Navigating the Egg Donation Screening Process: What to Expect

If you’re thinking about using frozen donor eggs to conceive, you need to feel secure in your choice. What is the screening process for our egg donors? How can you know you’re receiving the best quality donor eggs as you begin your journey of becoming a parent?  The answer lies in Fairfax EggBank’s rigorous screening process. We know how much is at stake for you and your family. Let’s break down the steps involved in our screening process for a prospective egg donor, from beginning to end.

The Journey Begins:  Multiple Locations, One Process

The donor’s journey begins at one of our clinic locations around the country, ensuring a varied range of donors. We recruit at multiple locations, but it’s important to understand that our processes are entirely centralized. Fairfax EggBank manages all recruiting and screening to ensure that every egg donor is evaluated according to the same strict standards and protocol. This ensures the highest standard of accuracy, control, and quality when it comes to your precious donor eggs.

Complete Evaluation of Medical History and Genetics

Our team of reproductive endocrinologists, geneticists, nurses, genetic counselors and donor coordinators studies the donor’s individual and family health histories across three family generations. We look very closely all aspects of her own medical history: medications, surgeries, or hospitalizations, including any previous pregnancies.

Medical Testing and Screening

After this evaluation, our donor goes through pre-testing and review by a medical director. Here we perform infectious disease screening, along with detailed genetic carrier screening for a long list of disorders. This includes:

• A physical exam
• Infectious disease testing
• Genetic testing
• Drug usage testing, and
• Fertility testing.

You can view our current screening panel here. *NOTE: Effective September 2018, Fairfax EggBank’s database will feature GenPanel+ donors – a select group of donors who have completed an expanded genetic panel. Learn more here.
Our testing is conducted in accordance to recommendations and requirements by ACOG, ACMG, ASRM and the FDA.

Psychological Screening and Counseling

At this stage, we conduct an MMPI or equivalent, as well as a psychological evaluation administered by a mental health professional in order to assess the prospective egg donor’s mental health fitness, her commitment to the program, and whether or not she’s an appropriate candidate. We care about our egg donors—they’re very special people! We counsel each applicant at length on the egg donation process and how it affects her. Our donor learns about:

• The time commitment and logistical concerns
• Medication and how to perform injections
• Physical symptoms and side effects, and
• Medical risks involved in the procedure

Acceptance! The Donation Process Begins

After that intense screening process, you won’t be surprised to learn that less than .3% of our applicants are accepted into the donor program. This ensures our patients receive the highest quality donor eggs from the most committed, motivated egg donors. The egg donation process happens at one of our regional clinics. Then, thanks to our efficient, centralized process, the frozen donor eggs are shipped to our headquarters in Fairfax, VA…ready to be shipped to an egg donor recipient when she selects them.

Donating Again

If the previous cycle went well, donors can choose to donate eggs more than once after a successful cycle. We carefully evaluate our donors to make sure they’re ready to go through the process again—their well-being is a top concern.
It’s a long journey for a potential egg donor…but that journey is worth it to help those struggling to have families. Our egg donors and their donated eggs have gone through tough screening requirements to ensure our recipient’s success. Want more details about our screening process? Please read our comprehensive list of screening requirements. Or please contact us to learn more about donor screening and testing.