Egg Donor Program

According to 2003 reports from the Centers for Disease Control, donor eggs were used in 12 percent of all reported assisted reproduction cycles in nearly 400 fertility clinics across the nation. For a woman who has not been able to get pregnant using other methods, odds for success with donor eggs are as good as, if not better than, chances with her own eggs.

An infertile couple using donor eggs can still experience strong biological and developmental relationships within their family. The eggs are usually fertilized with the husband's sperm for a partial genetic connection, matured for several days in the laboratory, and then placed in the wife's uterus to provide her with the gestational experience of carrying a child, just as if she had conceived naturally.

The doctors and staff at the Fertility Center strongly recommend that each couple using donated eggs make time for a psychological consult. A variety of emotional and ethical issues are faced by men and women who are creating a child with the participation of an anonymous egg donor. We have counselors available or we can put you in touch with other mental health professionals who will help answer questions, minimize concerns and prepare both partners to move forward with this life-changing decision. Patients using a known egg donor or choosing a surrogate are required to see a counselor. Click below to view the consent form for a couple receiving donated eggs:

         Recipient Consent

The Fertility Center recruits and screens women who may qualify to donate their eggs. Many couples dealing with infertility challenges related to poor egg quality or diminishing egg production are willing to pay a donor for her time and cover any related medical and prescription expenses. Rather than having to wait until donors become available, couples can choose from an established pool of the Fertility Center’s own healthy and willing participants through a program that complies with and adheres to strict FDA guidelines as well as ASRM recommendations.

To begin the screening process, you must call or e-mail the Fertility Center and mention your interest in qualifying to donate your eggs. You must be a non-smoker between the ages of 21 and 33. (A woman who is age 20 can begin the screening process and, if approved, will be added to the donor pool on her birthday.) You cannot have any new tattoos or piercings within six months. Additionally, your height to weight ratio (which is calculated as Body Mass Index or BMI) cannot exceed 39.

Prospective donors receive an abbreviated medical history form in the mail to complete and bring to one of our offices for an interview with Sandy Saffles, Medical Assistant to Dr. Barry Donesky. All donors are required to have a current pap smear (within the last year) and must provide a copy of the results to the Fertility Center before taking the next step in the screening process. Each donor also must present a photo ID during her first visit to the Fertility Center. Once history and paperwork have been reviewed, candidates are scheduled to take the MMPI personality test. The next step involves meeting our Licensed Clinical Therapist Ann Ramey in Chattanooga or Licensed Clinical Social Worker Christine Barckhoff of Complete Counseling in Knoxville to explore the process and procedures involved with egg donation and to resolve questions and concerns. Finally, prospective donors meet with Dr. Donesky for a physical exam and hormone evaluation as well as testing for communicable diseases. Approved donors (as well as the spouses of married donors) must sign consents required for participation in the Fertility Center's program.  Click below to view the consent form: 

         Egg Donor Consent

Approved donors are assigned a donor number to help ensure that name and identity are kept confidential. A page with a photo and personal information – such as height, weight, education, race and ancestry, eye and hair color, blood type, marital status, personality traits, interests and family medical history – will be added to a book to be reviewed by couples who are considering using an egg donor. Once a donor is chosen by a couple, the donor's availability is confirmed.  
No costs are involved for donors who receive a $3,000 payment for participation after egg retrieval.  Each donor can be chosen to participate in up to six cycles, and the couples who receive eggs remain anonymous.

Certain repeat screenings are required within 30 days of an egg donation. Repeat donors must undergo another screening and exam every six months. If a repeat donor has donated within six months of her initial screening, an abbreviated medical history process is acceptable. 

The menstrual cycle of a woman receiving eggs is coordinated with the donor’s cycle so that a transfer can take place quickly and efficiently to maximize the chances for success. The recipient’s husband can provide a semen sample to be used to fertilize the donated eggs before the transfer, or donor sperm can be obtained.