a diverse pool of immediately available donors
Ensuring the availability of a large group of carefully screened donors and empowering patients to choose their own donor are cornerstones of the Donor Egg IVF program at the Genetics & IVF Institute. GIVF matches its donor pool to the diverse ethnicity, talents, educational background, and interests of its patients. With over 150 fully-screened donors (many who are immediately available), you can choose the donor who is right for you and rest assured that all donor screening has taken place at GIVF. You will find more information about each of our donors than any other fertility cetner. While your patient care team is available to guide you through the search, the selection of the right donor for you is up to you.
Our donors are healthy women between the ages of 19 and 31. They are college-educated and have good family health histories. Our “doctoral donors” hold or are pursuing advanced degrees in medicine or other academic specialties. Other donors are talented musicians, artists, and athletes. In the rare chance that you do not find a donor in our current database who meets your needs, we can usually find a donor who meets your specifications.
Only a very small percentage of donors who apply are actually accepted into the program because few meet our rigorous standards. Donors who have completed and passed the medical screening are added to the donor pool and can be selected (matched) by prospective recipients. Unlike many donor agencies, GIVF provides continuity of care for donors as well as for patients. After screening the donors, the same GIVF medical staff cares for them throughout their egg donation cycle. To search for an egg donor, visit our donor database.
Donor Information Provided
It is important to note that GIVF is one of the few programs to offer such an extensive amount of information about each donor. Knowing how important the choice of a donor is to our patients, GIVF provides the following information about each donor:
- Current photos
- Childhood photos
- Audio interviews
- Blood type & Rh Factor
- Ethnic background of donor's mother and father
- Family medical history
- Height & weight
- Body build
- Eye color
- Hair color & texture
- Years of education and areas of study
- Occupation
- Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and grade point averages
- Special interests and sports
- Written essay
- Personality typing
- Whether pregnancies have been achieved.
Donor Screening
Before they are accepted into the program, donors are interviewed and must pass a physical examination. The GIVF team of reproductive endocrinologists, geneticists, and genetic counselors studies each donor’s individual and family health histories, medical tests, and other information to ensure that donors meet our highly selective standards.
Donors also undergo a psychological assessment of their commitment to the donor program and their appropriateness as a donor. They are extensively tested for genetic and infectious diseases, including HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Our screening process also includes the following testing:
- HIV
- Hepatitis
- Sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia
- Full chromosome analysis (karyotype)
- DNA testing for Cystic Fibrosis and Fragile X
- Appropriate genetic testing based on genetic risk factors such as sickle cell, Tay Sachs, Gaucher's, and Canavan disease
- Fertility evaluation and hormone testing.