How Old Do You Have to Be to Donate Eggs?

In the United States, you must be 16 to get your driver’s license, 18 to vote, but how old do you have to be to donate your eggs? This is one of our most asked queries from aspiring applicants regarding egg donation requirements, and rightly so! Age plays a pivotal part in the screening process, to ensure not only that their eggs are of high quantity and quality, but that the donor themselves feels comfortable and ready to make this selfless decision.

Stick with us for the next 10 minutes as we answer the following questions:

• How old do you have to be to donate eggs?
• How much of a commitment is it to be an egg donor?
• What is the age cut-off?
• What other requirements do you need to meet?

 

 

How Old Do You Have to Be to Donate Eggs?

How old do you have to be to donate eggs? While not all egg donation requirements are the same, at The World Egg and Sperm Bank, you need to be at least 18 years old with proof of identification (license and social security) to be an egg donor. According to guidelines set by The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, donors need to be of legal adult age in their respective state.

At The World Egg and Sperm Bank, we have two main factors present, that we cannot allow women under 18 to become egg donors.

 

Number One

It is a significant decision, with multiple layers of considerations and choices. This includes:

• The possibility of contact when the hypothetical donor-conceived child grows up in the future, with the advancements in ancestral and DNA testing.
• Comprehending the rare and mitigated, but potential risks associated with hormone stimulation and the egg retrieval procedure.
• Psychologically understanding and feeling prepared for undergoing medical and psychological screening, and a minimally invasive procedure with 1-2 days of rest and recovery.
• Ability to self-inject a small, short needle in the abdomen (hormone stimulation) to prepare your eggs for retrieval.

 

Number two

It takes considerable commitment and time management. For first time donors, the entire egg donation process can take 2-4 months. We need to ensure that each donor can truly commit to the journey and all its parts, including:

• A pre-screening and main application where you will need to have knowledge of your personal health history, as well as the history of your parents and maternal and paternal grandparents.
• Medical screening, where you will be tested for thousands of genetic diseases through a genetic blood draw.
• Psychological screening, where you will meet with our psychological counselor to evaluate your mental state and willingness to donate.
• Multiple Ultrasounds and labs to evaluate and monitor your uterus and ovaries.
• 2 weeks of self-administered hormone injections to prepare a select number of eggs for retrieval.
• Scheduling and traveling to Scottsdale Arizona, for a short and minimally invasive egg retrieval procedure.

 

Overall, egg donation is a serious decision with considerable commitments, one that all egg banks, including us, feel is a journey only for those who have reached adulthood.

 

What is the Age Limit to Donate Eggs?

If you can’t donate until you’re 18 years old, can you donate at any age after that. The short answer is, no. At The World Egg and Sperm Bank, you can donate until you are 31 years old. This cut-off might seem early, but this helps ensure the following:

• That we have a large enough pool of eggs to choose from. As women age, their egg reserve has severely reduced, so choosing donors in their 20s ensure a high count to choose from.
• That there are enough high-quality eggs, with a lower percentage of eggs containing genetic abnormalities. This is because egg health and quality also reduce as we age.
• That we are promoting the HIGHEST possible chance that a patient will become pregnant and have a successful pregnancy.

(Even if you are 31 or older and get denied for our program, this does not mean in any way that you have no fertile eggs or are unable to have children.)

 

Age Isn’t the Only Requirement!

It doesn’t stop here! Age is just the tip of our requirement pyramid. See our full list of requirements below or visit our blog on understanding egg donation requirements.

• Citizen of the United States currently living in the United States (bonus if you live local to us in Arizona!).
• Non-smoker.
• No alcohol abuse/and or drug addiction.
• Attained at least a high school diploma.
• Fits within our Body Mass Index range.
• No inheritable, serious, genetic conditions.
• Good knowledge of medical and genetic history of family members up to biological grandparents.
• Can commit 2-4 months of your time to the process.
• Be willing to administer medications by injection.

 

 

See If You Qualify by Applying Online!

Now that we’ve answered the question, “how old do you have to be to donate eggs?”, apply with us online! If you read through all our egg donation requirements and feel as though you may be a great candidate, we encourage you to take some time to fill out our prescreening application!

 

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