Your egg donor consultation, let’s talk about you

Once you’ve completed the first steps, it’s time for your initial egg donor consultation. This is an important part of the screening process, but don’t let the word “consultation” make it sound intimidating. It’s really a chance for us to get to know you — and for you to get to know exactly what being an egg donor involves.

We’ll walk you through the donation process from beginning to end, explain what will be expected of you and answer your questions. We want you to understand what you’re signing up for and feel comfortable with what comes next.

Then we’ll spend some time talking about your health.

We’re going to ask about your medical history. Egg donation is a medical process, so we need a pretty complete picture of your health before you can be approved as a donor. We’ll talk about your overall health, medications, previous illnesses, surgeries and other medical care you’ve received. We’ll also ask about your reproductive health. That can include when you got your first period, whether your cycles are regular, any problems you’ve had with your periods and whether you’ve ever been pregnant or had children.

Some of the questions may seem pretty detailed, but there’s a reason we ask. Your health and safety come first, and we also have a responsibility to the intended parents who may choose your eggs to help build their family.

Yep, we need to know about your family, too

Your family medical history is another important part of your donor profile. We may ask about significant health conditions involving your parents, siblings, grandparents and other close relatives. Certain diseases and medical conditions can run in families, so this information helps our medical team understand your health history beyond just you.

This is one part where a little homework can really help.  Before your consultation, talk to your family if you need to. Find out about any significant medical conditions that run in the family and make sure you know as much as possible about the health history of your parents, siblings and grandparents.

You don’t have to know everything. If you don’t know an answer, just tell us.

Have your medical records? Even better.

If you have access to your medical records, bring them or have them available. They can help you answer questions accurately and may make the screening process easier. Don’t have them? That’s okay. Come prepared with as much information as you can about your medical history, including previous surgeries, major illnesses, medications and reproductive history. The important thing is to be honest and thorough. Nobody expects you to have your entire medical history memorized.

This is your consultation, too

We’re learning about you during this appointment, but you should be learning about us and egg donation, too. Ask questions. Lots of them. How does the process work? What medications will you take? How many appointments will you have? What happens during egg retrieval? How long does everything take? This is the time to ask. Becoming an egg donor is a big decision, and we want you to understand the process before you decide to move forward.

If everything looks good after your consultation, we’ll guide you through the next steps in screening — one step at a time.