Recipient FAQs

Candidates for egg donation generally include:

• Women with age related infertility (most often age 40 or older)
• Gay male couples or single men using a gestational surrogate
• Women with primary ovarian insufficiency or low ovarian reserves
• Women post-cancer treatment (if the ovaries or eggs were damaged or removed)
• Women unable to conceive using their own eggs (unexplained repeated IVF failure)
• Women with genetic disease risk

At Pacific Fertility, we begin by asking all aspiring parents to meet with one of our physicians as well as with our in-house Marriage and Family Therapist to understand the steps involved in the egg donation process. Before selecting an egg donor, patients are required to complete a series of appointments to prepare them for the egg donation process, including:

• General physical exam
• Genetic testing of the sperm provider, to identify genetic risk when identifying an egg donor
• Blood testing to assess/check for any infectious diseases, thyroid and prolactin hormone levels, blood type, complete blood count, and vitamin D levels
• Transvaginal ultrasound (or saline sonogram or hysteroscopy) to evaluate the uterine cavity

While we receive donor applications daily, and thousands of applications each year, we accept only 10% of applicants into our egg donor program.

Our recruitment and in-depth screening process is designed to be detailed and thorough for each donor. Any donor that does not meet our high standards is excluded.

Our rigorous screening process includes:

• Extensive medical and genetic history questionnaire
• Screening ultrasound performed by PFC staff
• Psychological Testing (Personality Assessment Inventory) and evaluation performed by a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
• Genetic counseling performed by a Certified Genetic Counselor
• Extensive blood work to test for an array of disorders

PFC EDA routinely performs genetic testing on all donors following testing recommendations based on current professional guidelines. Genetic testing plays an important role in the evaluation and screening of a potential egg donor. Each donor will speak with a Certified Genetic Counselor to review in detail a three-generation family history and assess ethnic background. This detailed review is used to identify and quantify genetic risks to donor offspring and to determine appropriate carrier testing.

Our donor’s and frozen donor eggs are available to Pacific Fertility Center patients for use at our clinic. In order to use our donors, you must be a patient of our clinic.

The PFC Egg Donation Program is designed to be de-identified or anonymous at the time of donation. As, and as a rule recipients and their selected egg donors do not meet or correspond freely with each other.

De-identification during the donation process is an important aspect of our egg donor program and we strive to ensure the identities of our intended parents and egg donors are thoroughly protected. However, for some, having the option to meet is a desired part of the process. Our program offers the opportunity for parents, after the birth of the child, to request a meeting with their egg donor. These are supervised meetings facilitated by our Marriage and Family Therapist and only coordinated if both parties wish to meet.

In California we are required to ask egg donors to choose whether or not a clinic can release the donor’s identifying information to a child resulting from their donation once the child has reached the age of 18. As of January 1st 202, PFC is required to ask all egg donors if they are willing to participate in “ID Release” to a child resulting from their donation once the child has reached the age of 18. Egg donors have the choice to say “yes” or “no”. Please contact the PFC EDA for more information.

Since the written agreements the donor signs are agreements between the donor and Pacific Fertility Center, there is no need for a direct legal contract between our donors and the recipients of the donated eggs. We advise our donors that they are donating eggs that have the potential to become a baby, but they are not donating a baby. To our knowledge, in 30 years, there has never been an anonymous donor that has sued a recipient for parental rights.