The 5 Most Important Questions to Ask Your Egg Donor Agency
Estimates show that one in seven couples experiences infertility. Whether these numbers reflect couples waiting longer to start a family or the availability of better statistical data is difficult to say. Either way medical science has evolved rapidly to provide alternative solutions like egg donation to set couples on a path to having their own family. Once a couple has made the decision to seek out an agency specializing in egg donation, it may still seem a little overwhelming, so let's take a look at the five most important questions to ask as you embark on your journey:
Q1:What makes you better than the other egg donor programs?
A:Experience.
This is the without a doubt the most frequently asked question of our agency, The Center for Egg Options, IL, and we believe experience handling hundreds of egg donor cases makes a real difference in this field. A qualified agency's key personnel should ideally have medical backgrounds to accurately communicate with the medical community, on a daily basis. Medical backgrounds help illuminate the process for all parties and inspire confidence that the chosen profiles will actually be accepted by the fertility center.
There are dozens of new agencies operating without any significant experience or reference points for how the science and business of egg donation have evolved together. An agency whose representatives have professional medical backgrounds can help clients accurately understand a donor's family health history, and guide them in accepting or denying prospective donors.
Q2: How available is your agency? Will I be able to speak to a qualified representative when I call or will I get a recorded message?
A: How nice it is to hear a client say, "I'm so happy you answered the phone!" How frustrating it is for a client who finally made a potentially scary call to find a recorded message at the other end. Old fashioned "service" is what keeps clients happy and feeling positive since most haven't had much good news in this department. Make sure your agency is available to you when you are in need.
Q3: Are there any hidden costs or agency fees if additional donors are needed? Are costs viewable online?
A: There must be an explanation of what the finite costs will be - and no hidden charges! An option to review the costs of cycles online, and in documents sent to clients, is necessary. Since the egg donor process is already costly, and one that's not readily paid for by most insurance companies, make sure you address all financial concerns before you begin and that the policies are in writing in a formal Agreement. You want your agency to stand behind their promise to help you achieve the family you desire.
Q4: What if there is significant family history of some ambiguous disorder that's easily identifiable by a medical professional and not by an employee of your agency?
A: This ties closely into Q1 and the need for medical professionals to oversee the process. A reputable agency should request a donor's full medical history, including her maternal family's medical history: maternal and paternal grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Most important are her first degree relatives: Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters, and children if applicable. Often there are questions brought up about her health history and unless the agency has training in medicine, they may not know if the donor is qualified to donate or if there is a significant risk in working with her for offspring.
Q5: What will your egg donor agency do for me if there's a setback in the donor cycle or isn't responding to fertility medication?
A: An agency that is established will have gone through some situations that provide them with the experience to know what to do in the event there is an issue with a donor or a cycle. Experience is essential in talking to the intended parents, the nurses, and physicians to insure the problem will be resolved by doing what is right.
The more responsive and direct the agency, the better. Most understand that circumstances arise that no one is happy about but they have to move ahead and do what's necessary to help the client achieve their goals of becoming parents through egg donation. The donor could miss a crucial appointment due to a family emergency, an illness, a snowstorm, or a dead car battery. Give it 24 hours and in the meantime have a "plan B" so the IP's are covered in the event the original isn't an option.
Each year, many of the agencies go to the ASRM meeting which gives them a chance to get to know each other and chat about business, good and bad. This is so beneficial because there are varying styles of practice and more than one way to achieve the goals of the IP's. Let's face it, with the number of egg donor cycles rising significantly each year, many agencies will have difficult scenarios and value the expertise of one who has experienced something similar.
From all of us at The Center for Egg Options, IL, we wish you the best of luck as you research your ideal egg donor agency and begin the family building process.
Q1:What makes you better than the other egg donor programs?
A:Experience.
This is the without a doubt the most frequently asked question of our agency, The Center for Egg Options, IL, and we believe experience handling hundreds of egg donor cases makes a real difference in this field. A qualified agency's key personnel should ideally have medical backgrounds to accurately communicate with the medical community, on a daily basis. Medical backgrounds help illuminate the process for all parties and inspire confidence that the chosen profiles will actually be accepted by the fertility center.
There are dozens of new agencies operating without any significant experience or reference points for how the science and business of egg donation have evolved together. An agency whose representatives have professional medical backgrounds can help clients accurately understand a donor's family health history, and guide them in accepting or denying prospective donors.
Q2: How available is your agency? Will I be able to speak to a qualified representative when I call or will I get a recorded message?
A: How nice it is to hear a client say, "I'm so happy you answered the phone!" How frustrating it is for a client who finally made a potentially scary call to find a recorded message at the other end. Old fashioned "service" is what keeps clients happy and feeling positive since most haven't had much good news in this department. Make sure your agency is available to you when you are in need.
Q3: Are there any hidden costs or agency fees if additional donors are needed? Are costs viewable online?
A: There must be an explanation of what the finite costs will be - and no hidden charges! An option to review the costs of cycles online, and in documents sent to clients, is necessary. Since the egg donor process is already costly, and one that's not readily paid for by most insurance companies, make sure you address all financial concerns before you begin and that the policies are in writing in a formal Agreement. You want your agency to stand behind their promise to help you achieve the family you desire.
Q4: What if there is significant family history of some ambiguous disorder that's easily identifiable by a medical professional and not by an employee of your agency?
A: This ties closely into Q1 and the need for medical professionals to oversee the process. A reputable agency should request a donor's full medical history, including her maternal family's medical history: maternal and paternal grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Most important are her first degree relatives: Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters, and children if applicable. Often there are questions brought up about her health history and unless the agency has training in medicine, they may not know if the donor is qualified to donate or if there is a significant risk in working with her for offspring.
Q5: What will your egg donor agency do for me if there's a setback in the donor cycle or isn't responding to fertility medication?
A: An agency that is established will have gone through some situations that provide them with the experience to know what to do in the event there is an issue with a donor or a cycle. Experience is essential in talking to the intended parents, the nurses, and physicians to insure the problem will be resolved by doing what is right.
The more responsive and direct the agency, the better. Most understand that circumstances arise that no one is happy about but they have to move ahead and do what's necessary to help the client achieve their goals of becoming parents through egg donation. The donor could miss a crucial appointment due to a family emergency, an illness, a snowstorm, or a dead car battery. Give it 24 hours and in the meantime have a "plan B" so the IP's are covered in the event the original isn't an option.
Each year, many of the agencies go to the ASRM meeting which gives them a chance to get to know each other and chat about business, good and bad. This is so beneficial because there are varying styles of practice and more than one way to achieve the goals of the IP's. Let's face it, with the number of egg donor cycles rising significantly each year, many agencies will have difficult scenarios and value the expertise of one who has experienced something similar.
From all of us at The Center for Egg Options, IL, we wish you the best of luck as you research your ideal egg donor agency and begin the family building process.
