Intended Parents

Thank you for considering Eggspecting, Inc as your egg donation agency. We believe that our team's personal experience as prior egg donors and our successful track record of facilitating hundreds of egg donations over many years in business set us apart from other agencies.

Our team fully understands the needs of both egg donors and Intended Parent(s), and we are dedicated to providing expert guidance every step of the way. We pride ourselves on service excellence, transparency, building long-lasting relationships, and always going the extra mile for our clients. We are passionate about helping others, and that is the driving force behind our business./

Choosing the right donor can be a daunting task, but our agency offers a personal touch that larger agencies can't match. We know most of our donors very well, and we encourage you to contact us during your search for your donor. We will help you ask the right questions to make the best match possible. We serve as the liaison between you, your donor, and all the professionals involved in making this process run smoothly. We are available to you and your donor via email, telephone, and face-to-face meetings from the beginning of the process until completion.

At Eggspecting, we understand the frustration of finding the right donor. Our goal is to provide one-on-one attention, guidance, and assistance in every aspect of finding a donor who meets your needs and preferences. We carefully interview and select the most qualified candidates to ensure that you have the best egg donation choices available to you. As a full-service agency, we coordinate all aspects of the donor cycle, including travel arrangements for your donor if necessary.

We strive to provide caring, professional, quality service at a fee that is lower than many larger agencies. Our agency will match Intended Parent(s) with the most suitable egg donor based on their individual needs.

We are always available to answer any questions or concerns you may have at any point in your decision-making process. If you have any questions that we haven't addressed here, please do not hesitate to speak with us.

Eggspecting works with all types of Intended Parent(s) from all around the globe. We work with traditional and same sex couples as well as single parents who are looking to start or grow their families.

To begin your journey as an intended parent, we invite you to register with our organization. Once you have completed your profile and received approval from our administration team, you will be granted access to your personal profile page where you can browse our database of extensive and detailed egg donor profiles. As you browse, feel free to identify and shortlist potential candidates who stand out to you. In the event that you require more detailed information on any particular egg donor, please do not hesitate to contact us for further inquiries.

Upon successful registration, completion of your profile and approval, we highly recommend scheduling a consultation with our team to discuss your individual needs and desires, and to establish a customized plan and process for your journey as an intended parent. During this consultation, we will provide you with an overview of our agency, programs and packages, and address any specific concerns or questions you may have. This personalized approach will enable us to determine the optimal strategy to ensure the success of your journey. We look forward to the opportunity to meet and collaborate with you.

We collaborate with top clinics around the world, with a particular focus on those in the United States and Mexico. As an intended parent, you have the freedom to select your preferred fertility clinic. It is essential to note that the laws, procedures, and protocols governing fertility treatments will vary depending on the country and clinic you choose. Your chosen clinic will establish the necessary guidelines and protocols, which we will follow to ensure a seamless process.

At Eggspecting, we are committed to providing you with access to qualified donors at an affordable cost . Unlike other agencies, we never ask you to commit financially until you have had the opportunity to review the available candidates and select the one that best meets your needs. We firmly believe that you should have the freedom to continue your search if we are unable to match you with a donor who meets your criteria, without any financial obligation to our agency.

Our program stands out from others in several significant ways. Firstly, our unmatched experience and success rate in the field are a testament to our commitment to supporting Intended Parent(s) on their journey to parenthood. We recognize that infertility can be an incredibly stressful, exhausting, and expensive process, and our unique approach ensures a smooth and successful journey for our clients. We offer unparalleled stability by overseeing all aspects of the process, including psychological, legal, medical, and financial considerations.

We believe that everyone should have a chance at parenthood, and we do everything in our power to minimize the cost and stress associated with the experience. Moreover, we offer a range of unique programs exclusive to Eggspecting that are not available through any other agency in the USA. We will provide a detailed explanation of these programs during a phone or Zoom consultation once you have signed up with us and received our comprehensive program information package to help you get started.

The screening, syncing and preparation for a cycle can take anywhere between 6-12 weeks, this is from start of screening until day 1 of cycle, the day your Egg Donor starts treatment.

Usually there are a few different types of cycles which depending on the distance from where donor resides to the Intended Parent(s) clinic will require different amounts of travel time. require differences in Egg Donor travel time.

Local cycles occur when the donor resides in the same city or close proximity to the intended parent(s) chosen fertility clinic (primary clinic). Typically, this is when donor lives less than 65 miles from primary clinic. In this case, the donor will not need to travel far from her residence for monitoring or the retrieval procedure.

Out of Area (OOA) cycle Is if your donor resides between 99-150 miles from (basically 1.5 to 2.5 hours’ drive each way) the primary clinic and additional costs will apply for the Intended Parent(s), such as mileage fees for all screening and monitoring plus a few days of hotel accommodations and food per diem surrounding the retrieval dates.

Out of State (OOS) cycles occur when the donor lives in a different state or more than 150 miles each way (2.5 hours +++ each way to the primary clinic). The donor will need to travel for approximately 6-10 consecutive days to complete the egg retrieval process. The number of days required at the primary retrieval clinic will be determined by the IVF clinic. Additional retrieval trip travel fees may include roundtrip flights for the donor and a companion, baggage reimbursement, double occupancy hotel accommodations, food per diem, ground transportation allowance, and travel insurance for the egg donor.

For OOA or OOS cycles, fertility clinic protocols vary. Few clinics allow the donor to undergo medical screening locally (unless she is local to the primary clinic), as most require the medical screening to be completed at the primary clinic. The donor will typically travel to the primary/intended parent(s) fertility clinic for one day and one overnight stay to complete the medical screening. Initial pre-cycle screening (AMH, psychological evaluation, and genetic screening) will usually be completed locally to the donor.

IVF clinics set their own rules around their cycles. Some OOA and OOS Donors will only have to travel two times to the primary clinic for screening and retrieval week. Some clinics take it a step further an require three trips to primary clinic for screening (one overnight donor only) , baselines day (the day before donor starts stimulation injections, one overnight donor only), and retrieval week. (6-10 days Donor + her companion)

For OOA or OOS cycles, the first 3-7 days of stimulation will take place in the donor's home city at a local IVF clinic (secondary clinic or local monitoring facility) before she travels to the primary clinic for the retrieval trip. Eggspecting will coordinate and arrange payments with the selected fertility clinic local to the donor.

International cycles occur when the Intended Parent(s) fertility clinic is located in another country than the donor resides. In this case, the donor will undergo all screening (medical, genetic, and psychological) locally and travel internationally for the entire cycle treatment, which includes injections, in-cycle monitoring, and the retrieval procedure. The donor will be seen at the primary clinic from baseline assessments through a minimum of 3 days post-retrieval for recovery before boarding an international flights home. This program is optional for all Donors and requires a 17 consecutive day stay in the retrieval country. (total travel + stay including flight days is 19-21 days)

Egg donation is an outpatient procedure performed under anesthesia, which can leave donors feeling extremely fatigued, disoriented, and unable to fully comprehend their surroundings. The retrieval and recovery process typically lasts between 1 and 3 hours. It is mandatory for all egg donors to be accompanied by a responsible adult companion, who will sign a document acknowledging their responsibility for the donor's care and release from the clinic. This companion is expected to monitor and care for the donor for at least 24 hours after the retrieval.

Please note that no IVF clinic in the United States will not permit a donor to leave the clinic unaccompanied nor use public transportation or a ride service alone. A companion is absolutely essential, as per all U.S. IVF clinics’ policies, and there are no exceptions. If an Egg Donor does not have a companion, the clinic will cancel the retrieval procedure. Furthermore, for international cycles, we prioritize the safety and well-being of our donors and would never send a young woman to a foreign country alone for 20 days. In such cases, the companion is not only responsible for post-retrieval care but also for ensuring the donor's comfort in an unfamiliar country for an extended amount of time. Intended Parents are required to pay for all costs to complete an egg donation process fully including costs associated with the donor’s companion.

If Eggspecting is responsible for ordering your genetic screening, we use Invitae's Comprehensive Carrier Screen panel for carrier screening on both the egg and sperm source(s). However, each domestic IVF doctor may use a different brand of testing or different panels (examples: Good Start, Myriad, Sema4, and Invitae). It is crucial to make accurate comparisons, so we require the donor and intended father to undergo testing using the same exact panels. This may create situations where a donor's panel needs to be updated to match the intended father's panel, as these genetic panels are updated approximately every two years, incorporating additional diseases and mutations.

In most fresh IVF cycles with an egg donor, more than one embryo is typically created, increasing the likelihood of having enough embryos for multiple transfers. These additional embryos belong to you and will be cryopreserved for future transfers if necessary. You will need to pay an annual cryo fee directly to the clinic where your embryos are stored.

Our Egg Donor screening process is of the highest standard. The screening process will include, but is not limited to, fertility & hormone testing, comprehensive genetics panel, all infectious diseases, ovarian ultrasound & physical, communicable diseases, full overall health with drug panel and a psychological evaluation.

Some people will tell you that most importantly, is that you select a healthy Egg Donor, no doubt you need a healthy Egg Donor, that is a given and the number one priority, but what else should be considered when selecting an Egg Donor?

While no-one is perfect, when you're choosing an egg donor, here are a few important factors you should consider:

Fertility Levels: One of the primary assessments in our Egg Donor screening process is the Anti Mullerian Hormone test (AMH), which measures the level of hormone secreted by the follicles in the ovaries that produce eggs. This test provides valuable insights into the Egg Donor's "ovarian reserve" or the number of eggs she has and the functioning of her ovaries. The AMH test is used to assess a woman's ability to produce fertilizable eggs and is particularly important as a woman's egg production declines with age. By testing AMH levels annually, we can provide Intended Parent(s) with an estimate of the Egg Donor's retrieval numbers and ensure the highest level of success in the egg donation process.

Health History: To move forward with an Egg Donor, it is essential that they have a good health history and a genetic panel report. Once you have selected your preferred Egg Donor and established her fertility levels from the Anti Mullerian Hormone test (AMH), a genetic counsellor will be arranged to administer a comprehensive panel of 300+ genetic carrier status, if the donor has not previously undergone the test. It's worth noting that only approx. 10-15% of humans are negative carriers to all the mutations tested for and being a carrier does not necessarily mean one will develop the disease. To ensure a match, you will be required to take the same genetics panel as your chosen Egg Donor, giving you a better understanding of your status. While many Egg Donors have undergone this process, first-time donors will need to go through these necessary steps before moving forward. If your selected Egg Donor happens to be a carrier of any mutations tested for and you happen to be a carrier of the same mutation, it will usually be necessary to select another Egg Donor due to genetic mismatch. For this reason, we advise Intended Parent(s) to have a list of their top three Egg Donor interests in order of preference. If you and your selected Egg Donor do not carry the same mutations, it is considered a genetic match. Additionally, it's important that the Egg Donor has no outstanding family history of severe health problems caused by genetic or hereditary factors.

Physical Appearance: When selecting an Egg Donor, physical appearance is an important consideration for many Intended Parent(s). It is natural to desire certain physical traits in a donor, such as height or eye color, and even personality traits. Choosing an egg donor who possesses the same or similar physical and personality traits of the Intended Parent(s) can help your child to fit into your family better. Something unique that Egg Donation offers is being able to choose different physical characteristics that you wish you had (example you are short but you want to try to give your children more height then you can choose taller donor) We understand that choosing an Egg Donor is an important and very personal decision for you, and we are here to provide guidance and support throughout the process.

Education: When selecting an Egg Donor, it is common to consider their level of education. Many Intended Parent(s) may prefer an Egg Donor with higher education or one who is pursuing a higher education. It is understandable to want to choose an Egg Donor who matches your desired level of intelligence. However, it is important to note that selecting an Egg Donor with high levels of education may limit your options. If you are open to donors with varying degrees of education, such as those with a high school qualification or some college experience, you will have a broader range of options to choose from. Additionally, since we recruit Egg Donors from all over the world there will be many differences in educational levels or standardized testing. Furthermore, a degree isn’t always the best measure of intelligence as we have many super intelligent and articulate donors who have technical degrees or are entrepreneurs.

It is worth noting that highly intelligent Egg Donors may sometimes be overlooked due to their lack of formal degrees. However, if you wish to have additional reassurance regarding your selected Egg Donor's intelligence, you can request that she complete a formal IQ test at your expense. At Eggspecting, Inc, we have extensive knowledge of our Egg Donors and can provide valuable insights into many of our Egg Donors that we know personally.

Learn more about your Egg Donor candidates through a short video from top candidates. And possible video call with top 2 choices

Gain a deeper understanding of your Egg Donor through the use of short videos and potential video call introductions with your top candidates. Although not all of our Egg Donors may agree to provide a video or participate in a video call, most are open to the idea. We encourage you to request a brief video from your top Egg Donor choices as it provides a more comprehensive understanding compared to just profiles and photographs. This could aid in solidifying your decision and confirming your top choice. Moreover, if you wish to further familiarize yourself with your potential Egg Donor, you can opt for a video introduction call with your top 2 candidates. Our Eggspecting, Inc team will be present during the call to ensure a smooth process. However, please note that not all Egg Donors are comfortable with these types of videos/calls. We advise you to take advantage of these opportunities to gain a better understanding of your Egg Donor's personality and background when selecting your ideal candidate.

Take your finances in to account: When considering egg donation, it's important to keep in mind the financial aspects involved. Each egg donation cycle is unique, as is each Egg Donor, and there are many factors that determine the compensation amount. These factors include the country in which the Egg Donor resides, the currency of retrieval, applicable laws and regulations, prior Donor experience and donation history, and Donor exclusivity. Additionally, Egg Donors with rare, unique characteristics, exceptional education and qualifications, or outstanding achievements may command higher compensation rates. At Eggspecting, Inc, our Egg Donor compensation rates for USA-based donors range widely from $5,000 to $10,000 USD for first time donors, and $7,000 to $20,000 for prior or proven donors. For South Africa-based Egg Donors, the compensation rate ranges from $3,000 USD to $5,000 USD, with some exceptional cases reaching over $6,000 USD per completed retrieval. It is typical for compensations to increase per cycle for each subsequent cycle completed. We understand that finances can be a significant consideration when making such an important decision. This is why we offer multipole programs including fixed cost options with South African Egg Donors. For each of your top options of Egg Donors we will create a Eggstimate / Parent Cost Estimate (PCE) for each of your top candidates so that you can make an educated financial decision before officially selecting that donor.

When considering the use of frozen eggs or fresh eggs, it is important to note that freezing only the eggs prior to fertilization can significantly reduce the overall success rates. For this reason, we highly recommend freezing embryos instead. Frozen eggs are not as stable or viable as frozen embryos and may result in a significant loss of eggs upon thawing. In contrast, when eggs are retrieved fresh and fertilized within 2 hours, the resulting embryos are frozen at the blastocyst stage, have an extremely high chance of survival.

The survival rate of frozen blastocysts is typically very high. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, the survival rate for frozen blastocysts is around 95%. This means that the vast majority of thawed blastocysts will survive the process and be available for implantation. It's important to note that the success of the IVF cycle will depend on many factors, including the quality of the embryos, the age and health of the woman carrying the pregnancy, and other individual factors.

The rate of survival of thaw for frozen oocytes can vary depending on several factors, such as the quality of the eggs, the method used for freezing, and the expertise of the embryologist performing the thawing procedure. However, generally, the survival rate of thawed frozen oocytes can range from 40-90%, with an average survival rate of around 75%. It's important to note that while frozen oocytes may have a lower survival rate than frozen embryos, they can still result in successful pregnancies and live births.

We understand that this can be a complex topic, and we are available to provide further information and discuss your options in detail during a phone or Zoom consultation. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sperm samples play a crucial role in the IVF process. For men experiencing male-factor infertility, the appropriate sperm sample can significantly increase the likelihood of pregnancy. A frozen sperm sample is collected and cryogenically preserved for future use, maintaining its viability for several years. Before the fertilization process, the frozen sperm is thawed. A fresh sperm sample is obtained from the man and utilized immediately, often aligning with the egg retrieval procedure.

Utilizing fresh sperm samples during the IVF process provides reassurance to couples, as both the clinic and patient are aware of the sperm quality. Some research also suggests that embryos created with fresh sperm may have a longer lifespan than those derived from frozen sperm. Conversely, frozen sperm offers convenience, making the IVF process more accessible for men looking to preserve fertility due to issues such as cancer. Frozen sperm is particularly beneficial for techniques like intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), as the clinic can select the optimal sperm for injection into the egg.

Frozen sperm has been shown to be as effective as fresh sperm for both IVF and ICSI, with studies indicating no significant difference in implantation or pregnancy rates. Both sample types can contribute to successful pregnancies, and crucially, frozen sperm does not negatively impact pregnancy rates. This allows IVF patients greater control over their cycles and enables single women and same-sex couples to start families at a more convenient time, thanks to the availability of frozen samples

Eggspecting ensures that all egg donation arrangements are accompanied by a legally binding egg donation contract between the Egg Donor and the Intended Parent(s). This contract addresses crucial legal aspects related to the egg donation agreement, including the responsibilities of both parties, compensation terms, ownership of the donated eggs, and other pertinent matters.

It is mandatory for the Egg Donor and Intended Parent(s) to be represented by independent attorneys, who will draft and thoroughly review the egg donation contract on their behalf. These attorneys will also explain the legal rights of the involved parties and address any legal concerns that may arise during the egg donation process.

Eggspecting maintains strong working relationships with numerous attorneys specializing in third-party reproductive law and can refer both Intended Parent(s) and Egg Donors to these legal professionals. These attorneys offer special discounted rates for Eggspecting clients. However, Intended Parent(s) are free to engage their own legal counsel for the egg donation contract if they prefer.

We are more than happy to discuss this process in greater detail during a phone call or Zoom consultation.

PGT-A (Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy), also known as PGS (pre-implantation genetic screening), is a process in which doctors test cells from an embryo with the hopes of better identifying the best embryos to transfer and preventing the transfer of embryos that would have resulted in failed implantations, miscarriages, or offspring with chromosomal abnormalities. PGT-A (which is also known as comprehensive chromosomal screening or CCS) is a tool to prioritize embryos with the best chances of healthy live births.

Chromosomes are crucial components of our bodies—they contain all the information that informs our cells how to function. Imagine our chromosomes are encyclopedia volumes—we get one set of 23 volumes which are genetically contributed from an egg and 23 contributed from the sperm. The different entries in those volumes are our genes, which tell our cells what to do.

Having extra or missing chromosomes can be catastrophic. Usually, for a pregnancy to proceed at all, an embryo must have the correct number of chromosomes. Otherwise, it will fail to implant or lead to a miscarriage. There are exceptions for a few specific chromosomes, where a pregnancy can proceed to term with the incorrect number of chromosomes–the resulting children will have a health issue like Down Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, and a few more.

The primary goal of PGT-A is to predict which embryos are “euploid,” meaning they have the correct number of chromosomes, and which are “aneuploid,” having the incorrect number, so that by transferring only euploid embryos, a patient has the best chances of getting pregnant, staying pregnant, and delivering a healthy child

PGT-M, or Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic/Single Gene Disorders, is a method used to help individuals or couples reduce the risk of having a child with a known inherited disorder caused by single-gene mutations, such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease. This type of testing is rarely performed in egg donation scenarios because if both the Intended Father and Egg Donor carry the same genetic mutation (a genetic mismatch), we strongly advise against proceeding with the match. PGT-M testing is primarily intended for committed couples who are known carriers of the same genetic disorder mutation. By undergoing this testing, they can ensure that they are not transferring affected embryos, thereby reducing the risk of having a child with the inherited disorder.

Disclaimer: This article is authored by Carrie Bloedorn of Eggspecting and is based purely on her 17 years of experience coordinating global egg donor cycles. The aim is to help prospective parents understand the numbers involved in IVF and why more than one donor cycle may sometimes be needed, especially for same-sex couples "sharing/splitting" eggs.

In her 17 years as an egg donor coordinator, Carrie Bloedorn has personally witnessed IVF retrieval results ranging from zero (0) eggs (Empty Follicle Syndrome) twice ever, to 8 (eight) eggs retrieved (both cases resulting in twins), and up to 66 eggs retrieved, yielding 25 blastocysts and approximately 5 live births with additional blastocysts still frozen. Both ends of the spectrum are exceedingly rare. The average number of eggs retrieved varies slightly by country, but for this article, we will use the average in the USA, which seems to be higher than in most other countries.

Consider an average egg retrieval of 18 eggs with a SINGLE sperm source:

16 eggs are mature (only mature eggs can attempt to be fertilized)

Typical fertilization rate is about 80% - 13 eggs are fertilized using this example value

IVF attrition rate during the embryo growth stage is between 30-60% of fertilized eggs making it to blastocyst. We will use the example of 46% (since we can only use whole numbers) – SIX (6) have made it to the blastocyst stage.

At this point, many people freeze the blastocysts, which are non-PGS tested and would typically be transferred in sets of 2 per transfer, providing three transfers worth of blastocysts. If we were to take it one step further and perform PGS testing on each blastocyst, we would find that approximately 50% of all blastocysts created through IVF are chromosomally abnormal. This is a very consistent figure, and it is typical of results. We can expect to lose around 50% of all blastocysts. Once a blastocyst has been flagged as abnormal, it cannot and will not be transferred.

Now, we have THREE (3) PGS-normal blastocysts left. These are the best-quality blastocysts, and each transfer now has a higher probability of success because each transferred blastocyst is "normal." When transferring non-PGS tested blastocysts, remember that half of them are abnormal, but we just don't know which ones because no PGS testing was done. Abnormal blastocysts typically do not result in successful pregnancies, or if they do, they are likely the number one reason for early miscarriages (before 12 weeks).

So, where are we? We started with 18 eggs, and now we have 3 blastocysts. Because we have three PGS-normal blastocysts, we recommend single embryo transfers – unless you are keen on twins. This will not guarantee twins, but as PGS-normal blastocysts are more likely to result in successful pregnancies, it likely increases the chances. So, we have either 3 single embryo transfers or two transfers of 2 + 1.

A cycle with ultimately 2-3 PGS-normal blastocysts would be considered a good IVF cycle. This allows a single sperm source multiple transfer attempts with one IVF. This is not to say that cycles do not produce more or fewer blastocysts – they often do – and more often than not, when using an egg donor, we can obtain more blastocysts as opposed to fewer, but there are sperm factors at play too. Not all sperm is equal in quality, just as not all egg donors provide the same numbers of eggs, and results can vary

Now, let's discuss same-sex male couples with two different sperm sources.

In this scenario, we need to split the retrieved eggs between the two separate sperm sources of a same-sex male couple. Using the same numbers as before, we have:

18 eggs, 16 of which are mature

8 eggs allocated per sperm source (please note that numbers will never be exactly the same after this point, as each individual has different sperm quality, and each egg may have different quality)

For example:

Partner A:

8 eggs

7 fertilize

4 blastocysts

2 PGS-normal blastocysts

Partner B:

8 eggs

5 fertilize

2 blastocysts

1 PGS-normal blastocyst

As you can see, we still have 3 PGS-normal blastocysts. Partner A has 2 transfer attempts from the donor, while Partner B only has 1 transfer attempt from the same donor. If, for any reason, Partner B's blastocyst does not result in a successful pregnancy, we are out of blastocysts from the matching donor for Partner A. Although Partner A has another blastocyst for another transfer attempt (FET), Partner B does not and requires more blastocysts created from an egg donor through an entirely new IVF process.

In 17 years of coordinating cycles, many same-sex couples have been worked with who used the same egg donor. It is estimated that approximately 50% of them require a second donor cycle, and about 10% even require a third donor cycle, in order for both partners to achieve a live birth from the same egg donor. In the few cases where a third cycle was needed, one parent often already had multiple live births, while the other did not, or one parent had an abundance of leftover embryos, but the other did not. It is important to remember that we are working with different sperm sources.

These factors should be considered and expected when attempting to complete a family with a biological link through the egg donor

Egg donation cycles, like any medical procedure, carry some inherent risks for all involved parties. Some risks specific to Intended Parent(s) include, but are not limited to:

1. Risk of Egg Donor failing screening: Egg Donors undergo screening each time they are matched for a donation. The full cost of this screening is the responsibility of the Intended Parent(s), regardless of whether the Egg Donor passes or fails. Medical screenings are repeated for every donation, as factors such as fertility, STDs, or drug screenings can change at any time. As a coordinating agency, Eggspecting serves as a liaison between all parties to facilitate a smooth experience throughout the process. However, it is important to note that agencies cannot guarantee the actions or health of an Egg Donor.

2. Risk of Egg Donor withdrawing from the cycle: Egg Donors are independent individuals with legal protections, and they cannot be forced to undergo any medical procedure. An Egg Donor can legally withdraw from a cycle up until the point of egg retrieval without penalty. This is a universally applicable condition. To minimize this risk, Eggspecting ensures that every Egg Donor in our database has undergone a comprehensive 60–90-minute interview with our staff. During this interview, we provide a thorough explanation of the egg donation process, including the commitment required, potential side effects, and health risks. We believe that the primary reason Egg Donors withdraw from cycles is a lack of proper understanding of the process. Ensuring that they are well-informed before a match is crucial in reducing the likelihood of withdrawal during the cycle

3. Risk of low or no eggs retrieved: Despite thorough Medical, Genetic, and Psyche screening, occasionally a donor who passes the screening process may not respond well to stimulation medications, resulting in a low number of eggs retrieved or even none at all. These individuals are referred to as poor or non-responders and will be removed from agency database and be ineligible for further matching.

4. Intended Parent(s) must acknowledge that there is no guarantee that any donor cycle or IVF procedure will result in the production of a specific number of viable eggs, nor is there a guarantee that any eggs will be provided. Additionally, there is no certainty that any retrieved eggs will result in embryos, that any embryos will result in the birth of a child, or that any child born from the arrangement will be free from abnormalities or congenital defects

For those seeking a higher degree of certainty, we recommend considering the use of a frozen egg bank. These banks typically offer a set of eggs (usually ranging from 6-10) and guarantee at least one blastocyst. However, this method has its drawbacks, as 10-50% of eggs may be lost upon thawing, and only about 1-2 blastocysts may be obtained before undergoing preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).

In comparison, it is relatively rare for someone participating in a fresh IVF cycle with a donor to obtain fewer than 3 blastocysts. In fact, we often see 8 or more blastocysts before PGT-A with fresh retrievals. On average, a fresh cycle typically yields around 3-6 blastocysts following PGT-A. It is not uncommon to observe even more blastocysts in cases of above average or excellent IVF cycle outcomes.

We understand the importance of meeting your Egg Donor and are committed to accommodating your preferences. As Egg Donors have the option to choose their cycle type, it is essential to inform us of your cycle type preference so that we can streamline the donor search accordingly. We offer various cycle types to meet your needs, including anonymous, semi-open, and open/known cycles.

Directed Donation - In this situation, the Intended Parent(s) have someone willing to be their Egg Donor. This setup would require them to have had a prior connection; it could be a sibling, family member, or friend.

Open/Known Donation - Outlines a scenario where Intended Parent(s) and their selected Egg Donor have the option to meet. All parties have comfortably and mutually decided prior to contract formation that Donor and Intended Parent(s) will exchange contact details and last names, thus removing the anonymous nature of the cycle and allowing for future contact amongst parties without the aid of Eggspecting. This type of cycle is desirable by Intended Parent(s) who want to give any child(ren) resulting from the donation the option of contacting the Egg Donor in the far future. This in no way means the Egg Donor will be required to be a part of the child(ren)’s life. Intended Parent(s) and their selected Egg Donor will meet via means of a video call or in-person meeting or a combination of these. The initial meeting will be facilitated by Eggspecting, and a representative from the Agency will be present. The extent of communication following this initial connection can vary. Certain relationships might continue to develop, while others will maintain the opportunity for communication solely in case of medical necessity or if the resultant Child expresses a desire to learn more.

Semi-Known Donation - Illustrates a setup where Intended Parent(s) and their selected Egg Donor meet via means of a video call or in-person meeting or a combination of these. The meeting will be facilitated by Eggspecting, and a representative from the Agency will be present. Identities and contact details of Intended Parent(s) and Egg Donor are not disclosed to each other; only first names will be exchanged. Intended Parent(s) and Egg Donor do not communicate directly with each other beyond the initial meeting; this setup allows them to get to know each other while maintaining privacy. Often, Intended Parents will want to zoom with potential Donor candidates before final selection of actual Egg Donor or have a short in-person meeting during the Donor retrieval trip.

Anonymous Donation – In this situation, the identities & contact information of both Intended Parent(s) and their selected Egg Donor remain confidential and undisclosed to each other. Throughout the cycle, they are referred to as the "Intended Mother," the "Intended Father," the "Intended Parent(s)," and the Donor by “ID / First Name only".