About Our Donors

Ensuring the availability of a large group of carefully screened donors and empowering patients to choose their own donor are the cornerstones of GIVF’s donor egg IVF program. GIVF matches its donor pool to the diverse ethnicity, talents, educational background and interests of its patients. With approximately 170 fully screened donors, you can choose the donor who is right for you. Extensive information is provided on all of GIVF’s donors and you–not the program–select the donor you want to help you build your family.

GIVF’s donors are healthy women ages 19 through 33. They are college-educated and have good family health histories. Our “doctoral donors” hold or are pursuing advanced degrees in medicine or another academic specialty. Other donors are talented musicians, artists and athletes. Only a very small percentage of donors who apply are actually accepted into the program.

To learn more about the donors, you may search GIVF’s online donor base by visiting http://www.donoregg1.com/asearch.cfm.

Searches may be focused based on specific criteria, including ethnicity, physical characteristics, educational history and other characteristics. New donors are added to the donor roster frequently. Donor profiles, childhood photos and other information are all accessible at the click of a button.

Information to Help You Select A Donor

Knowing how important the choice of a donor is to our patients, GIVF provides patients with extensive information about individual donors, including:

• Adult photos
• Childhood photos
• Audio interviews
• Blood type
• Ethnic background of donor’s mother and father
• Height
• Weight
• Whether pregnancies have been achieved
• Body build
• Eye color
• Hair color and texture
• Years of education and major areas of study
• Occupation
• Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and grade point averages
• Special interests
• Family medical history
• Essays by donors
• Personality typing based on
the Keirsey test

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 GIVF’s extraordinarily high 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.

 GIVF’s rigorous donor testing includes:
• screening for hepatitis;
• genetic screening, including a chromosome analysis and DNA testing for
     Cystic Fibrosis and Fragile X;
• testing for other genetic diseases that may be performed if the donor falls
into a specific ethnic group that puts her at greater risk of being a carrier
of the disease, including sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies, Tay Sachs, Gaucher’s, Canavan disease and/or breast cancer.

Hormone and Ovarian Evaluation for Fertility Potential
Only a small percentage of donors who apply are actually accepted into the program. Donors who have completed and passed this thorough 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.

How to Become an Egg Donor