FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We've got A's for your Q's

Will I get enough eggs with egg sharing?

Egg share programs, like Cofertility, abide by rigorous testing and medical screening protocols to ensure donors have a high likelihood of success with a shared cycle. The number of eggs retrieved varies by patient and cycle, but can be predicted by a donor’s age, AMH, and antral follicle count, all of which will be known to you after the donor’s initial screening. Qualified candidates have an ample ovarian reserve for both their own needs and sharing.

Egg share donors will also consult with a physician to determine, based on their own medical history, the optimal number of eggs needed for their future family-building goals. Should it make sense for the donor, they may choose to pursue a second egg-sharing cycle – either with the same intended parents or with additional intended parents – to maximize the chances of success for everyone involved.

How long does the matching process take?

The timeline can vary, but in total the process from match to cycle may generally be two to four months. Once you create a free account, you’ll gain access to our matching platform and can start to learn more about our donors. When you’re ready to begin the matching process, you can place a hold on the match for up to five days.

When you match with a Split member (who will be freezing her eggs and donating half to your family), we can begin the process of scheduling her screening and testing with your clinic, which generally takes a few weeks. Once your doctor gives the go-ahead, we’d set a date for the cycle at a time that is mutually convenient.

Do you have anonymous donors?

It is impossible to guarantee anonymity in egg donation. With widely available genetic testing and more state laws banning anonymous gamete donation, it’s increasingly likely that identity and shared genetics will be discovered. We ensure that our Split members (who will be freezing her eggs and donating half to your family) are aware of the possibility that, even in an undisclosed donation where contact information is not shared, donor-conceived children may eventually want to reach out with their own questions.

What kinds of families do you work with?

We believe the concept of “family” takes many forms, and we’re here to help your family grow, whatever that looks like. So regardless of your gender identity, sexual orientation, or relationship status, we do not discriminate, period.

Can you tell me more about the donor screening process?

Our team screens donors through a rigorous, multi-step process to ensure each person is qualified and prepared to become an egg donor, going above and beyond FDA and ASRM-recommended screening guidelines. Before donors can be listed on our platform, we review their personal and family medical history and collect information on their lifestyle and behavioral habits. We also obtain AMH results for most donors before they match. Most importantly, we meet 1:1 with every donor to get at the core of who she is as a person — her values, her goals, her personality. This allows us to provide you with the most thoughtful match possible.

Once you move forward with a match, the donor will undergo a physical examination, psychological evaluation, and full genetic screen. Your doctor will review these results and give us the green light to move forward. We will also ensure that donors are screened for background and education checks.

Do you have any restrictions on the clinic that I work with?

Cofertility is clinic agnostic as long as the clinic reports outcomes to SART and has a CAP certified lab. Some clinics have specific requirements related to working with outside donors and have policies in place for how they handle those cases. If you already have a clinic in mind, reach out to our team and we can send a list of questions that we recommend you ask them before getting started.

What are my disclosure options?

In a disclosed donation with Cofertility, you and the donor will exchange contact information and can communicate directly. In an undisclosed donation, you will not exchange contact information and only communicate via Cofertility. With an undisclosed donation, you could arrange to have the information available to your child down the road (this is sometimes called Open ID).

We highly encourage disclosed donations as we’ve met with the US Donor Conceived Council and heard from the donor conceived community that disclosed is best for the donor conceived person. However, if you choose to move forward with an undisclosed donation after careful consideration, we will honor that decision.