We follow guidelines from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) with oversight from the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Healthy women of all ethnicities are needed as egg donors. Here are some of the criteria we look for:

• Age 21-30
• Non-smoker; no drug use
• Height and weight proportional
• BMI between 18-29
• High school required (college preferred)

To become an egg donor, you will complete a thorough questionnaire categorizing your family history, personal medical history, and some of your personal achievements and lifestyle choices. We will also ask you to share the reason(s) why you would like to become a donor.

Egg donors are screened for infectious diseases, genetic conditions, and gynecologic health.

Because we view our egg donors as patients of our practice, this information, which is important to better understand your own reproductive health, will be provided to you for free - whether you are accepted into Illume's egg donor pool or not.

Our egg donor screening process involves three phases:

Phase 1 - Application (Virtual)

1) A 5-minute questionnaire prescreens applicants by addressing the basic criteria for being an egg donor, which includes:

• Age (we accept donors from 21-30 years old)
• Certain health criteria (BMI, proportional height/weight)
• Lifestyle habits (non-smoker, no drug use)
• Education (high school required; college preferred)

2) The full application is more in-depth, including questions about your extended family history and your personal medical history. There are also some questions that help to give us a sense of who you are as an individual (including your talents, future goals, and family).

Our Egg Donor Team will review your online application and notify you if you've been approved to proceed to the next step.

Phase 2 - Screening (In-Person/Virtual)

The second phase of the process involves an in-person visit to Illume Fertility's main office in Norwalk, CT, where you will meet the team and undergo an ultrasound and blood work to evaluate your fertility and genetics.

After your genetic testing has been completed, you will have a virtual consultation with one of Illume's genetic counselors to discuss your results.

If approved, you will then be added to Illume's egg donor pool!

Phase 3 - Matching & Final Consults (In-Person/Virtual)

Once you have been matched with an individual or couple in need of an egg donor, you will return to Illume's Norwalk, CT office to complete your full screening. This will include a comprehensive physical exam and additional blood work.

Finally, you will meet with a licensed social worker and undergo a psychological evaluation, followed by a consultation with one of our board-certified reproductive endocrinologists to review your results and get any questions answered. Both of these consults will be held virtually.

Every month, eggs in a woman’s ovary mature inside fluid-filled cysts called follicles.

To remove the eggs, one of our board-certified reproductive endocrinologists will use a vaginal ultrasound to guide an extraction needle, which is only slightly larger in diameter than the needle used to draw blood from your arm. 

The actual egg collection process takes approximately 30-45 minutes (depending upon the number of follicles) and is performed in the surgical suite at our Norwalk, CT office.

You will be under anesthesia during this procedure, and will not feel any pain. This procedure is performed vaginally, so there is no incision. You will be temporarily groggy after the procedure and will need someone else to drive you home.

Once the eggs have been retrieved, we ask you to come back for a post-retrieval check-up so that we make sure that you are recovering properly.

Some donors experience little to no side effects after egg retrieval.

However, here are some of the most common side effects of this minor surgical procedure, which usually resolve quickly:

• Bloating
• Constipation
• Pelvic cramping

Your total compensation will be $15,000 per cycle.

As an egg donor at Illume Fertility, you will also receive a free physical exam, chromosomal analysis, and genetic testing. 

Each donor can cycle up to six times in a lifetime, with the potential to receive up to $90,000.

There is no clinical data that suggests this process will affect your future fertility or your ability to have children of your own. At the start of puberty, each woman has approximately 400,000 - 500,000 eggs, which is more than they will need during their reproductive years to successfully have children. Please ask your doctor and/or nurse if you have any specific concerns.

The purpose of these screenings and consults is to ensure that all egg donors are fully informed and willing to participate in our program, and that each egg donor is a good candidate, both medically and psychologically.

Illume Fertility follows guidelines from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The screening is highly selective because we have a responsibility to both our egg donors and our egg donor recipients.

Illume Fertility egg donors may choose to be either known or anonymous to the recipient family. However, with the rise of genealogical tools like Ancestry.com and 23andMe, complete anonymity can no longer be 100% guaranteed.