Anyone is eligible to apply to be an egg donor. However, egg donors are screened carefully, based on criteria set by Forward Fertility, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, and fertility clinics across the country. Only approximately 10 percent of applicants are invited to be an egg donor with Forward Fertility.

Ideal candidates are:

• Female
• Between the ages of 20 and 28
• Healthy
• From all ethnic or racial backgrounds
• Reliable
• Honest
• Eligible to work in the U.S.
• Somewhat flexible with their schedules
• At low risk for communicable diseases, such as COVID and sexually transmitted diseases
• At a good weight with a healthy body mass index – not too high or not too low

Each donor comes to the process with her own feelings and motivations. Many donors cite one or more of the following reasons for donating:

• A friend or family member suffered with fertility issues and they want to help others in a similar situation.
• They don’t see having children themselves; rather than “wasting eggs each month” why not help others?
• Conversely, many donors love being moms and want to afford others to have the opportunity to experience parenthood.
• They love being moms and want to afford others to have the opporunity to experience parenthood.
• Some donors pay off school loans or save to buy a house.  However, the desire for compensation rarely exists without a strong desire to give others the opportunity to achieve their dreams.
• The ability — with Forward Fertility — to request banking some of their own eggs. This cutting edge opportunity can provide some security for the donor’s future fertility.
• Ninety-nine percent of the donors Christie has worked with say YES when invited to donate again.  Why?  They report happiness, pride, and excitement knowing that someone in the world has benefited from their act of kindness.

Parents to Be seeking to work with an egg donor come from a wide range of backgrounds, but they are all driven, committed, compassionate people who want nothing more in life than to experience parenthood.

Of the 10,000 egg donor cycles each year in the United States, most recipients fit into one or more of the categories below:

• Gay men or single men who want to be dads and need someone willing to donate their eggs.
• Women in their 20s and 30s with a condition called premature ovarian failure (complete loss of ovary function before age 40)
• Clients who have no fertility issue, but have a known genetic disorder they do not want to pass on to the next generation.
• Cancer survivors who no longer ovulate, yet are healthy now, need an egg donor.
• Women in their late 30s or early 40s who have not been able to conceive due to age.
• Clients who have tried multiple treatments using their own eggs and no explanation can be found for why they are not conceiving.

If after reading this, Egg Donation sounds like something you would like to explore further, click here to complete a short screening application. Or, review the Process or Common Questions pages for Egg Donors to learn more.

Begin the Egg Donor Screening Application »