One of the most common questions I have from people interested in egg donation treatment cycles is how we actually recruit donors and also how we choose a specific one for them, as all of our egg donation cycles are run on a one to one basis...
All oocyte donors here at Newlife IVF Greece are under the age of 30 and are of proven fertility. This means that they have in their history a pregnancy of their own. All potential donors are put through a three step process and only if all of these steps are successful they’re recruited.
- Step 1: multiple interviews from different members of medical and scientific staff. We obtain general information, demographics, physical characteristics, education, employment and personal traits.
- Step 2: obtain a full medical history of them and their first degree relatives
- Step 3: they are thoroughly screened for medical and mental conditions and we investigate their fertility potential.
This process ensures that we only recruit donors that have a clear medical status, are mentally and psychologically ready to go through this process and will offer us the best possible outcome due to their high fertility potential. More details can be found in our 'Egg Donation Process' page.
When I have a couple or a single woman interested in having egg donation, I request that they send me:
- Their physical characteristics and any requests they may have for their donor.
- Photos and also
- I have a Skype or Facetime consultation with them.
All this information allows me to have a clear idea of what one is interested in. One other main parameter that we always match is the donor’s blood group. This is done so that there is no discrepancy between the blood group of an offspring and the parents. Due to the anonymity of all donors, according to the Greek Law, many people having egg donation decide not to inform a child that the conception was through this process and having matched blood groups makes this a much easier process.
If you are interested in egg donation please contact us and make the first step towards fulfilling your dream.
Chrysa Karakosta, BSc, MSc
Chrysa is the Lab co-Director at Newlife IVF Greece, in Thessaloniki Greece, from the beginning of 2010 and now heads the International Patient Department.
