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FDA-approved Donor Egg Program

We are pleased to offer an egg donation program at Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine, PC. Egg donation gives couples struggling with natural conception a chance at pregnancy, while giving healthy donors an opportunity to share the joys of childbirth with those who might otherwise not be able to experience them.

We would like to remind visitors to our website that the information provided on the site is intended for educational purposes only. Egg donation, IVF, and all other assistive reproductive technologies (ART) are safe and effective, but they are also very complicated procedures. If you are considering either donating eggs or seeking ART procedures as a means to achieve pregnancy, please contact our practice to learn more and to find out whether you might be a good candidate.

• Donor Information
  • Who Can Donate Eggs?
  • The Donation Process
• Recipient Information

Donor Information

Thank you for your interest in becoming an egg donor! Egg donation has allowed many women whose ovaries are not capable of producing usable eggs to become pregnant.

Who Can Donate Eggs?

Healthy women, usually in their 20's, are the best candidates for egg donation. Donors are required to undergo a screening process, including a physical examination and informational session, genetic screening, psychological evaluation, and lab testing for infectious diseases and overall health. Donors must also undergo a painless ultrasound procedure to monitor the development of eggs, as well as a blood test to measure reproductive hormone levels.

The Donation Process

Lupron Injection

Donors begin the egg donation cycle with an administration of lupron injections. Lupron is a hormone which suppresses the ovaries, preventing the release of eggs (ovulation). Approximately a week later, the donor will begin her period.

Hormone Treatment

During the second day of their period, donors undergo a second ultrasound examination and begin taking hormone medications. These medications stimulate the ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible. We monitor all donors during this stage to determine whether the amount of hormones administered is correct or needs alteration. Our physicians determine when the eggs are ready, after several days of hormone treatment and monitoring.

Egg Maturity

When the blood testing and ultrasound monitoring suggests that donors have mature eggs in their ovaries, they receive an injection of hCG, a hormone which maintains progesterone levels and is the final step for egg maturity.

Egg Recovery

Once the donor's eggs are determined to be ready, 36 hours after the hCG injection and with the use of sonographic egg recovery (SER), an ultrasound-guided needle gently removes the eggs from the ovaries.

Recipient Information

Pregnancy through egg donation and IVF offers a way for couples to experience childbirth when they might not be able to do so naturally. The recipient undergoes an embryo transfer on either day 3 or 5 after the eggs from the donor have been inseminated with the recipient's partner's sperm or with donor sperm.

We would like to remind visitors to our website that the information provided on the site is intended for educational purposes only. Egg donation, IVF, and all other assistive reproductive technologies (ART) are safe and effective, but they are also very complicated procedures. If you are considering either donating eggs or seeking ART procedures as a means to achieve pregnancy, please contact our practice to learn more and to find out whether you might be a good candidate.