Planning for the future

The Donor Sibling Registry (DSR) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 to assist individuals conceived as a result of sperm, egg or embryo donation who are seeking to make mutually desired contact with others with whom they (or their children) share genetic ties. The DSR has more than 75,000 members worldwide and has facilitated thousands of connections between donors, donor-conceived individuals, genetic siblings and intended/recipient parents (on behalf of their children).

At Egg Donor Solutions (EDS), we educate intended parents (IPs) and egg donors about the importance of future contact and how the DSR can help facilitate this contact while still allowing both parties to keep their personal identity private, if that is their desire. We strongly encourage IPs to have the DSR included in their direct donor agreement, so they have a way to reach out to the donor for medical updates and questions or in the event their child(ren) want to connect with the donor at some point.

“More and more, we are hearing from IPs that they want their children to have the option to contact the donor in the future, and most donors are open to having contact,” says EDS Executive Director Katy Encalade. “As an agency, we are committed to caring and advocating for everyone involved in the egg donation triad – IPs, donors and the donor-conceived people who are born through this process.”

Below we outline three benefits of DSR.

Access to current medical information
The medical information IPs receive about their donor is a snapshot of her family medical history at that point in time. Given that egg donors are in their 20s to early 30s, it’s likely their personal and family health information will change over time. The DSR includes a section for medical information where donors can post updates. In addition, parents can post health information about their children (as applicable) to be shared with donors and genetic half-siblings.
Connections with genetic siblings
Per the guidelines recommended by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, egg donors can complete up to six donation cycles. Therefore, the probability of genetic half-siblings exists for many individuals born through egg donation. Through the DSR, you have the potential to match with other parents with whom you share the same donor so that you can know where they are located and connect with the families of your child’s genetic half-siblings.
Easing the burden on your child
Many donor-conceived individuals express a desire to know more about their genetic ancestry and some want to connect with their genetic relatives. By establishing a way to have contact with the donor and genetic siblings through the DSR, you can help ease the burden on your child so he or she does not have to pursue these connections on their own in the future.

Signing up for the DSR
Anyone can create an account and search the DSR database, but only members are able to add posts with photos and medical information, see the posts of those with whom they are matched, and contact matches through the site. At EDS, IPs pay the $199 permanent membership fee for both themselves and their donor.

If you choose to register with the DSR, your EDS Care Coordinator will guide you through the process of having the DSR included in the legal agreement, which will require the donor to keep her information current with the site. Your coordinator will also work with your donor to ensure she completes the steps necessary to register with DSR.

Maintaining your privacy
With the DSR, you maintain full control of your personal identity and the information you choose to share. All DSR users have a unique username, and communication is managed through the platform. You will be notified about new matches via email and when someone sends you a message through the platform. Your personal contact information will not be shared unless you choose to share it.

For more information, visit www.donorsiblingregistry.com or reach out to your EDS Care Coordinator.

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We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy 

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Staying fit while pregnant

Pregnancy does not mean you have to be stagnant and inactive the entire 9 months. Being pregnant gives more reason for you to be active and moving, fit and healthy in preparation for that big day when labor pains starts shooting in. The big challenge here is finding the right routine, food, exercise and motivation to keep you healthy and safe in preparation for the big L (labor) day. There are days when you will feel more tired than usual and getting up is such a pain. And when the blues are just getting the best of you, think of how long you have waited for this day and how important it is to take care of yourself and your baby. So keep moving and stay fit. A healthy mommy equals to a healthy baby.

Here are a few important things to remember:

This is the time to get moving. There are more benefits when you continuously exercise compared to not exercising at all. In fact, there are more things to worry about when you don’t exercise such as excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes and other risk of illnesses and unpreparedness for labor and birth. You don’t have to keep a rigid workout. Walking for 30-60 minutes a day is great exercise to start with to keep you and your baby safe and healthy.

Choose the right exercise for you. Examples of great and safe activities you can do are walking, swimming, yoga and

Drinking water is good for your baby as well as keeps your body away from other illnesses such as constipation and Urinary Tract Infections.

Eat right. Yes, you are eating for two (you and your baby) but it does not mean that you should put everything and anything into your mouth. Eating the right food will keep your body healthy but more importantly, will nourish your growing baby. Best foods to eat are those rich in natural vitamins and minerals needed by your baby such as rich in folic acid, calcium, zinc and vitamin A and C. this will help in your baby’s brain development as well as fetal growth. The next time you crave for something loaded with sugar and junk, save it after you give birth. For now, while the 9 months aren’t over, think healthy, for the baby.

Find a mother’s group that fits you. No one understands more what you are feeling than mothers who have gone through the same process of pregnancy and motherhood. Finding a group of mothers will not only keep you company but at the same time will serve as your support system as you go through the roller coaster ride of pregnancy, hormones and anticipated anxiety of labor pains. You can look for expecting mother’s group in your local community or it can be from friends, family and relatives who have all gone through the same thing. If you cant find any, start your own group or go online and find the right group for you. Like they say, the best knowledge comes not from books but from first hand experiences.

Being pregnant can be an enjoyable experience. Remember to stay fit, healthy and happy, the whole wait and sacrifices is sure worth the wait.

We know there are women who are struggling to get pregnant and may need the assistance of a third party, an egg donor to make it to the pregnancy stage and then ultimately a mommy! If you are interested in more information in regards to an egg donor we invite you to contact Egg Donor Solutions today!

We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy  with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.

What is Egg Donation, Can I be an Egg Donor, Egg Donation Process, Common Egg Donation Questions, Becoming an Egg Donor,  Qualifying as an Egg Donor,  Egg Donation, Egg Donor process,  Why to go through an agency?,  Egg Donation Overview.

Egg Donation Timeline

Welcome! You are either thinking about egg donation or you are embarking on your journey! We know that it can be overwhelming with all of the calendars, appointments and steps so we wanted to help guide you with this timeline. Of course, you have your personal care coordinator and our team that will also be with you & your donor through this journey, but you can never have too much information. We are so thankful to have you and we look forward to your journey to parenthood.

We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy  with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.

The right donor for your family

Choosing the right egg donor for your family can at times be a daunting task but it does not have to be. There are many factors to consider and often there are so many different people who are giving their advise as to what is best. My best advice, pick a donor who you feel comfortable and can connect with. In order to reach this end goal many intended parents have found it helpful to create a ”must have” and a ”would be nice if” list. This will allow you to look at multiple profiles and give you the opportunity to really see who might be a great fit.

When making your lists consider asking these questions. Am I comfortable with paying for the donors travel expenses? Do I need the egg donor locally so can go through the whole process with my clinic, are we comfortable with traveling?

This is likely a financial decision. Having a donor monitored locally and then traveling for the retrieval is far more work on the agency and doctor (the donors don’t mind) and as an intended parent you will not be responsible to make any travel arrangements.

Do you want a proven egg donor OR are you comfortable knowing the your fertility clinic is going to do very comprehensive screening to be sure that the donor is a great candidate so a first time donor works well too? All donors have to donate for the first time. Having and doctor and agency who are flexible with screening could allow you the opportunity to select a first time donor who might meet your criteria better then a proven donor.

If choosing a traveling donor, ask your doctor what screening can be done locally to the donor to prevent travel cost and be sure you choose an agency who asks the same questions. With things going on in the world currently, ask what those monitoring appointments look like & seek if they can be scheduled locally for her to reduce travel.

Today there are so many screenings that will give your doctor a very good indication of how your donor will do in a cycle (FSH, AMH, antral follicle count) that many intended parents are very satisfied with the initially screening process that allows them to choose the best donor regardless of their past donor (or lack thereof) experience.

Most intended parents want to find a ”connection” with the egg donor. Sometimes this is based on physical characteristics, personality, interests, goals in life, or sometimes it has to do with the donors willingness to be a ”known/open donor”. Decide what factors are most important to you and put those on your list.

Our last piece of advice when searching, try not to put more constraints on your list then you need to. We have often worked with intended parents who have chosen a donor they never saw in their first search because she was 1 inch shorter than their ”criteria” or decided that since brown eyes was dominant in their family that choosing a donor with green would be worth the gamble of having green eyed child because she meet all other criteria.

We look forward to working with you, guiding you and your donor through the process and creating a happy family! We at Egg Donor Solutions are here to support and guide you all every step of the way!

We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.

What is Egg Donation, Can I be an Egg Donor, Egg Donation Process, Common Egg Donation Questions, Becoming an Egg Donor, Qualifying as an Egg Donor, Egg Donation, Egg Donor process, Why to go through an agency?, Egg Donation Overview.

AMH

As an intended parent searching for an egg donor women have often completed many screenings and testing themselves. What some numbers mean for an intended mother is often different then the expectation there would be for an egg donor. Measuring an egg donor’s AMH is one of those factors.

AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) can help indicate a woman’s fertility. AMH helps to measure a woman’s remaining ‘ovarian reserve’ by measuring the number of follicles developing in the ovary at a specified time. Once the test is complete, a clinic will compare the results with those of women who are the same age. For some intended mothers when choosing to embark on IVF themselves, they will often go through a cycle when their AMH levels are lower than desired but the expectation of what an ”acceptable” level changes when choosing an egg donor.

Are you wondering, what is a good egg donor AMH?

Most clinics we work with require a 2.0 or 2.5 and above for all egg donors. You will want to consult with your physician to decide if your donors AMH levels are acceptable for completing an egg donation cycle. If a donors AMH is broadline, many clinics will also order an ultrasound to decide next steps.

One benefit to initially screening a woman’s AMH is that it can be done at any point during a woman’s cycle. A donor does not have to wait until a specific time in her cycle in order to have screening completed. This is a major benefit to intended parents who are looking to qualify an egg donor immediately.

AMH, is a simple test that can be done to save an intended parent(s) from investing both financially and emotionally in an egg donor. Egg Donor Solutions understands that finding out if a first time donor has the appropriate level of fertility before completing a cycle is important to intended parents.

Screenings and Legalities
Each egg donor goes through specific screenings at the point that they are chosen. These screenings are mandatory to all egg donors. Each donor will go through both a physical and a psychological screening before they are able to be committed to an egg donation cycle. If you choose to work with an agency they will help facilitate that screening with your clinic. It is highly recommended when using an egg donor you have a contract in place that both you and the egg donor sign legal agreements before you move forward. This ensures all expectations of the cycle currently and for the future are mutually agreed upon between both parties. This is still not a standard procedure but highly recommended in all donor/recipient matches.

Options for future contact
Another important element of the agreement is establishing a way for IPs to contact the donor in the future for medical updates, questions or in the event their children want to reach out when they are older. This is typically done via the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR), a nonprofit organization that facilitates connections between donor-conceived people, egg donors, sperm donors, siblings and recipient parents through its website.

When the DSR is included in the agreement, IPs pay the membership fee for themselves and the donor, who is required to register with the site and keep her information current. IPs and donors can choose to remain unidentified to one another and communicate strictly through the DSR, or they may choose to exchange names and personal contact information.

Finding the Hard Stuff
It can be hard for infertile couples to locate an egg donor based on some of their needs. Each donor is required to fill out a family history. This will enable intended parents to pick an egg donor based on many qualities such as how a donor looks, genetic traits, ethnic heritage, as well as other things that are passed down through genetics. When searching for certain things may find that there are harder to find if you run into this evaluate if that is a ”must” or just a ”would be nice”. That may free you up to find a donor that you just fall in love with, and some advice from fellow Recipient Parents.

No matter what qualities you want from an egg donor, remember to be confident in your decisions, and pick a donor that you feel really good about. Take the time to find the right egg donor for you. If you are interested in working with an Egg Donation Agency that is committed to helping you find the donor that is best for you please call Egg Donor Solutions today.

We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.

Our path to parenthood

Like many people trying to have a baby in their early 40’s, our journey involved some unexpected twists and turns. We went through multiple IUI and IVF cycles and unsuccessful attempts with multiple egg donors. At our doctor’s recommendation, we ultimately decided to fertilize half of our donor eggs with our own sperm and half with donor sperm. After nearly 4 years of trying, we now have a beautiful 4-month-old baby girl conceived with both donor egg and donor sperm. Though our situation is unique, in many ways our experiences may be familiar to anyone experiencing infertility and exploring the option of using a donor.

Like many people who consider donor conception, we struggled with difficult questions along the way. How comfortable did we feel using donor eggs? When all other options were off the table, how did we feel about moving to a double-donor embryo, knowing that our child would not have a genetic connection to either one of us? Would we bond with a baby who is not genetically related to us? How would our future child feel about the decisions we’re making? How open should we be with others about how she was conceived? Should we limit the people who know or should we be more public in an attempt to normalize donor conception? How would those outside of our inner circle react when they learn she was conceived with the help of donors? How would we manage the financial burden? We wanted to carefully consider each question before taking the next step.

In the process of learning more and working through our thoughts and feelings, we talked a lot about what was important to us. We decided not to move forward until we both felt comfortable with our choices and until we believed that our future child would too. For example, when we moved to donor conception we knew we wanted to be 100% transparent, open and honest with our child from the beginning, so we wrote her a personalized children’s book that explains her unique story. We also chose an open donation, which we thought would be important for her identity development. We wanted our child to have some degree of contact with her donors if she chose to do so.

We also felt it was important to pick donors who share some of our core values. We looked for donors who were bright, heart-centered, and who had a zest for life. When we selected our egg donor, we wrote her a note through our agency introducing ourselves and asking if she would consider an open donation. Through back and forth communication, we landed on a plan we all felt great about. We later had a Skype conversation and eventually had the opportunity to meet both her and her husband when she came to our city for her egg retrieval. Our connection with her has been special and important to us.

The relationship between intended parents and an egg donor is an intimate one, and there is no ready-made societal template to follow that establishes what that relationship should look like. We were strangers, yet we were in the process of sharing an incredible gift that would change all of our lives. Our conversation with our egg donor and her husband was surprisingly easy, earnest, caring, and incredibly meaningful. We each talked about our lives and our hopes for the future and left feeling even more confident in our choices. Later, the fact that we’d felt so great about our egg donor made our decision to implant one of the double-donor embryos much easier.

We are now four months into our new life as a family of three, and this has been the best time of our lives. As we get to know our sparkly and happy little girl, our hearts are overflowing with love for our family and gratitude for the village it took to bring her into our lives.

Want to learn more about building your family via egg donation? Visit www.EggDonorSolutions.com

We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy 

with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.

The Process, Why our agency?, How we are different, Resources, Selecting your donor, Getting started,

Things to look for when choosing an Egg Donation Agency

Choosing an Egg Donation Agency is a big decision that should be made with confidence due to the nature of the decision. There are several ways to go about choosing which agency is best for you. Some Intended Parents choose based on the agency’s location, cost, recommendations from friends, family or even their doctor. Some choose to research agencies on the internet, or ask for referrals from their fertility clinic. Building a family through egg donation is a big decision.

Here are 6 factors that might be helpful when choosing the best Egg Donation Agency to partner with:

Is superior customer service a priority for the agency?

You will not want to work with an agency that is unresponsive or uncaring. Look for an agency that is personable. It is easier to have ONE contact that can walk you through the process then to have multiple people popping in at various times. Having ONE contact that you can feel confident to return your calls and/or emails promptly is important. Is the agency flexible and willing to meet with or talk with you during evening or weekend hours? You will want to feel like they are 100% committed to you and will make your needs top priority!

Does the Agency care about the well-being of the intended parents and place importance on the cycle being successful?

There are never guarantees that an egg donation cycle will be successful.  At times, an egg donor does not pass a day-3 or STD screening, they might not respond well to the medication or after a few weeks they might decide that being an egg donor is not right for them.  This can lead to a disrupted or canceled cycle. Finding an agency who understands how important it is to you that your egg donation cycle is successful and will work with you to find another egg donor at no additional charge no matter what stage of the egg donation cycle you are in, is important. An agency who is focused on helping you have a baby not just assisting you through ONE egg donation cycle, should bring you confidence.

Legal Considerations of Egg Donation: Why You Should Have a Direct Donor Agreement?

One of the most important aspects of the egg donation process we help facilitate for intended parents (IPs) is the direct legal agreement with their donor. Once a donor has passed the medical and psychological screening, the IPs and the donor will have the opportunity to consult separately with attorneys who specialize in assisted reproduction to craft a customized contract that is agreeable to both parties. This is a service that sets Egg Donor Solutions (EDS) apart from many fertility clinics with in-house donor programs and frozen egg banks where having a direct agreement with the donor is typically not an option. At Egg Donor Solutions, “One of the greatest advantages for IPs in having a direct donor agreement is the ability to tailor the agreement to their specific needs and desires (within the bounds of the law),” says Jenifer Chiles, an attorney with the Dallas-based Chiles & Warren Law Group. “If the IPs have a certain request or desire, we can see if it’s something the donor will agree to and have it included in the contract.”

Does the agency educate their donors BEFORE being matched with an intended parent(s) on commitment level needed, the egg donation process, and the possible complications associated with being an egg donor?

Reading through their content on the egg donor portion of their site will offer you more insight into the amount of education that is offered to potential egg donors. It is also helpful to ask the agency about their screening process and the determining factors and qualifications required for a potential donor.

Does the agency offer you the ability to see potential egg donor profiles for free?

Egg Donation agencies are all different.  Knowing that you want an agency who can help you find the right fit for you and your family, it’s best to find an agency that makes the process easy for you.  Some agencies require a consultation with you to discuss your needs and then will send you appropriate donor candidates. Others allow you to search their database immediately. It should never cost you money to see egg donor candidates with an agency.  Look to see what their policies are during the initial search process.

When it comes to choosing an Egg Donor, there are many decisions to be made. It can feel overwhelming. Ultimately, you will want to pick a donor who you feel comfortable with. Egg Donor Solutions has added an option for Egg Donors to upload a video to help you get a feel for their personality. Most Intended Parents find it helpful to make a list of “must have” and “would be nice if.” Having this list helps when you start to look at profiles, more on the ideal donor here.

Can you easily find the agency’s fees listed online?

If the agency’s fees are listed up front, it will help ensure that you are prepared for the costs of using an egg donor. You will not want to work with an agency that nickels and dimes their intended parents with fees for consultations, phone calls with donors, rematching fees, etc.

Thank you for your interest in our Egg Donation Program!
We know the journey to creating your happy family has likely been long and difficult to navigate. At Egg Donor Solutions we want to help make that a distant memory. We have a compassionate and experienced team that truly enjoys serving our clients to ensure you can enjoy this part of the journey. We will assist you as little or as much as you want in order to help you find a great donor for your family. Once you do select an egg donor, you will be assigned a Care Coordinator who will guide and support you and your egg donor through the entire egg donation cycle to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Do you have more questions about moving forward with the egg donor process or questions about Egg Donor Solutions specifically? Schedule a time with our Egg Donor Matching Team to learn more.

We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy 

with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.

The Process, Why our agency?, How we are different, Resources, Selecting your donor, Getting started,

Selecting the right donor

In the United States there is one out of every eight couples that have fertility issues. Whenever an infertile couple comes to the decision to use an egg donor as their form of fertility treatment there are many questions that will come to mind. One of the biggest questions is how to choose the right egg donor for your needs.

What is Important
When a person is about to be so valuable to you it is important that you know what you are looking for. It is important to have an idea of what you’re looking for before you begin the selection process. There are some questions that might help you along the way.

-Decide if your egg donor’s religion is important?
-Do the egg donor’s personal traits matter?
-Is the personality of your egg donor important?
-Will you evaluate academic and employment success?
-What do you feel is nature vs. nurture, so you know what things you don’t have to worry about when choosing an egg donor.

Remember that no matter what is important to you, be honest with your partner as well as your fertility clinic and egg donation agency they may be helping you find the right one.

What Kind of Donor Relationship
Each intended parent has a different expectation of what they want their relationship with their egg donor to look like. If you choose to go with a donor of which you do not have a prior relationship it is encouraged to either use your fertility clinics database of donors or an agency which you can trust. Most agencies will facilitate both known and anonymous cycles. If you have a strong preference one way or the other make sure you discuss that with your agency.

We help Intended Parents Create Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy with the help of caring Egg Donors & Surrogates.

The Process, Why our agency?, How we are different, Resources, Selecting your donor, Getting started,

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Planning for the future

Staying fit while pregnant

Egg Donation Timeline

The right donor for your family

AMH

Our path to parenthood

Things to look for when choosing an Egg Donation Agency

Selecting the right donor

Tag: egg donation

Selecting the right donor

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