Why Education is a Requirement to Donate Eggs

We often hear from women when they read our egg donation requirements “why does my education matter when it has nothing to do with my eggs?”
We are one of the more unique companies, as the typical standard for a donor egg company is to require a college degree, at a minimum.  We, on the other hand, ask for a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent.
Here’s the truth: genetics isn’t the only factor that determines education attainment level. Income level and environmental influences are large factors that influence the amount of formal education that one completes.
With that said, the reason why we require a minimum of a high school diploma is two-fold. Business decisions, not medical reasons, drive the requirement.

Recipients Request the Requirement

When choosing a donor, many egg donor recipients tend to select donors who resemble them in characteristics such as physical appearance, values, and educational background. Many egg donor recipients hold a minimum of a college degree and value education; so when they choose a donor, more often than not, they also want a donor who has attained a similar education level and also values education. Therefore, recipients often overlook donors without a high school diploma. As a consequence, a donor egg company will have invested time and money into the donor’s screening; but a recipient will prioritize and educated donor over one that never graduated.

Experiences in a Structured Environment Can Make the Donor Process Easier

The donor process isn’t easy. It requires a donor to go to many medical visits. The donor also needs to adhere to a very precise protocol throughout a couple of months. At an aggregate level, those who have an educational degree tend to exhibit higher compliance levels. Therefore, they’re more likely to complete the process of becoming a donor. Maybe this is because those who have completed high school and college are used to a structured environment; therefore, the donor process is easier to complete.
We understand this may not seem fair to those without a minimum high school diploma. There are plenty of applicants without a high school diploma who have perfectly good eggs. But we hope this sheds a bit more insight and makes the reasoning for the requirement less arbitrary.