrieval and should avoid sexual relations seven days prior to the egg retrieval and for two weeks after the retrieval (until you get your next menstrual period)


