| Reproductive Biology Associates Egg Donation Program Application and Seminars
How is the donor screening done? Donors are screened according to criteria established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Call RBA between the hours of 8:30am-3:30pm at 404-843-0579 with the first day of your menstrual cycle. We will schedule an appointment for bloodwork and ultrasound within the first three days of your menstrual cycle. If your period starts on a weekend, call on Monday. If you are on other forms of birth control, please call to determine when to schedule bloodwork. The remaining steps to the screening process are:
Once it has been determined that your eggs are needed, you will be contacted by our staff to initiate the donation process. An appointment will be made to teach you how to administer the injectable medications you will need to take. The injections are relatively easy and painless and the needles are quite small. How exactly does RBA get my eggs? Once the process begins, our staff will ask you to start taking birth control pills to regulate your cycle. Alternatively, you may be asked to start taking an injectable medication called "Lupron". Both pills and Lupron allow us to control the timing of the stimulation phase of the cycle. In some cases, cycle control will not be necessary and the donor will not need either the pill or Lupron. It is based on the specific situation. Once a start date for stimulation has been chosen by our staff, you will be asked to stop the pill on a specific date or adjust your Lupron dose. On the first day of stimulation, you will take injectable FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). FSH is taken twice daily in most cases. Donors on Lupron will still take their Lupron during the stimulation phase. Donors who were on the pill will start a second injectable medication called Ganirelix on either the 5th, 6th or 7th day of stimulation. Donors will visit one of our offices for bloodwork and ultrasound 6-9 times in a 10-13 day period to assess the growth of their eggs. Once the eggs appear mature, donors will take one final injection to ripen their eggs and mkae them suitable for retrieval. Thirty-six hours after this final injection, you will come to our office on the sixth floor where you will undergo a minor procedure to remove the eggs. Eggs are captured with a suction device attached to a vaginal ultrasound probe. The device allows us to both see the ovaries and safely insert a needle into them through the vagina so that we can remove the eggs. The procedure is done under light sedation and you will not feel the procedure while it is underway. After egg retrieval some donors feel mild discomfort that resolves typically within a day. Once the eggs are removed they belong to our egg bank and will be provided to one or more recipients. What happens then? Donors are generally ready to resume normal activity the day after egg collection. Two weeks later, donors return for a brief check-up to be sure they remain in good health. At this appointment they are compensated for their time. Frequently Asked Questions About the Egg Donation Process Why is there a height/weight criteria? The medications that are administered work best in average weight individuals. Can you donate your eggs if your tubes are tied? Yes, you can donate your eggs even if your tubes are tied. The fallopian tubes are not involved in the retrieval process, just the ovaries. Does donating my eggs affect my ability to have children in the future? No, these drugs do not affect your future fertility. How long does the screening process take, and how quickly does it take for you to find me a match? The screening process typically takes about 1-2 months, and you should be matched within a 1-2 month time frame. How often do I need to come in for monitoring (lab work and ultrasound appointments)? You will need to come in for approximately 6-8 days in a row until your eggs have fully matured. How long do the monitoring appointments last, and what times can I come in for appointments? The appointments can last anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour, depending in how many patients are ahead of you. We offer appointments between 7:00a.m.- 11:30a.m., with the exception of a few appointments that need to be made later in the morning. Can I monitor at one of your satellite offices? Yes, we allow donors to monitor for most of their appointments at our Marietta, Lawrenceville, and Alpharetta offices. How many times can I donate my eggs? You are eligible to donate up to six times in a lifetime, as long as you have been approved by our embryologist to return for additional donation cycles. Does the egg retrieval process hurt, and how soon after can I return to work? You will receive light IV sedation during the egg retrieval process, but you may have some discomfort afterwards. Every person has a different experience. Most individuals are able to return to work the next day, and others may need an additional day to recover from the procedure. If the process is anonymous and the recipient couple does not see my photo, why do I submit one? The photo that is submitted with your profile is used ONLY by the egg donor program team to match your physical characteristics with that of the potential recipient. The recipient usually desires a donor with similar physical attributes. If you believe you meet the requirements for Reproductive Biology Associate's Egg Donation Program, fill out the Donor Application and send it in now. You could make an important difference in another woman’s life.  ©
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