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Egg Donor Matching Process
The following steps describe the typical egg donation matching
process at Tiny Treasures:
- The Egg Donor submits an Egg Donor application/profile to Tiny Treasures.
- Tiny Treasures reviews the application to ensure that
the Egg Donor meets our criteria and, if the Egg Donor is accepted, she
is included in our Egg Donor database.
- There is a "waiting period," during which we wait
for Prospective Parents to show interest in working with the Egg Donor.
It is difficult to estimate the length of this waiting period
(anywhere from days to months). The Egg Donor's profile is sent to
Prospective Parents upon request (no identifying information is
released to the Prospective Parents, such as the Egg Donor's name,
address, contact information, etc.).
- Tiny Treasures will inform an Egg Donor when Prospective Parents
have decided that they are interested in pursuing an egg donation
agreement with her.
- Prospective Parents may ask additional questions of the Egg Donor
that are not addressed in her profile and/or may request to have
a phone conversation with the Egg Donor (which Tiny Treasures
can set up anonymously via conference calling) and/or may request
to meet the Egg Donor (if the Egg Donor is agreeable to an open donation).
- Prospective Parents complete a brief profile about themselves,
which will be given to the Egg Donor they are interested in working
with (minus identifying information). The purpose of this profile
is to enable the Egg Donor to get a sense of whom she would be donating
to.
- If the Prospective Parents decide that they want to work with
the Egg Donor, they must submit a non-refundable agency fee
to Tiny Treasures to reserve that Egg Donor for their egg donation cycle. An Egg Donor's availability
cannot be guaranteed until this fee is submitted and Tiny Treasures cannot otherwise place the Egg Donor on "hold" for Prospective
Parents. The Prospective Parents will then sign a service agreement
with Tiny Treasures and deposit funds into
a Trust Account to cover the financial aspects of the egg donation
arrangement.
- The Egg Donor and Prospective Parents will then sign an egg donation
contract with one another (each party will be represented by an
independent attorney). This contract will address all the legal
implications of an egg donation agreement, including the legal
responsibility of both parties, compensation agreement terms,
ownership of eggs resulting from the donation, etc.
- Once the contract has been signed, the Egg Donor will then be medically
and psychologically screened. The Prospective Parents’ IVF
clinic/physician will determine exactly what types of screening
the Egg Donor must undergo. This screening may either be completed
at the Prospective Parents’ IVF clinic or, in the case of an out-of-state egg donation, Tiny Treasures can arrange for the screening to be carried out at a clinic
more convenient to the Egg Donor. Some IVF clinics do require
that the Egg Donor be screened at their site, in which the case the
Egg Donor must be willing to travel to the clinic to complete this
mandatory screening. Such screening, as designated by the Prospective
Parents' IVF clinic, may include the following:
Medical Screening
Generally consists of a series of blood tests, cervical cultures,
a physical exam, and a vaginal ultrasound. This screening is done
to confirm that the Egg Donor is healthy and able to donate.
Additionally a blood test is usually required on the second or
third day of the Egg Donor’s menses to assess hormonal levels.
Genetic Screening
Generally in the form of blood tests; investigates whether the
Egg Donor is a carrier of genetics diseases, such as Cystic Fibrosis.
Psychological Screening
Conducted by a psychologist or social worker to ensure that the
Egg Donor is aware of all the psychological implications of the egg
donation process. This screening will help determine whether the
Egg Donor is psychologically sound enough to be a Egg Donor.
Partner Screening
If the Egg Donor has a sexual partner, s/he may also be required
to undergo blood tests to screen for sexually transmitted diseases.
- If the Egg Donor successfully passes all of her psychological and
medical screening, the egg donation
cycle begins.
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