egg donation
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
You love your doctor — you’ve been with him for a long time, completely trust him, love the staff, etc. — and have just found a great egg donor who you’re ready to book. The only issue? She lives out of town. Or — even scarier — out of state. What do you do? You’re confident that she’s the donor for you, and she’s said she’s willing to travel for a donation, but how would that even work? Do you book her travel? Does the agency? And how is all of this going to affect your overall budget for the cycle?
 BHED facilitates travel cycles all the time. In fact, 20 to 30 percent of our matches involve some travel on the donor’s part. For clarity: a travel cycle, in the egg donation world, is when your donor is required to travel more than 75 miles (one way) from her home to your doctor’s office. That means a donor coming from San Diego to Los Angeles is considered a travel donor just as much as one traveling from Chicago to San Francisco (although, of course, the coordination and cost differ significantly).
If your donor is traveling a “short” distance (one that requires automobile travel rather than air), BHED’s travel policy requires the recipient to reimburse the donor for mileage at the current government rate. Your doctor will definitely want her to come to town for her initial appointment, retrieval, and likely a couple of monitoring appointments once she’s started medication — although your BHED coordinator will also set the donor up with a local monitoring facility to cut down on the travel and associated costs. As long as your doctor approves (and most are happy to do so), your donor can do some or many of her check-ups in her hometown; that facility will coordinate with your doctor and follow your clinic’s protocol.
It’s a similar story if your donor is coming from farther away (i.e. out of state). Your doctor will want her to be in town for her initial appointment, and then again for five to seven days leading up to the retrieval. The first trip will be very brief and often doesn’t require an overnight stay. Your donor will fly in, take a cab to your clinic for her appointment, and then head back to the airport to travel home. Your BHED coordinator will then set her up with a local facility (which, again, will coordinate with your doctor’s office) for her monitoring appointments and she’ll be able to do much of the remainder of the cycle from her hometown. The second trip will happen between day three and five of the donor’s stim process, and from there she’ll stay in town through her retrieval. For this trip, she’ll need a companion to accompany her to make sure that she gets back to her hotel safely after her retrieval and is well taken care of.
 BHED doesn’t add any additional fees to coordinate travel — it’s all included in your agency fee. Your coordinator will take care of everything, from booking the donor’s flight and hotel to ensuring that she has adequate ground transportation to get to your doctor’s office and facilitating communication between your clinic and the donor’s remote facility. Working with a travel donor will generally add approximately $3,000 to $4,000 to the total cost of the cycle. This includes the donor’s flights, ground transportation, hotel stay for the longer trip, and a per diem of $50 per day, along with the flight and per diem for her companion for the retrieval trip. Your coordinator will book everything directly and will work to find the most cost-effective accommodations possible (while still keeping the donor comfortable).
While travel cycles do require more coordination, we try to make things as easy as possible for both the donor and the recipients. Our staff will work with your doctor to facilitate the cycle, whether your donor is coming from across town or from 3,000 miles away, and will keep you informed with regular updates as things progress. Feel free to contact us directly if you have any questions about working with one of our out-of-town (or local!) donors.
Tags: Beverly Hills Egg Donation, BHED, egg donation, egg donation agency, egg donation southern california, egg donation travel, egg donor, out-of-state egg donation
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
From our companion site, Ask Kate:
Q: I’ve been looking into egg donation and researching it for about three years now, and I’m at a place in my life where I think it would be beneficial all the way around. So now I just need to know how to get started, like – where to go?
A: Well, first start thinking about logistics. Translated: who will you tell, how much genetic information do you know, can you fulfill your obligation and also work or go to school, how do you feel about sticking a needle in your stomach… ? These sorts of questions.
 First of all, you’ll need help. You’ll need at least one friend who knows what’s up so that you have a support system, as small as it may be, and help when it comes time for your retrieval – you will need a chaperone to drive you home after (and it’s best your friend know what she/he is getting into, because they’ll pull up to a place that says “fertility clinic” – tell them ahead of time).
Secondly, you’ll need to know a lot of info about your family’s genetic history. Any and all “ish” in your lineage needs to be disclosed, so you’ll either need to know it, or find out about it.
Next, it’s not just a personal decision you’re making, it will take a decent amount of time and a massive amount of commitment. It will, most definitely, interrupt your daily life. Not in a bad way, but in a real way. If you have a Monday-through-Friday job that’s 9-5, your job will be affected. You will have twice-weekly doctor’s appointments, sometimes more often and possibly even daily as you approach your retrieval date. Once you have the retrieval, you’ll need a solid 4-5 days to recuperate. Depending on your body, you may need to be on your couch, not sitting at your desk. And the calendar you follow will be exact. The dosage is exact, the time of injection is exact – your life will revolve around your schedule of medication. But the timeframe is NOT exact, so you’re beheld to a timeline that might change.
And lastly, you have to consider the fact that you’ll be injecting a needle into your abdomen (or thigh, but abdomen is easier, oddly) once, sometimes twice a day. If you’re squeamish and/or hate needles and/or doctors and/or are afraid of anesthesia, this is not for you.
It’s a to-do for a few weeks. You don’t have to commit to two years of egg donation like I did, but it’s also not a decision that should be entered into lightly. Read up on my blog and see what you think, and if you’re into the ride, take it. It’s the most amazing experience I’ve gone through.
- Kate, 6-time BHED donor
Also, as a staff side note: We always recommend registering with an agency if you decide to pursue egg donation. This process involves a lot of coordination, especially if you’re asked to travel, and a good agency will guide you through the process from start to finish, help make all of your arrangements, and refer you to a great attorney when it comes time to review your donor contract. When you find an agency you feel good about, you can generally start the process by applying on their website. BHED will also schedule a time for you to come in for an in-person interview (or send you a webcam if you live out of the immediate area) so we can meet you face-to-face and you can discuss any questions you have with a member of our donor team. Best of luck!
Tags: Beverly Hills Egg Donation, egg donation, egg donation agency, egg donor, how to become an egg donor
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Thursday, July 7th, 2011
All intended parents are confronted with the decision as to whether or not they should tell their child (and others) that they used a third-party to conceive their child. Parents usually come to a decision based on their own comfort level and feelings regarding using an egg donor or surrogate. Most experts agree that honesty is the best policy when it comes to informing your child. A good website that goes into more detail about how to talk to your children in developmentally appropriate ways is www.donor-conception-network.org. The website has a great series of booklets entitled “Telling and Talking” – they offer advice on how to talk to your child at every stage. Before telling your child you want to asses 1) the child’s emotional and intellectual capacity to process the information and 2) the extent to which your family, culture or religion may be able to accept a child born through egg donation or surrogacy.
The decision to tell your child may be an easy one or one fraught with decision. Most family therapists would agree that telling your child is the easier path to take because there’s no room for misconceptions or false information, which inevitably leads to feelings of betrayal or mistrust. It’s also recommended to start giving some information at a relatively early age, from three to five years old. Again, the website above goes into thorough detail in advising how to talk to children of all ages regarding their conception.
- Brenda Fahn-Hardt M.S., MFT
Beverly Hills Egg Donation Staff Psychotherapist
Tags: assisted roproduction, Beverly Hills Egg Donation, BHED, egg donation, egg donation agency, egg donor, egg donors, IVF, Southern California assisted reproduction
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Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
From our companion site, Ask Kate:
 Q: I’m going through the donation process, and have found that it’s so hard to find information out there about it. How long is the typical cycle from the beginning of the hormone shots until retrieval?
A: The length of a cycle can vary. I know that’s SUCH an annoying answer, especially when you’re skimming FAQ pages looking for a concrete number. It depends on where you begin your timeline – if you start with birth control, the cycle can be 5 weeks long (a couple weeks on BC to regulate your cycle and sync it up with the recipient and a few weeks on stim meds). So much is determined by the recipient, and where she’s at in her cycle. If your recipient is ready to go, you could be on BC less than two weeks and starting the injections within 10 days.
On the other hand, if your timeline starts with the stim medication, then the process could be as short as 14 days or as long as four weeks. I’ve done both versions. The short cycle is great, because it’s over so fast that you don’t have a whole lot of life interruption and the doctor’s appointments are daily, fast and routine — like a train through a station. That said, I was able to do a short cycle because I had good starting hormone levels and my recipient was alike in that way, so we were able to barrel through together.
When I was asked to do a third cycle, my doctors changed. I was at USC’s IVF facility and, as any scholastic approach to medicine goes, the longer it takes, the more we learn. I was annoyed at first, because I had gotten used to minimal interruption to my work, diet and physical life, but a couple of weeks into it — when I’d normally be wrapping things up — I realized how much better I like the “long cycle.” Since it was slower and more drawn out, the effects to my body were far more gradual, and my recovery was easier. I was more comfortable with the changes to my ovaries (it’s a pretty big physical change that is hard to imagine until you experience it) because what used to happen in a matter of 7 days was happening over the course of three weeks instead.
Your cycle would not take longer than 4 weeks, but it may take up to that long, for sure. By the end, you’ll feel fatigued and your retrieval will be welcome when it rolls around. But, be okay with the discomfort – it’s not forever, and the result is priceless.
- Kate Lee, 6-time BHED Donor
Tags: Beverly Hills Egg Donation, BHED, egg donation, egg donor, egg donor injections, egg donor shots, egg donors, how long does egg donation take, IVF
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Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
 I’d like to dedicate this entry to my needle fearing friends. You know who you are. The gal that hears the word “needle” one moment and finds herself hanging upside down from the ceiling fan the next. The thought of having blood taken is a minor inconvenience for some, but, for you, it’s a nightmare equal to that of having a spider crawl in your ear and hang a finely crocheted web on your cochlea. The smell of rubbing alcohol at a doctor’s office triggers a sort of Pavlov’s Dog response to pull down your shirt sleeves and put your veins on lock down. I know who you are because, a few months ago, I was you.
I’ll be honest, when I decided to donate I was so excited about the idea of helping someone have a child that I had sort of “overlooked” the logistics of injections and having weekly blood draws. This honeymoon phase vanished the moment I received my box of medication, which included about 30 needles. I quickly ran over to my roommate and showed her in horror. She shrugged and said, “They’re tiny”.  Yeah, okay, tough guy, they’re tiny. But, let us not forget, they’re still NEEDLES. A tiny cockroach is still a cockroach. Besides, it’s all relative. Your tiny is my huge. Your “it’s just a needle” is my nightmare on ice with a sprig of nausea.
Fast forward to my first injection. The staff at my doctor’s office thoroughly explained the process of how to do a self-administered injection, so I did feel a little more at ease — empowered with knowledge as they say. **Side note: the staff at the office I went through were simply amazing. Take the opportunity to get to know the staff at whatever office you go through. They are an invaluable asset to the entire process, like your medically trained cheerleaders. Back to my first date with the needle: I got home and paced around like an anxious cat who kept hearing its name being called. I looked at the clock, it was ten minutes until I was scheduled to do my injection. I laid out my supplies — the alcohol pad, the needle, the vile of Lupron and  (what I will reveal to you as the holy grain of injections, ladies) my slightly frozen can of diet coke. Who would have thought a diet coke could contain such power that, if wielded correctly, could erase a lifetime of fear. I suppose it did skyrocket Cindy Crawford’s career and make us all go cut our jeans into shorts. So here’s the deal: throw a can of soda in the freezer for a bit and let it get nice and cold. Five minutes before your scheduled injection, numb the area. My nurse suggested numbing it for a minute, but for this first go-around I decided to put every sensation in my skin to sleep… five minutes for me, thanks. I numbed the area, went over it with an alcohol pad, let it dry, and drew up my dose in a syringe. In that moment, I had an epiphany — if Katherine Heigl’s character on Grey’s Anatomy can do it, I can do it. I pinched the skin on my tummy, lined up the needle, took a breath, looked away and put it in (at a 90 degree angle). When I looked back down, the needle was in but I was completely shocked, I couldn’t feel anything. Nothing. Zip. I want to be clear here and say, I am a wus about this stuff and I honestly couldn’t even feel it. I released the tummy pinch, pushed the dose in, removed the needle (pull straight out), wiped over the area with alcohol and did a victory lap, calling about ten of my closest friends to tell them that I was a fearless Goddess Warrior who may have missed her calling as a professional shot giver. As strange as it sounds, I was actually looking forward to my next injection.
I think that my greatest piece of advice in regards to how to cope with injection anxiety would be to remember that we’re often our own worst enemies — psyching ourselves out, telling ourselves “I can’t do this”. I’m here to tell you that if I can, you most certainly can. Think of some of the stuff you’ve overcome in your life. In comparison, I’m sure that needle truly is tiny.
- Evan Ashley, BHED staff member and former donor
Tags: Beverly Hills Egg Donation, BHED, egg donation, egg donor, egg donor agency, egg donor injections, egg donor medical process
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Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
 Often, egg donors inquire about egg donation and expect that they will be donating just one of their eggs to an infertile couple. It just doesn’t work that way. When an egg donor is matched with a recipient, they are contracted to donate the eggs that they produce in a particular menstrual cycle. During that cycle, the physician that the donor is seeing intentionally increases the number of eggs that are produced. While a “normal” cycle might result in one or two eggs released in a month, those numbers would be cause to cancel an egg donor cycle prior to retrieval.
The number of eggs produced and donated in an egg donor cycle can range from about 8 to as many as 40 (although that is very, very rare). The average cycle results in a retrieval of between 12 and 20 eggs. The eggs are fertilized after retrieval, and often not all of them will successfully develop into embryos. About 12 to 14 healthy embryos generally result from 20 eggs. Some of these embryos (possibly 2) will be transferred to the recipient or a gestational carrier, and the remainder are frozen for future use.
We always encourage any questions a prospective donor might have. Please refer to our main site for more information about becoming a donor and feel free to contact us directly at any time.
- Ellie Goldman, BHED Cycle Coordinator
Tags: Beverly Hills Egg Donation, BHED, egg donation, egg donation information, egg donor, egg donor question
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Monday, June 6th, 2011
 One of the questions Intended Parents often ask is “Can you recommend a good doctor?”. Other variations include “Should I stay with my current doctor?”, “Should I move to a doctor closer to where the egg donor lives?”, and sometimes “I’m not sure if I should move doctors or not – what do you think?”
Here are the answers to those questions, in our opinion…
1) “Can you recommend a good doctor?” Yes, we can provide recommendations for you.
We have been fortunate enough to work with many of the top Reproductive Endocrinologists (“fertility doctors”) in the country, and from those experiences (and client feedback) we have a good sense of who most of the better doctors are. We base our recommendations on a number of factors, including:
- General reputation and feedback from past patients
- Quality and professionalism of the office staff (front office, nursing, etc.)
- General compliance with current “industry standards”, including information such as number of embryos typically implanted, compliance with common testing, administration of medication, etc. (Note that since we are not physicians, we cannot comment, and would not deign to comment, on any particular doctor’s medical protocol. However, when we see a lower success rate and highly unusual protocol used, we get concerned…)
- General office “vibe” (for example, many clinics with in-house egg donor programs are very negative towards working with agencies)
- Specific success rates (sometimes per SART, sometimes per our own information or in-house statistics)
Note that we do not limit our work to any particular group or clinic, but as we gather first-hand information, we will use it to help our clients make the best choice for them.
2) “Should I stay with my current doctor?” “Should I move to a doctor closer to where the donor lives?” That all depends…
We believe that the most important criteria in choosing or keeping your physician include:
- Your comfort level with and trust in your doctor. If you love your doctor and totally trust him or her, as long as they are supportive of using an egg donor from an agency, definitely keep that doctor. We think that if you are calm during the process, and are willing to do what your doctor says because you trust in that doctor, you are more likely to have a successful cycle. This is only said from anecdotal evidence and other’s opinions, but being in a good place psychologically as you’re on buckets of hormones (and going through a somewhat surreal process) can’t help but benefit you.
 If finances are an issue (as they generally are) and you choose an egg donor from another city, you might want to consider moving to a doctor in that city. However, if you love your current doctor, the difference in dollars is probably irrelevant — certainly in the long term. If you do choose to use or keep a doctor in a city far from where the donor lives, make sure that you’re aware of the outside monitoring costs as early in the process as possible. (The finance person at the doctor’s office, along with our cycle coordinator, can help you with that.) The less surprises that happen in this process, the better.
All of BHED’s clients are assigned a cycle coordinator — a senior member of our staff who follows your case through from the time you choose your donor until retrieval (and often, beyond.) The Cycle Coordinators will be in regular contact with your doctor’s office from the time you sign your contract with us, and she will alert you if we have any unexpected challenges with the doctor’s office. Most of the time things work out just fine.
Note that we stay with you until you become pregnant or decide to discontinue trying. Your choice of doctor is certainly an important part of this process, and is one of the keys to the success of your pursuit to begin or build your family.
We look forward to helping you realize your dream through egg donation!
Tags: Beverly Hills Egg Donation, BHED, egg donation, egg donor, egg donor agency, egg donors, fertility doctor, fertility doctors, Reproductive Endocrinologists
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Friday, June 3rd, 2011
 The post-retrieval recovery is very manageable. Truly. If you’re active and healthy, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to bounce right back. It’s important to take about a week to recover – take it easy, drink lots of Gatorade and Vitamin Water, and follow your doctor’s instructions. Allow your body to heal. Everything inside of you has just gone through the ringer, and you’ll feel tender, sore, and bloated in the days following the retrieval (not unlike what you’d experience with a heavy period). You can expect to get your first post-cycle period about 10 days after your procedure (10-12 days after your HCG shot) and once that’s come and gone, you’ll feel a million times better.  If you wish to donate again, you’ll need to have two normal periods before you’re cleared to go for another cycle. Any weight gain can be chalked up to fluids, so be sure to drink enough electrolytes (the swelling and retention usually go down quickly).
Every doctor is different, and your clinic will have specific instructions for your recovery (you’ll also get more information regarding when you can get back to your “normal routine” – including working out, having sex, etc.), but the most important advice for a smooth recovery is to let the body do its thing, drink plenty of fluids, and be good to yourself. You’ll be smooth sailing in no time.
Tags: Beverly Hills Egg Donation, BHED, egg donation, egg donation recovery, egg donor, egg donors
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Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
When choosing an egg donor, it is understandable that women will want to select a donor who is similar to themselves in appearance and ethnic background. As with many aspects of Jewish Law, what may seem obvious and desirable may not conform to rabbinical interpretations of the Law. Ironically, since it is sometimes difficult to find suitable Jewish donors, these legal twists can actually help some people “let go” of their desire to work only with Jewish donors.
While Reform Judaism recognizes that parentage can come from either parent, traditionally most, but not all, rabbis have agreed that if a Jewish woman gives birth to the baby, that child is fully Jewish. The Laws determining a child’s family and religion of origin were established thousands of years ago — long before genetic testing — and so Jewishness is passed from the mother who gives birth rather than from the genetic parents.
The following principles can guide most Jewish couples considering egg donation:
A Jewish donor is not legally required for a Jewish couple. Based on the concerns about accidental incest and the legal status of eggs, a non-Jewish donor may actually be preferable. Accepting this idea can alleviate much of the angst over trying to find a Jewish donor (which, again, can be difficult).
If a Jewish donor is chosen, she should be single or married to a non-Jewish man. If she is divorced, she needs a Jewish divorce, including a “Get.”
The process of choosing an egg donor is different for every family. There are an endless number of things to consider in making such an important decision. If observing Jewish Law is a priority for the Intended Parent(s), then finding a Jewish donor is not as necessary as one might think. Ideally, this will be helpful to some (as the pool of potential donors will be enlarged significantly).
- Michael Feinman, MD
Medical Director, HRC Fertility
Tags: Beverly Hills Egg Donation, BHED, do I need a Jewish egg donor, egg donation, egg donor, Jewish egg donation, Jewish egg donor
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BHED facilitates travel cycles all the time. In fact, 20 to 30 percent of our matches involve some travel on the donor’s part. For clarity: a travel cycle, in the egg donation world, is when your donor is required to travel more than 75 miles (one way) from her home to your doctor’s office. That means a donor coming from San Diego to Los Angeles is considered a travel donor just as much as one traveling from Chicago to San Francisco (although, of course, the coordination and cost differ significantly).
BHED doesn’t add any additional fees to coordinate travel — it’s all included in your agency fee. Your coordinator will take care of everything, from booking the donor’s flight and hotel to ensuring that she has adequate ground transportation to get to your doctor’s office and facilitating communication between your clinic and the donor’s remote facility. Working with a travel donor will generally add approximately $3,000 to $4,000 to the total cost of the cycle. This includes the donor’s flights, ground transportation, hotel stay for the longer trip, and a per diem of $50 per day, along with the flight and per diem for her companion for the retrieval trip. Your coordinator will book everything directly and will work to find the most cost-effective accommodations possible (while still keeping the donor comfortable).
