June 10, 2008 | By: Liz | Filed under: Thoughts on Choosing an Egg Donor
So I just got back from attending the 10th annual Oocyte Donation Conference in Charleston, SC (man was it hot and humid!!) and I must say I not only had a fantastic time but I learned a ton! One of the things that caught my attention were tips and suggestion for how to choose and screen an egg donor for a clinic or agency’s donor program (as opposed to a recipient parent choosing an egg donor), and statistics about success rates for egg donations.
I have always advised my clients that it is better to choose a “proven” donor than one who has never been pregnant, had a baby, or donated to a couple that got pregnant. Guess what? Turns out, I was wrong! Statistics clearly showed me – and let’s face it, I am swayed by stats – that a properly screened first time donor has the same success rate as a “proven” donor. So I guess I need to start advising people that they can choose just about any donor that feels right to them, and not worry so much about whether she’s got a proven track record. Because according to the gurus in Charleston, that first time donor is just as likely to get a recipient mom pregnant as the donor who has cycled two or three times and gotten the recipients pregnant on at least one or more of those cycles! Go figure!!
