Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DONATIONS & RECIPIENTS
Egg Donor FAQ
Tiny Feet Fertility prides ourselves on our superior Egg Donors. We look for women with great character and compassion for others. The following are initial criteria’s that must be met by women applying to Tiny Feet Fertility.
- Must be between 19-32 years of age for first-time donors.
- Repeat donors may be older than 32.
- Must not have a drug or alcohol addiction
- Must be in great health
- Must be without serious medical conditions
- Must not suffer from any psychological issues
- Must understand the process and meaning of Egg Donation
- Must be willing to travel to monitoring and other appointments
- Must be willing to miss work for appointments, if need be
- Must be willing to have blood work and internal ultrasounds regularly
- Must be willing to take injections
- Must be willing to take hormone-stimulating medications
The first step is to research any information you might find useful about the procedure. You might also choose to call us and we can discuss and answer any questions or concerns that you might have.
Once you have decided to become a donor, you must fill out and submit an application to us. We will review the information provided to us and contact you within 24 to 48 hours. When your application is approved, we will contact you by phone to explain the whole process to you in detail.
At this point, your profile is added to our database and you wait to be selected by Intended Parents. Once you have been selected, you will be contacted by a Tiny Feet Fertility coordinator. They will refer you and schedule a screening appointment with the fertility clinic you will be working with.
At the screening appointment, the doctors will need to complete an examination, go over medical history, perform an internal ultrasound and take bloodwork. You will also be required to undergo a psychological assessment with a medical professional. Some clinics will send you home with medication.
At this point, the fertility clinic will send you your medical protocol (a schedule of your when you will start and stop your medications and what doses to take). This will give you an idea of when your retrieval date will be.
Once you begin your hormone stimulating medication, to stimulate your follicles, you will begin regular monitoring with your fertility clinic. This entails internal ultrasounds, bloodwork and regular visits to the clinic so that they may track the growth of the follicles. Once your follicles have matured, you will be given a trigger shot to allow your body to release the eggs. Typically, your retrieval is 48 hours later.
A retrieval consists of a general anesthesia to eliminate any discomfort during the procedure. It is a quick procedure, usually lasting only 30-45mins where the doctor will use an internal ultrasound wand with a small needle to retrieve the eggs. Many women have described this procedure as being next to painless.
Following the egg retrieval, you may experience some cramping and bloating. It is highly recommended that you take a few days off following the procedure to recover. In some cases, women develop ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome which is when your ovaries overreact to the fertility drugs. Most cases are mild and the symptoms include swollen or bloated stomach or nausea. We encourage you to discuss this further with your doctor.
Yes. Here at Tiny Feet Fertility we pride ourselves on our superior Donors. You will be screened by filling out an application answering questions about your personality, medical history and health. We will also ask that you provide some photos of yourself.
The hormone stimulation medication given to you from your fertility clinic will vary from cycle to cycle. Every clinic has different protocols they prefer to follow. For the most part it will include some variation of birth control to sync your cycle, a hormone stimulator like Lupron or Ogalutron , and finally a trigger shot such as Ovadril. You will be provided with detailed information by your clinic about these drugs and how to take them properly.
Yes. Most follicle stimulating hormones are taken by subcutaneous injections. This means you will take a very small needle and inject the medication in a high fat area of your body, usually the belly or thigh. The nurses at the clinic will instruct you on how to do so and you can also look for instruction and support from our other donors on our Facebook page.
Most side effects are only minor, such as bloating and water retention. However, some donors complain of headaches and a general tiredness during the stimulation.
There is no research that supports Egg Donation having negative and lasting effects on a women’s fertility. Many donors go on to have healthy pregnancies of their own afterwards.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes. Stimulating your ovaries and retrieving eggs does not require the Egg to travel down the Fallopian tube, you can still donate if your tubes are tied.
No. All Expenses incurred due to the stimulation cycle and egg retrieval will be reimbursed by your Intended Parent. You must provide receipts for all expenses.
You will receive reimbursements for your expenses. During the final week of your cycle, you must provide your Tiny Feet Coordinator with all your expense receipts. This will allow Tiny Feet Fertility to reimburse you within 24-48 hours.
You may be required to travel to get to your fertility clinic depending on which one you will be working with and where you are located. All travel expenses will be reimbursed. You may also bring a support person who will have expenses covered as well. It is possible that if your clinic is very far, that you can do some of the monitoring at a clinic closer to you.
It’s more than likely you will be required to miss work for monitoring and a few days after your retrieval. Tiny Feet Fertility will be able to provide you with a letter for your employer. You will be reimbursed for any time off work.
No. It is illegal in Canada to get compensated or receive gifts of any kind for Egg donation. The AHRA clearly states it is illegal to purchase or sell ova. Tiny Feet Fertility does not condone or facilitate the purchasing or selling of Eggs. Any attempt to do so will be reported to the proper authorities. You will however have out of pocket expenses covered.
Yes, as an Egg Donor you will need legal representation to protect yourself and the Intended Parents. This will be organized by Tiny Feet Fertility and the costs will be directly covered by the Intended Parents.
The intended Parents choose an Egg Donor out of our Database, so you do not get to choose the Intended Parents however you can decide if you want to proceed with the couple that has selected you.
Typically this is not the case. Most Intended Parents want to maintain their anonymity. However, some couples or individuals are looking specifically for a Donor who does want to meet and maintain a relationship. This is something that all parties must agree to before moving forward.
Any Intended Parents in our Database will have access to your full profile. This will contain all information you include in your application, excluding your home address, email, phone number and name.
This will vary depending on how many Intended Parents and Egg Donors we have in our Database at the time. Once your profile goes live, it can take anywhere from two days to six months. Most Egg Donors are chosen for a cycle within three months.
Again this will vary depending on many factors; how long it takes you to match, your availability, the time it takes to get into your clinic, the time of the stimulation cycle, etc. The entire cycle will take 10-12 weeks. All of our Intended Parents are eager to become pregnant and start their family. Tiny Feet is also eager to help them create their families, so we all do our best to match and move through the process quickly.
Parent FAQ
Yes, it is legal to donate eggs in Canada. The Assisted human Reproduction Act is very clear on its laws that govern third party reproduction. It states that altruistic donation is legal but the purchase and selling of human ova or genes is explicitly illegal.
In Canada, only alturistic Egg Donation is permitted. What this means is that it is illegal to purchase or sell gametes. Therefore, our donors are all donating out of the kindness of their hearts. They are by no means selling their eggs for money.
As for mentioned, it is free to acquire Donor eggs. They are donating their eggs to Intended Parents free of charge. Intended Parents are only expected to cover Donor expenses. These include but are not limited to travel, medication, child care, lost wages, etc. No expenses submitted by Donor without proper receipts will be reimbursed.
A pre-recorded video consultation will be sent to you prior to accessing the database.
This is part of what you receive when you become a member of our team at Tiny Feet Fertility. We will assist in linking you with lawyer to handle your donor contracts and other necessary legal needs. We will also give you a referral to a fertility clinic if you should need one.
We will work with any fertility clinic that you are a patient of. You may still require assistance in linking your Donor with a clinic for monitoring if you are an international client.
The time it takes to match with a Donor varies depending on the qualities you are looking for in a Donor. If you are looking for very specific and unique attributes or a specific race or religion, it may take longer. Typically it takes anywhere from 1 day to 3 months. The majority of our Intended Parents will select a Donor within the first week.
We work with international couples. Services are only provided in English.
We work with a large number of same sex couples
We work with many single Intended Parents.
Our donor expense caps range from $5500-$9500 depending on their unique situations. Some donors may require additional travel expenses. this will be discussed prior to matching
The majority of our Donors find us. They have come across us online or have heard about us through word of mouth.
We screen our donors on paper. all medical screening is the responsibility of the Intended Parents clinic. We have specific criteria women must meet. We strive to make sure all of our Donors are of superior character with a strong moral compass. We need to make sure women are donating of their own volition and for the right reasons. We also have health standards that must be met.
As we understand that all Intended Parents are different, we look for all sorts of Donors. We strive to offer our Parents a diverse database. Some women like the idea of meeting their Intended Parents, whereas some women do not want any contact with their Intended Parents and are looking for complete Anonymity.
Once you are a registered member of our team, you will be able to access our Donor Database. You will see profiles of Donors which will include many pictures of them at different ages. You will be privy to their personal information regarding their health and physical attributes, as well as family history. In addition to this you will be able to read about all their hobbies and interests. You will get to learn about their academic achievements and their life ambitions. If there is any information that you require that is not included in their profile, Tiny Feet will do their best to personally contact a Donor and relay your questions.
No. Tiny Feet Fertility is in compliance with the AHRA and does not in any way facilitate the buying or selling of Donor Eggs. Any attempt to do so by Donor or Intended Parent will result in informing the proper authorities.
The number of active profiles in the database will vary from time to time. The best way to know is to access the database for updated information.
Tiny Feet Fertility cannot guarantee that you connect with an Egg Donor in our Database.
Tiny Feet does not offer Surrogacy services but we work alongside many wonderful agencies that we would be happy to put you in touch with.
Tiny Feet Fertility has a few core values and Privacy and Anonymity are big ones. We understand that as Intended Parents there are a lot of worries when it comes to using Donor Eggs. We want to take some of that worry out of the equation. We will provide you with a full Privacy and Anonymity Agreement upon registration.