Egg Donation in the Greater Houston Area

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs is designed for women who can no longer use their own eggs as the result of advanced maternal age, autoimmune disease, chemotherapy, radiation, or surgical removal of the ovaries. It may also be appropriate for women who carry a genetic disease that they do not wish to pass on to their children or women whose chances of conception with other fertility treatments are significantly low. Our egg donation program, serving the greater Houston metropolitan area, matches infertile couples with egg donor candidates.

• Egg Donation - Recipients
  • Egg Donation Cycles from a Recipient's Viewpoint

To Be An Egg Donor, Click Here!

Egg Donation - Recipients

Donor egg programs have made it possible for a couple to have a child that, many times, holds half of their genetic fingerprint, and it also allows the woman to carry the pregnancy herself.  Many times it is seen as an alternative to adoption.

There are several reasons why a woman would seek to have donor eggs, including:

• Premature ovarian failure
• Poor quality eggs
• Diminished quantity of eggs
• Advanced reproductive age
• Menopause
• Genetic abnormalities
• Chemotherapy or radiation treatment

Egg Donation Cycles from a Recipient's Viewpoint

To begin the process, the patient (recipient) selects a donor . This can be a family member, friend, or an anonymous volunteer who has been screened by our staff.  Then, the egg donation process begins whereby the donor produces and donates eggs to the recipient. The eggs are then fertilized and the resulting embryos are placed in the uterus of the recipient to continue normal fetal development.

The egg donor uses fertility drugs to stimulate the development of multiple eggs, and the recipient takes estrogen and progesterone to prepare the uterus for embryos to be implanted.  Many recipient couples receive a large number of embryos through egg donation, which then allows for freezing and the possibility of future use.

At Houston Fertility Institute, we have a very successful donor egg program.  Our IVF pregnancy rate with donor egg has consistently been 65% - 75% per treatment cycle.

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Egg Donation - To Be a Donor

Egg donors have the ability to change an infertile couple’s lives by assisting them in becoming parents through compassionate donation of their eggs.  In many testimonials, donors are referred to as anonymous angels.  A donor will be monetarily compensated for their time and efforts in this process but many say this is the least of their rewards.

• Who Can Be an Egg Donor?
• Financial Obligations
• What to Expect as an Egg Donor
• The Egg Donation Process
• Egg Donation Checklist

Who Can Be an Egg Donor?

An egg donor is a compassionate woman who offers another woman the chance to become a mother. Any woman in good health, between the ages of 21 and 30, may volunteer at one of our Texas offices to be an anonymous egg donor.

As part of the egg donation program at Houston Fertility Institute, each egg donor candidate must first undergo medical and psychological screening. When these steps have been successfully completed, the egg donor takes injections of fertility medications for approximately 8 to12 days to stimulate the maturation of multiple eggs.

Egg donors are monitored throughout the stimulation phase via blood tests and ultrasound examinations to determine how well the medication is working. These tests typically require a minimum of four morning office visits. Once it is determined that the eggs are mature, they are collected during a minor 20-minute procedure. Egg donors can return to work or school the following day knowing they have given a couple the joy of having a child!

Financial Obligations

At Houston Fertility Institute, egg donor candidates are not expected to pay for the medical and psychological screening tests, medications, or procedures involved with the egg donation cycle. Each egg donor will receive financial compensation for the time and effort they put into donating their eggs.

What to Expect as an Egg Donor

• We will make the experience as easy and comfortable as possible.
• You will receive individual attention from our egg donation team at one of our eight Texas offices, in Houston, The Woodlands, Willowbrook, Tomball, Katy, Sugar Land, Medical Center, and Clear Lake.
• Your identity will never be revealed to the recipient couple nor will you know who they are.
• Participating at one of our Houston, Texas area offices as an egg donor has no long-term health risks and there are no adverse effects on your future fertility.

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The Egg Donation Process

The following steps outline the egg donation process at our Texas offices:

Application Process

Please e-mail us at donors@hfi-ivf.com to receive further information from our donor coordinator. The nurse will give you some information about our egg donor process and direct you to a special website where you will complete the application. The application asks questions that help describe who you are as a person as well as your medical, social, and family history. In addition to completing the application, you should mail four to six photos of yourself to our Egg Donor Coordinator at:

Houston Fertility Institute
ATTN: Brandi Conrad, Egg Donor Coordinator
610 Lawrence Street, Tomball, TX 77375.

Personal Interview

After the questionnaire and photos have been reviewed, and preliminary qualifications have been met, each prospective egg donation candidate will meet at one of our Houston, Texas-area offices with our egg donor coordinator for an interview. She will explain the steps of the egg donation program in greater depth.

Matching Egg Donors and Recipients

Once you are notified of your qualification, your questionnaire and photos are placed in our donor book for recipients to review while selecting their egg donor.

Psychological Interview

Once selected by a recipient, we require all egg donor candidates to see a psychologist. This is part of our strategy to ensure your long-term psychological health. The interview will focus on the many complex moral, ethical, and psychosocial issues that confront egg donors. Our psychologist will help you explore many issues so you will feel confident in your choice to participate in the egg donation program at Houston Fertility Institute.

Medical Examination and Blood Tests

The final step in the egg donation process includes a medical examination and blood tests. During this examination, you will meet with a Houston Fertility Institute physician for a physical exam and a cervical culture (which tests for potential sexually transmitted diseases). You will also have blood drawn to test for HIV and hepatitis. If indicated, your spouse may also be tested for HIV and hepatitis.

Egg Donation Cycle

Once the egg donor has completed all screenings and been successfully matched with a recipient, the medical staff at one of our Texas offices will initiate the egg donation cycle.

Egg Donation Checklist

• Complete the online application.
• Submit at least four to six photos, two of which must be recent.
• Send good quality photos that best display your features. (You may crop or enlarge as needed). Pictures should not include other people, unless they are your children.
• Photos can be returned to you if needed.
• Mail photos of yourself to Houston Fertility Institute, ATTN: Brandi Conrad, Egg Donor Coordinator, 610 Lawrence Street, Tomball, TX 77375. Include a copy of your driver's license for our records.
• Our egg donor coordinator will contact you once the questionnaire and photos have been received to schedule the interview.
• Attend the personal interview.
• Your photos and completed egg donation questionnaire will be placed in our donor book. We will contact you once a recipient has chosen you to be her egg donor.

More Information for Houston, Texas Area Egg Donor Candidates

If you have any questions about our egg donation program serving The Woodlands, Houston, and surrounding Texas communities, contact our egg donor coordinator today.

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