I have been involved in case management at CFC, and now EggHelpers for over 10 years and enjoy assisting Intended Parents in finding an Egg Donor for their cycle. One of the first questions that I'm often asked is “How do I know which donor to choose?”
The process of choosing an egg donor may come very easily to some Intended Parents and they are able to make a choice within their first few searches. For others, it can take days, weeks or even months. The most important thing is to remember that the egg donor can never be you or replace you.
I often suggest it is helpful to make a list of preferences for an egg donor and decide which are most important to them. Prioritizing can help keep focused, and on track. First item I ask is if they are looking for a known or anonymous donor. This often narrows down the search criteria. Then deciding if Intended Parents are looking for a local donor or will broaden their search to include donors that may have to travel long distance for the cycle. This can add additional costs to the cycle for travel and local monitoring, this is an important decision that should be made in the search process. If you are unable to find a donor that is local, you can always expand your search.
I recommend that Intended Parents first start their search with broad parameters. It is helpful to start reading the profiles of different donors and decide what responses become most important to you. This general search may help you decide to expand your preferences for an egg donor or you may realize that you need to narrow your requirements. You can always add eye or hair colour, height, ethnicity and even educational background to this search once you feel more comfortable with the process.
I often ask Intended Parents what influenced them most to choose their donor. Unless someone says that the donor looked just like them or their sister, most Intended Parents will say that they were able to choose their donor because she stood out to them from the other donors that they were considering. Often there isn't one 'thing', but rather a feeling of closeness when they came across that particular profile.
Once that feeling of closeness starts to happen, it is time to realize you have likely found your donor.
For more information on Finding an Egg Donor, please check out our website, www.egghelpers.com or email us at info@egghelpers.com