Completing your Egg Donor Application: What to Expect

There’s something very special about being an egg donor. Despite what you might have read about women donating eggs for money (especially to pay for college tuition or other expenses!), becoming a donor is an amazing and fulfilling experience. You’ll be helping another person or couple who, for whatever reason, can’t conceive a child on their own but long to be a mom or dad.  

That’s a pretty awesome thing! 

If you’ve decided that egg donation is something you can do, you’re probably wondering what the egg donor application process will involve. Hint: it’s not like a job application!

Let’s break down the questions you can expect to find on your egg donor application.

General Information  

As you’d expect with any application, you’ll have to give details about who you are and how best to contact you. We’ll need to know where you are living and how far you are willing to travel because our recipients are all over the US (and the world!). 

We’ll also want to know whether you’ve participated in other egg donation programs.  

Physical Information 

Most parents have at least some hopes of what they want their future offspring to look like. Intended Parents are no different. But it’s not just about being beautiful! Some IPs will hope that their child will look a little like them in terms of ethnicity, eye color, hair color, height, and build, so they may look for a donor that shares some of their own characteristics. Understandably, many parents would like their child to look like he or she is biologically related to them.  

Your application will ask questions about your hair (color, length, texture), whether you have freckles or dimples, your size and weight, and your dental health.  

We ask donors to give these details about their physical features so that we can provide our Intended Parent with as many options as possible.   

Photos (at least 10) 

Choosing the right photographs for your egg donor profile are essential. As we explained above, egg donation is *not* a beauty contest but rather a way for IPs to find someone whose features they’d like to see in their offspring. 

The other important thing about photos is that they can give your potential IPs some insight into your personality! Your photos should reflect who you are, what you enjoy doing, and how you would like to be perceived.  

Photos of yourself as a baby and growing up are just as helpful as recent photos. Your IPs would love to have an idea of what their little one might look like.  

Personal information  

We’ll also ask about things like your occupation and which languages you speak. Again, this helps IPs to get a clear picture of your personality and background. We might also want to know your religious affiliation and sexual orientation and a few details about your partner (if you have one).  

Education information 

At FSC, one of the criteria for becoming an egg donor is to have a minimum of a GED. This certifies that you have high school-level academic skills. 

However, higher education is preferred – for obvious reasons. Like any parent, IPs would love to know that their egg donor can demonstrate critical thinking and is motivated to learn.  

We’ll also want to know your high school GPA and other relevant scores where relevant, including college GPA, ACT, SAT, and MCAT. 

Reproductive History 

Details about your reproductive history are also very important. After all, it’s crucial that we have a reasonable expectation that you are able to produce healthy eggs!  

Yes, we accept donors who have never given birth before. However, we also need to know whether you have been pregnant before or had a miscarriage or an abortion. Your current health status and birth control methods will also need to be considered. 

If you have had children, we need to know if there were complications during your pregnancy and/or delivery and whether any of your biological children have health issues.  

Personal Health and Medical Information 

Here’s where we need to get really specific. Your eggs will reflect your health, which makes it absolutely crucial that we know of any health conditions you may have (or have had), and any medications you are taking.  

You’ll be asked about your previous pap smears and whether you’ve had any abnormal results.  

There will also be a few questions about your mental health and whether you have had any psychiatric issues.  

Smoking, alcohol, and drug use can affect fertility and the quality of your eggs, so you’ll need to tell us whether you partake in either of these.  

We’ll also need to know about any STDs that you or your partner (if applicable) may have had and whether you have used drugs or worked in the sex industry at any time. Blood contamination is also an issue, so you’ll be asked about any piercings, blood transfusions, or organ transplants.   

Genetic History (Family) 

All prospective egg donors will undergo specific testing to rule out any genetic diseases they may pass down to their offspring. With that in mind, we would still like you to answer questions about your genetic history as honestly as possible here. One of the requirements of becoming an egg donor is that you know at least one-half of your genetic make-up, so we’ll need you to mention whether anyone in your family has had a specific illness, disability, or health condition, or if there’s any history of familial drug/alcohol use.  

Questions about what you expect from your egg donor journey

We want to know your expectations for becoming an egg donor with us! Tell us about your history in egg donation (if applicable) and how successful it was. Let us know your thoughts on your ‘ideal’ recipients and whether you’d like to be an anonymous or open donor.  

You can also take this time to write a note to your future recipient parents and any children that may be born using your eggs.

What happens next?

Phew – that’s a lot of detail! But it’s all very important that we get to know you as well as possible. Once you have completed your application, one of our egg donor coordinators will review it. If you meet the criteria to become an egg donor, we will contact you to discuss the next steps!

Have more questions before you get started on your application? No problem! Contact the FSC team, and we’ll be happy to help.