The World Egg and Sperm Bank does not offer a “Refund Program”

Here is why:

A “Refund Program” — alternatively termed “Shared Risk” — relies on principles more akin to gambling than a program designed to help struggling patients achieve their dream of building a family. These programs rely on probability more than on what is most beneficial to you, the patient. The proverbial “deck” is stacked such that the house, in this case, the egg bank, always wins. Would a clinic offer a program that cost them loss of income? Some of the statistics that are not made explicit are:

75% of ACCEPTED patients achieve a pregnancy with the first cohort of eggs (your clinic’s risk is

25% and you have paid the nonrefundable upfront fees for the program).

58% of patients using donor eggs succeed on the FIRST transfer from the first retrieval. You do not receive a refund of the balance of your multiple cycle fee.

The Power of Sperm Donation for LGBTQIA+ Families

Refund Program costs can be misleading because:

  • Refunds do not include your medical treatment costs, including medications (typically 25- 50% higher than the Refund program base cost).
  • Refunds do not include donor ‘agency’ fees (between $5,000 –$8,000).
  • If the Refund program is not offered by your local doctor, the costs of travel (hotel, car rental, gas, meals) and any non-local care may not be included. If you pre-purchase 6 cycles, will you be accumulating non-refundable travel costs for a minimum of 6 trips.
  • If you need to finance up-front fees, consider your finance charges as additional costs.
  • Patients can feel ‘locked in’ and obligated to complete all cycles purchased with that clinic.

For the refund program to ACCEPT you, you must QUALIFY.

Some of the qualifying factors may be:

Donor Egg Refund Programs

  • Patients must be under 40 years old.
  • If a patient is 40 or older, they may be required to use donor eggs.
  • A patient must have a ‘normal’ uterus (good lining, etc.), no prior miscarriages or failed IVF cycles, and have a normal BMI and acceptable hormone levels.
  • The sperm must be normal (non-aspirated, normal motility, morphology count).
An african american couple sitting on a couch representing frozen donor eggs.

It can be enticing to feel that the safety net of ‘getting your money back’ exists if you don’t achieve a pregnancy, however, the money from a refunded program will be far less than the total costs you incur, particularly if you factor in travel. The World Egg and Sperm Bank believes that for most future parents, this is an emotional lure. We believe in fair, open, and transparent transactions rather than ‘refund guarantees’ that are more appropriately seen as ‘refund gambling’ programs. In this instance, the old adage is true, the house always wins.

Ready to take the next step?

Find the perfect match to help you build your family. Reach out to our team for personalized assistance or browse our donor profiles to get started.

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