The Process

1. Prospective parents are asked to complete and email, fax or mail our Recipient Questionnaire to help us better meet your qualifications of your intended donor.  Once you have found your match and have signed your Agency Agreement, the process begins.  Please note that we are unable to "hold" a donor until the Agreement is signed and at least half of your agency fee is submitted. The agency fee is non-refundable once the Agreement is signed.  See Donor Egg Fees.
    
2. Next, your fertility clinic will perform bloodwork and an ultrasound on your donor on day 2, 3 or 4 of her menses. The clinic will be testing for hormone levels within normal range of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), Estradiol and Luitenizing hormone (testing requirements will vary from each clinic). Some clinics may also require an ultrasound to be performed to determine antra-follicle count (resting follicles). All of these tests will help determine ovarian quality and reserve of your donor.
    
3. Legal contracts will be originated either by attorneys referred to you by AEM or an attorney of your choice, however, our flat fee quotes only apply to AEM referred counsel. AEM will provide legal counsel to the egg donor automatically, in which costs incurred will be covered by the intended parents. The intended parents reserve the right to waive legal counsel or seek alternative representation on their own behalf. Note that legal counsel must specialize in reproductive law. AEM encourages all parties to seek legal representation.
    
4. A licensed social worker or psychologist will now screen the donor. You may use your psychologist at your clinic or we will be happy to refer one of our experts to you. You as the prospective parents are also required to pass a psychological evaluation and documentation of this will need to be submitted to AEM before proceeding with the donation.
    
5. Next the donor will undergo drug and communicable disease screening with your fertility clinic before she is allowed to begin the process.
    
6. Once the donor passes her screenings, her partner (if applicable) will have similar screenings to rule out any threats to the health and safety of your potential offspring.
    
7. You should also be counseled by your fertility clinic to have your donor genetically screened for any inherited diseases that could occur with her particular ethnicity; these could include but are not limited to Cystic Fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anemia.
    
8. Your clinic will now synchronize your menses (period) with the egg donor usually by using birth control pills and the cycle now has begun.
    
9. In the event of a canceled cycle for any reason, your agency fee may be transferred to another donor within our program without incurring any additional fees.

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