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The Palm Beach Fertility Center has a successful egg donor program available to women who are unable to produce their own eggs because of ovary malfunction. We have had a 75% pregnancy rate with the use of donor eggs. The number of eggs we retrieve from the donor influences the success rate. We try to retrieve as many eggs as possible since we can use the eggs repeatedly by freezing them after they are fertilized so that if a recipient of the eggs/embryos does not get pregnant the first time, she would have another opportunity to get pregnant without the donor having to re-donate eggs. The Palm Beach Fertility Center has an active list of anonymous donors who are thoroughly evaluated and screened. We are committed to providing a high quality program using women motivated to help an infertile couple realize their dream of having a family.
There are no strict guidelines on who can and can't be an egg donor recipient. But generally speaking, any woman whose own ovaries don't function properly is eligible. We do have an age cut off of 30 years old. Dr. Denker and members of the staff will carefully evaluate your unique situation before helping you make a decision on whether donor eggs are right for you.
Egg donors must be between 18-30 of age with no medical problems.
Prospective donors are subjected to a variety of medical and psychological examinations. Included is screening for genetic conditions and sexually transmitted diseases as well as drug screening. Donors must not smoke and must be in good physical and emotional condition.
Most of the prospective donors are recruited from local college campuses and from communities within Palm Beach and Broward counties. We do not recruit donors from third party sources. Each recipient of donor eggs has access to personal information about the donor including such things as weight, height, hair color, eye color, and blood type, educational experience and ethnic background, but the donor's identity will remain anonymous.
Once a prospective donor is accepted, she goes through a hormone stimulation process that enables her to produce more eggs than during a typical ovulation. This is accomplished by administering daily hormone injections. The donor's progress is closely monitored, and after a series of ultrasound examinations, blood tests and hormone level checks, she is scheduled for egg retrieval. The procedure is performed under light anesthesia and usually takes about 30 minutes. The eggs are transferred immediately to the embryology laboratory. The donor is able to go home soon after the procedure and get back to a normal routine within 24 hours.
Yes. At the time of aspiration of eggs, the donor will receive $5,000.00 from the clinic. If a donor were to be canceled after stimulation has begun, she would only be compensated $500.00 for her time.
"My experience has been very rewarding for me, and my husband supports me all the way. In fact, he administers all of my injections and has gone to Dr. Denker's office with me for each procedure. We both feel a sense of pride about our ability to help. I have two sons but both of my pregnancies were very difficult. I know what it's like to be hospitalized and to experience the fear and heartbreak that comes with the possibility of losing a child. I was fortunate because I ended up being lucky enough to deliver healthy children, but I can sympathize with couples who are not as lucky as I am."
Tammy, an egg donor from Boca Raton
For more information on egg donation, click here.
How to Become an Egg Donor
Click here to find out how you can become an egg donor.
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