What to Expect During the Egg Donation Application Process
As an egg donor, there are several key pieces of information we need in order to determine if you will be able to move forward in the donor screening process. While some of these are in the form of blood tests, ultrasounds, and physical exams, the most daunting and time-consuming thing asked of you will be to complete our Egg Donor Application.
While all the pieces of information we will gather during the screening and application process are extremely important, the egg donor application serves two key purposes. Of course, the majority of the information asked in our application is to determine if you are a good fit for our program. Secondly, some of the information you enter will create your donor profile, which will be viewable to intended parents when they are ready to choose their egg donor.
Let us go over each section of the application, what it entails, how it is used, and what to expect when applying to become an egg donor.
Egg Donor Requirements
Those interested in applying to become an egg donor must first meet the basic requirements. The best fit for ORM’s Egg Donor Program are individuals that are healthy, responsible, and between the ages of 20 and 29 that are looking to share their fertility through egg donation.
Egg Donors must have regular monthly periods unless using an IUD. Potential donors can apply if using an IUD or other forms of oral contraceptive, however, if using the injection or arm implant form of contraceptive, individuals would need to stop that method of birth control and have two normal periods before becoming an egg donor.
It’s also important that egg donors do not use Nicotine or drugs, including marijuana. Egg donors will also need reliable transportation for traveling to and from the clinic for time-sensitive appointments and be willing to administer numerous injections of medication on a strict schedule. Potential egg donors are also fully supported throughout the process and will have to undergo a psychological exam and meet with a counselor to ensure they’re comfortable with donating eggs.
APPLICATION: PART 1
You may have heard our ad on the radio, seen a Facebook banner, or spoken with one of our donor team members at a community event and decided at that point that becoming an egg donor was right for you. Once you’ve added on our Egg Donor Page or been directed straight to our Donor Application, the first step in becoming an egg donor is starting the application and screening process. Initially, you are asked for some basic information such as name, date of birth, address, phone number, and how you heard about us. Once this page is complete, you have officially started the application process and your application is now “in progress.”
Time: 5 minutes
APPLICATION: PART 2
After the initial information is given, you are then directed to another page to start completing the first tab, “Application.” In this section, you’ll answer basic screening questions, such as contact information, physical characteristics, education, occupation, egg donation experience, general health history, and reproductive health history are covered in this section.
Most of the questions asked in “Application” are ones you should know by memory, and not much research is normally done during this step. Once you have submitted this section, it will be reviewed to determine if you are qualified to move forward. We may have some additional questions regarding your answers, and if that is the case we will reach out to you to gather that information. If all looks well, you will be invited to complete the full application.
Time: 10 Minutes
FAMILY HEALTH HISTORY
Once you’re invited to complete the full application, you’ll also start working on the section titled “Family Health History” (Why Your Family Health History Matters). This section is typically the most lengthy, however, it is also the most important part of the application you will need to complete.
The family history section starts with basic information regarding your family and then later asks for characteristics for your immediate family. The bottom of the page dives deeper into medical history and includes a long list of ailments, and you will be asked to select any family members who suffer from these ailments along with the age at which they were diagnosed and their subsequent treatment. When possible, it’s important to reach out to both sides of your family to gather this information.
It is critical to input as much information as you can find. Later on, during a phone consult with one of our Genetic Counselors, this information will be reviewed with you and then used to create a document that outlines risk factors of passing down certain conditions.
Don’t be discouraged if you are asked by our Intake Specialist or the Genetics Counselor to gather a bit more information. This information is not only valuable for the intended parents to have, but it is also great information for you to know about yourself and your family’s health history!
Time: 20 minutes
PROFILE
The full application also includes a “Profile” section This section will include questions that require an essay-type answer, and you’ll also be asked to upload additional photos. Keep in mind when completing this section that the information you enter will be how the intended parents “get to know you.” The more you elaborate and tell about yourself, the more it helps with the matching process (Tips for Getting Matched).
At this point, you’ll upload photos of yourself throughout your childhood, teenage years, and as an adult. Try to stay away from selfies, and include photos of you doing activities you enjoy and highlight your interests like, snowboarding, fishing, playing an instrument, etc.
Before your profile goes “live” for intended parents to see, we will do a review of the information you put into this section for grammatical errors and to ensure it does not contain any identifying information. If there is not much added to this section, you may be asked to elaborate a little further on certain questions and possibly provide more photos. Being thorough upfront will help activate your profile at a much faster pace.
It is important to know that various components throughout the other sections will also be viewable to intended parents, not just the ‘Profile’ section. The ‘Profile’ section does constitute quite a bit of the application, however, intended parents are also able to see some of your basic characteristics along with your Family Health History. Please know that we do keep some of the more private questions that are asked of you shielded from public view. These questions are important but only needed for screening purposes.
Time: 15 minutes
Full Application time: 45 minutes
YOU’RE ALL DONE!
Congratulations! At this point your application is complete and you are ready to start the testing process. Although the information in your application can always be updated, any information added to the Family Health History section must be reviewed by our team first to ensure it is nothing that would disqualify you from the program. You are always welcome and able to update your essay questions and add or edit photos if you’d like. If you feel it is taking a bit longer to get matched, we may also suggest updating these to move the process along.
Our team is always here to answer any questions you may have and help you through the process. If you are just starting your research into egg donation and would like to learn more about the egg donation process, please do not hesitate to connect with us!
Apply to become an ORM Egg Donor today!
