Donor Egg Banks vs. Egg Donation Agencies

There are tons of egg donation programs out there, and many sound the same. The advertisements scream “Make Money by Becoming an Egg Donor!” and “Compassionate Egg Donors Needed. Earn thousands of dollars!” The choice is simple in your head. Obviously, the best egg donation company out there is the one that’ll pay you the most money, right?

The reality is…the answer isn’t that simple. Egg donation can potentially be a very long, confusing, and aggravating process. Are you willing to go through all that hassle just for the sake of a little extra money? Knowing the benefits of frozen versus fresh egg donation can help you make the best decision for you. Surely, you value your time and sanity, right?

You’re in luck. Egg donation doesn’t need to be a pain-in- the-you-know-what – as long as you choose the right program. You have the option to choose a donor egg bank (doing a frozen donor egg cycle) over an agency (doing a fresh donor egg cycle). Donor egg banks offer donors a much more convenient experience, while still providing generous reimbursement. Below are the top three reasons why a donor egg bank is the best egg donation company.

1. The Process is Less Complicated

Donor Egg Bank Benefits

Regardless of whether the program is an egg donor bank or egg donation agency, its egg donation process can be broken up into three major steps: 1) Apply 2) Undergo medical, genetic, and psychological testing, and 3) Complete an egg donation cycle.

A key difference at a donor egg bank is that you don’t need to wait for a recipient to pick you to become her/his donor. This simple difference makes your life as an egg donor so much easier. The donor egg bank will allow you to complete the above three steps in quick succession, one after the other. Your responsibilities end right after you complete a cycle; the frozen donor egg bank freezes your eggs, and recipients will have the option to select your eggs to be shipped to their IVF clinic after viewing your profile. And as long as your cycle goes well, once you complete it you’re eligible to start another cycle immediately if that’s your desire. Watch this quick video to hear a donor’s viewpoint on the benefits of doing a frozen donor egg cycle and why the best egg donation company for her was Fairfax EggBank.

The Long Wait With Egg Donation Agencies

At an egg donation agency, there are many mini- steps involved within and in-between the three major steps – all of which require more office visits and interactions with the egg donation agency and IVF clinic. For instance, you’ll only complete some of the testing initially (the agency, at this point, needs basic test results to know you pass the minimum requirements). Then, you’ll need to wait for a recipient to select you. Once this happens, you’ll need to complete additional testing to ensure you’re healthy medically, genetically, and psychologically. If you pass, you’ll need to coordinate your egg donation cycle with the recipient’s treatment and travel to the recipient’s IVF clinic for the egg retrieval.

If you want to do another cycle after this, you’ll need to be selected by another recipient and start the process over again.

2. You Can Complete a Cycle Quicker and On Your Own Timeline

Donor Egg Banks Align to You

We can’t emphasize enough how much simpler the process is when you don’t need to wait to be selected by an egg donor recipient. As soon as you pass all the testing requirements, you can begin the egg donation cycle. Because you don’t need to coordinate your schedule with an egg donor recipient’s, we can plan the entire process around you, your body, and your schedule. The time it takes from completing an application to undergoing the egg retrieval can be less than five months.

Subsequent cycles are not dependent on recipients either, so once you have been cleared for your next cycle, the process is even faster.

Egg Donation Agencies Must Align with the Recipient

You’ll need to synchronize your menstrual cycle with that of your recipient’s for the egg donation cycle to be effective. After the IVF clinic retrieves your eggs, they’ll fertilize them and transfer the embryos into the recipient. This synchronization takes time and effort, and easy missteps can delay the process by months. The process to complete all the testing and one egg donation cycle can easily take over a year.

3. You Have a Stronger Guarantee of Quick and Generous Reimbursement

Donor Egg Banks

Because the egg donation process is simplified, you’ll have the reimbursement check in your hands much quicker after completing a cycle. If you’re cleared to donate again after your first cycle, then you can start your next cycle within two months. Since you have the ability to complete six cycles within your lifetime, you can potentially complete them all under two years. Donating six times x’s getting reimbursed generously for each completed cycle = a substantial sum of money within a relatively short time.

This benefit can be particularly meaningful for donors who want to use the reimbursement towards paying off loans so that they don’t have to pay as much interest.

Egg Donation Agencies

Egg donation agencies often dangle a higher reimbursement promise in its ads. This is because the fresh egg donor process is more complicated, so donors get paid more for the inconvenience. Similar to a donor egg bank, a donor egg agency will reimburse the donor after completing an egg donation cycle. But here is what agencies don’t tell you in the fine print: a recipient might select you next week…next year…or never. So, you won’t know when or if you’ll donate and receive reimbursement. This can be dissatisfying, especially if you entered the program expecting to donate and earn money quickly.

We hope we’ve explained clearly why donor egg banks are the best egg donation company for you. To learn more about the difference between fresh and frozen egg donation, click here. Excited to get started at Fairfax EggBank? Start our application here.