Edited Transcript of the Donor Application Process Video
So, first of all, thank you for your interest in becoming an egg donor. We value our egg donors, and you are giving such a great gift even by just applying, so thank you for that.
When you start your application, make sure that you have some time to sit down and dedicate to the application process. We’ll be honest; it is a long process.
Your and Your Family’s Health
We are going to be asking you things about your own health and personality, as well as the health of your family members and extended family members.
I will tell you that it is a little bit of a red flag when we have an application come through, and there’s nothing in the family health history listed because, obviously, we all have family members with health conditions. It’s just something that’s normal, so don’t be afraid to list those. It is important for your health that we know what those are to ensure that you’re a good candidate for egg donation. Just because there is something in the health history of your family or even yourself, it does not necessarily disqualify you to donate.
BMI – Body Mass Index
The other thing that comes up all the time is BMI, your body mass index, and if your body mass index is either too high or too low, it does not make your eggs any less valuable. What it does is, makes the process a higher risk for you and your health. So we are not discounting that you have beautiful eggs or that you have beautiful children on your own, but if you are underweight or overweight, it could bring up some complications for you and your health. We are absolutely careful about making sure that we are not putting anybody at high risk, and so that is something that makes it a little more dangerous for you to donate eggs, and we are not willing to put your health at risk. That’s why we have the BMI guidelines there.
Beauty
Another question that comes up is, “Do I have to be beautiful or a supermodel, or else I won’t be accepted as an egg donor?” That is not true. Our recipients are looking for an egg donor that resembles them. It doesn’t matter about your phenotypes or how tall you are, or anything like that. Our recipients are just really hoping to be matched with an egg donor with similar characteristics as their own, and they’re very happy with that. So your looks or photos don’t play any role in whether or not you’re accepted to be an egg donor. In fact, we are looking for all nationalities and all phenotypes. We want a good variety of egg donors for our recipients to choose from, so don’t let that stop you from applying.
Photos
Also on this subject of looks, we have a lot of donors who are a little bit nervous about the photos that they submit for their application. These are photos that the recipients will be looking at. Some of the recipients do only want to see childhood photos, [others want to also see young adult and adult photos], so it is really important that you submit both childhood and adult photos. It’s best if you can do a few photos at various stages of your life; so a few infant ones; a toddler photo or two; maybe some from school age; and college; and then adult. If you don’t have those it’s not going to knock you out of being an egg donor, but it is best if you do in fact. Most recipients are drawn towards donors with a lot of photos.
The photos that you submit should be natural.
First of all it’s important that they’re showing your natural hair color, eye color, and none of these really fun filters. I really try not to let anybody submit photos with bunny ears or anything else. The photos should look like you.
Secondly, they should show your personality. Rather than having somebody take a photo of you while you’re standing against a black wall, submit photos of holding your dog, or running on the beach, or blowing out candles, or something that is showing you laughing. These candid photos really help recipients know your personality and see who you are as a person. That helps them a lot.
Those donors who have those photos and have a lot of them are generally the ones that recipients are drawn to.
Application Timeline
Finally, let’s talk about the timeline of the application. For the majority of donors, by the time they start their application for the first time, to the time they submit their application, generally, that’s about a week to 12 days. That’s what we like to see. Remember, we are looking for an egg donor who is reliable, who can show up on time, and when it’s time to do a cycle to donate eggs. It is important that you keep timelines.
When we see an application that’s been sitting there, and worked on over a year’s time, it makes us a little bit nervous. So, if you can get that application done within a week or two, that would be perfect. I have had some donors who get the application done in two days. That’s great! But, the bottom line is please make sure that you allow yourself enough time to really give us some thoughtful and thorough answers to our questions. Remember, these questions are actually going to be viewed by the recipients, except for anything that identifies you. Also, when you’re submitting your pictures make sure that you edit out anyone else in the photo. Also, edit out any parts that might have identified information like a name tag or a school logo or your work uniform if it’s obvious, so we can retain your anonymity.
As always you can contact us with any questions. If you have any trouble, all of our contact information is here on this site as well as email and phone, so reach out if you have any questions.
Lastly, and again, whether or not you get approved to be an egg donor, thank you so much for your interest and for applying.