What to expect at every step
Donor egg IVF means starting your cycle with eggs from a matched donor instead of your own. A planned match typically takes three to six months from database access to retrieval. This page walks you through each stage — what happens, what we ask of you, and how your coordinator supports you from your first question through your donor's last appointment.
Getting Started
First week
Reach out with questions
Whether it's a quick email, a call, or going straight to requesting access, tell us what matters most to you so we can assist in your search
1
Request donor database access
Complete a short questionnaire to gain access to the full egg donor database so you can start reviewing profiles right away
2
Schedule a video consultation
We'll walk you through the process and answer every question you have, covering realistic timelines, what to expect, and how to review profiles.
3
Screening & Matching
Variable
Review the Database
Browse full donor profiles. Every donor listed has passed an application review, a personal interview, and AMH testing.
4
Identify Your Match
Let your coordinator know which donor or donors you're interested in, and we'll confirm next steps from there.
5
Reserve Your Match
We reach out to your donor to confirm her availability , then reserve her for your match while we move forward.
6
Medical & Legal Clearance
4-6 weeks after match
Medical & Psych Sceening
Once you're matched, your donor completes a full medical workup and a psychological evaluation with a licensed counselor.
7
Legal Consultation & Contracts
A reproductive attorney will draft an egg donation agreement, which will be reviewed and finalized. Donor funds are deposited in escrow.
8
Procedure Calendar
Your clinic sets the injection and monitoring calendar. Your coordinator keeps your donor's appointments on track through retrieval.
9
Retrieval & Aftercare
2-3 weeks post cycle-start
Donor Egg Retrieval
Donor egg retrieval will occur at your clinic. Fertilization and transfer are decisions between you and your physician.
10
Post-Retrieval Support
Your coordinator checks in through your cycle and stays connected afterward, for questions, future cycles, or a sibling donation down the road.
11
Getting Started
Getting started is often the hardest part of becoming an egg donor recipient. These are big decisions, and you deserve to feel confident making them. We're available for any questions along the way, whenever they come up.
​
Here's exactly what happens between your first conversation with us about donor egg IVF and your first look at the donor database:
​
You can reach out however it's easiest -- email, a phone call, or requesting database access directly. Whichever way you start, your coordinator will ask about your family-building path, your general timeline, and what matters most to you in a donor, whether that's medical history, education, appearance, or personality. That conversation shapes which donors we point you toward first, so you're not sorting through profiles that were never a good fit to begin with.
​
A short questionnaire is all it takes to open the full donor database. Once you're in, you'll find complete profiles built around medical and family history, personal essays, and photos, filtered to the criteria that matter most to you. Every donor listed has already passed an application review, a personal interview, and hormone testing to confirm baseline fertility indicators, so what you're browsing has already been through a first layer of vetting before you ever see it.
​
Once you've had a chance to look through the database, we'll schedule a one-on-one video consultation with your coordinator. That conversation covers realistic timelines for your situation, what happens once you've selected a donor, and how matching, screening, and legal coordination unfold from there. It's also your chance to ask anything that's come up while reviewing profiles before you commit.
Screening & Matching
Choosing a donor is where this starts to feel real. It's natural to feel torn between a few different profiles, or worried that your first choice won't turn out to be available.
Here's exactly what happens during the egg donor matching process, from reviewing full profiles to confirming your match.
​
Take your time here. Compare profiles side by side, revisit favorites, and don't hesitate to ask your coordinator questions about anything in a profile that isn't clear. Most intended parents narrow their search to two or three donors before deciding who to move forward with.
​
Once you've narrowed things down, tell your coordinator which donor or donors you're interested in. A final decision isn't required right away, since donor interest and availability can shift the picture, so it helps to share more than one option if you have them.
​
From there, we reach out to your donor directly to confirm she's still available and interested in moving forward with your specific plan. Once she confirms, we reserve her for your match and begin coordinating the next phase with your clinic.
Legal & Medical
Once your donor has accepted the match and completed the clinic’s required preliminary screening, you and the donor will each work with separate attorneys experienced in third-party reproduction. Your attorney will prepare the egg donation agreement, and the donor’s attorney will review and negotiate it with her independently. The agreement documents the parties’ intentions and addresses compensation and approved expenses, confidentiality, future contact and information sharing, medical and legal responsibilities, and when control of the retrieved eggs and any resulting embryos transfers to you. It also confirms the parties’ intent that you will be the legal parent or parents of any child conceived and that the donor will have no parental rights or obligations. Before the donor begins cycle medications, the required funds are placed in escrow, the agreement is signed, and the attorneys provide written legal clearance to the agency and fertility clinic. The clinic may then authorize the medical cycle to proceed. Exact requirements can vary according to state law, clinic policy, and the advice of the parties’ attorneys.
​
Medical clearance follows. The fertility clinic where your retrieval will take place conducts a full evaluation: bloodwork, pelvic ultrasound, physical exam, and a psychological assessment with a licensed mental health professional. This screening is required before any cycle begins and is the standard for any egg donation. Your treatment cycle does not start until the clinic confirms you are medically and psychologically cleared.
​
Your coordinator handles all of the scheduling for both and keeps you informed of timelines throughout.
Retrieval & Aftercare
Once the donor has completed legal and medical clearance, the fertility clinic creates the medication, monitoring, and retrieval schedule. The clinic provides all medical instructions directly to the donor, while The Donor Consultant coordinates communication and keeps you informed as important milestones are completed.
On retrieval day, the clinic collects the donor’s eggs and begins the laboratory plan you have discussed with your fertility physician. Depending on your treatment plan, the next steps may include fertilization, embryo culture, genetic testing, cryopreservation, or embryo transfer.
The clinic manages the donor’s immediate medical care and recovery.
The Donor Consultant follows up with the donor and remains available to coordinate appropriate case updates, answer process questions, and help with future planning, including a possible sibling cycle if the donor is available and willing.