Egg donor screening is a series of short steps you can see coming

If you are thinking about donating eggs, screening can sound like a black box. You apply, and then what? This guide walks through it in the order most donors go through it, with what each step asks of you.

The days and weeks below are typical, not promises. Clinics schedule differently, and matching takes as long as it takes. It is general information, not medical advice. Your clinic's doctors decide what applies to you.

Most of screening is short appointments and waiting

From application to retrieval, many donors take about three months. Much of that time is waiting: for a match, for lab results, for a clinic calendar to line up. The appointments themselves are short. Counting the visits during your cycle, most donors have roughly eight short appointments in all.

You can step back at any point. If you have already signed a donor agreement, it explains what happens next, and your lawyer can walk you through it.

Day 1: The pre-screen takes a few minutes

The pre-screen is seven questions, with no account and an instant answer. It asks whether you:

• Are between 21 and 31 years old.
• Are a non-smoker, including vaping.
• Have regular periods and both ovaries.
• Fall within the BMI window clinics use, roughly 18 to 29.
• Are free of known inherited conditions in your immediate family.
• Live in the United States.
• Are comfortable giving yourself small injections for about ten days.

If something does not fit, the pre-screen tells you plainly. Some answers are worth a conversation rather than a no, and you can leave your email for those.

Days 1 to 7: Your profile is written in short chapters

If you qualify, you create an account and fill in your profile. It is split into short chapters: about you, health basics, family and genetics, education and lifestyle, photos, availability, and consent. Each takes a few minutes, and everything saves as you go, so you can finish later.

Two chapters take the most thought:

• Family and genetics. Health conditions in your parents, siblings and grandparents. Ask your relatives now if you are unsure. An honest "I don't know" is better than a guess. If you were adopted, say so.
• Photos. Three to eight photos: a clear face photo, a full-length photo, and a few of you living your life. Childhood photos are welcome.

We ask for government ID and medical records later, only after a screening call.

After you submit, a real person reads your profile

Someone on our team reads every answer. If we need anything, we text you.

The screening call is twenty minutes on video

Next comes a twenty-minute video call with your coordinator. It is a conversation, not a test. We talk about why you want to donate, your schedule, how you feel about future contact with a child born from your donation, and anything you are unsure about. Bring your questions. This is a good time to ask them.

After approval, you visit a partner clinic

Once you are approved, medical screening at a partner clinic comes next. This visit usually takes a morning. Some clinics ask you to come early in your period, so check the timing when you book. It often includes:

• Bloodwork. Hormone levels, including AMH, which gives the doctor an estimate of your egg supply. Also blood type and general health markers.
• An ultrasound. A transvaginal ultrasound to look at your ovaries and uterus and count the small follicles that hold eggs. It takes a few minutes and can feel a little uncomfortable.
• A health history review. A nurse or doctor goes over your medical history and any medications.

Results usually come back within days to a few weeks. If anything needs a second look, the clinic tells you.

Genetic screening uses a blood or saliva sample

A carrier screening test checks whether you carry genes for certain inherited conditions. Being a carrier is common and usually does not rule you out. It often just means the sperm provider is tested for the same condition.

A genetic counselor also reviews your family history, which is why the family and genetics chapter matters. Results often take a few weeks.

Then your profile goes to intended parents

Your coordinator prepares your profile with you. It uses a donor number instead of your name, and you review it before anyone else sees it. Intended parents with an account can then find you.

Matching can take days or months. It depends on what each family is looking for, not on whether you are good enough. To learn what parents tend to notice, read Intended parents look for honesty and health history more than perfection.

After you match, the remaining screening is scheduled

Once a family chooses you, the rest of screening is scheduled around their clinic. The exact order varies, but it usually includes:

• A psychological evaluation. You meet a licensed mental health professional. They talk with you about your reasons, your support and how you feel about donating. Many also use a written questionnaire. It is not a test with right answers. Be honest.
• Infectious disease testing. Federal rules require testing for infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea within a set window before retrieval. If earlier results fall outside that window, some tests are repeated.
• Any repeat tests the clinic wants. Some clinics repeat bloodwork or the ultrasound closer to your cycle.

The legal agreement comes before any medication

You sign a donor agreement before you start medications. You have your own lawyer, paid for by the intended parents, who advises only you. Your lawyer explains what the agreement says about contact, what happens if a cycle is stopped, and anything else you want to understand.

Your cycle starts with a lesson, not a needle

Before stimulation, a nurse shows you how to do the injections and gives you a calendar. Most donors find the injections easier than they expected. For what the cycle itself is like, read Egg donors need to meet clear health and age requirements.

A few things keep screening moving

• Gather your family health history early.
• Answer texts and clinic calls within a day or so when you can.
• Tell us about birth control changes. Some long-acting methods need to be paused or changed before a cycle.
• Keep a running list of questions for each appointment.

The first step takes a few minutes

If you are 21 to 31, in good health and a non-smoker, you can start with our pre-screen. It takes a few minutes, and a real person on our team will follow up with you.

This article is general information. It is not medical or legal advice.