NIAW Donor Conception Awareness

There’s no right or wrong way to grow your family, but there are many different ways. Egg donor conception is a suitable path to parenthood for couples facing infertility, intended single parents, and LGBTQ+ couples and individuals. But how does the process actually work?

We’re celebrating National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW) by highlighting donor conception and lifting the secrecy around the topic. Let’s discuss what donor conception is, why it’s important to raise awareness about the process, and how you can find a donor or donate yourself.

The Egg Donation Process

Both intended parents and prospective donors begin the egg donation process by partnering with an egg donor agency. Donors must go through an extensive application and interview process to ensure they are physically and mentally healthy. Once accepted into the program, a fertility specialist will retrieve the donor’s eggs via a minor surgical procedure. Afterward, the anonymous donor will be put into a database for intended parents to browse.

Conceiving Via Egg Donation

Once an intended parent chooses an egg donor that meets their specific criteria, they’ll undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive. The donor eggs can be fertilized with the sperm of an intended parent or a separate, anonymous sperm donor. Once fertilized, the embryo(s) will get inserted into the uterus of the intended parent or a gestational carrier — hopefully resulting in a pregnancy.

How Common Is Donor Conception?

Donor conception is more common than you may think. According to the Society for Reproductive Technology {SART}, in 2021, there were over 20,000 IVF transfers using donor eggs across 400 US fertility clinics. These transfers led to nearly 10,000 births — a 19% increase from the previous year. As donor-conceived births continue to rise, it’s important now more than ever to spread awareness.

How to Raise Awareness

National Infertility Awareness Week® runs through the last full week of April every year, and International Donor Conception Awareness Day (IDCAD) is on April 27. We encourage you to share your story, find a support group, or simply wear orange to spark a conversation about donor conception and other alternative paths to parenthood.

Explore Donor Conception

Donor conception is one of the many beautiful ways in which to grow your family or give someone the gift of a child. If you’re interested in learning more, the expert team at Egg Donor America and Egg Bank America would be happy to answer your questions. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.