The role of counselling
Professional counselling plays a crucial role in helping you navigate the emotional and practical aspects of choosing an egg donor. The counsellors at Genea are highly qualified with extensive experience in working with all family types undergoing fertility treatment.
The process of becoming an egg donor recipient includes at least two mandatory counselling sessions, which will:
- Explore your motivations and expectations for donor conception
- Help you to understand the emotional implications of donor selection
- Discuss future family dynamics and disclosure decisions
- Address any of your concerns about genetic connections and family identity
As part of our commitment to supporting you through every step of your fertility journey, additional counselling sessions can be arranged if you need additional support. These situations may include if you feel stuck in your donor selection, if you and your partner are experiencing conflict over decisions, or if you need further clarification on legal considerations.
Working with Genea's Donor Coordinators
Our experienced donor coordinators provide personalised guidance throughout your donor selection process, helping you navigate choices with confidence and clarity.
Coordinator support includes:
- Detailed explanation of available donor profiles
- Guidance on matching preferences with available donors
- Coordination of timing and logistics
- Ongoing support throughout the selection process
You will be allocated a dedicated donor coordinator to support you through your treatment with us at Genea, from donor selection to arranging your necessary appointments. You can reach out to your coordinator at any time.
FAQs
What happens after you choose your egg donor
Once you've selected your egg donor, several important steps follow to prepare for your fertility treatment.
Next steps include:
- Legal documentation and consent processes
- Medical coordination and cycle planning
- Treatment scheduling and preparation
Planning your IVF treatment
Once you have signed all consents and your donor eggs arrive at our Genea labs, your care transitions to our highly experienced clinical team. Your fertility nurse will help you to understand what to expect, from providing the sperm needed to fertilise the donor eggs, to the embryo transfer process, whether to yourself or your surrogate. If needed, you may have another appointment with your fertility specialist to help you prepare for your treatment, particularly if you plan on carrying the pregnancy yourself.
Expected timeline
Depending on the egg bank and your chosen donor, it can take 2-5 months from donor allocation to embryo transfer. This timeframe includes basic genetic carrier screening for the person providing the sperm, shipping the eggs to Genea, and thawing them if using frozen eggs.
If you’re using fresh donor eggs, this timeframe covers your donor completing the screening process, undergoing the stimulation cycle and IVF process, then shipping the embryos back to us at Genea. Treatment using fresh donor eggs typically takes longer than using frozen eggs.
For known egg donors, the timeline is a minimum of 2 months, though it can extend to 4 months depending on how available your egg donor is for the required counselling sessions and medical testing.
For patients who have chosen to have the expanded genetic carrier screening, this can lengthen the time to confirming your donor match, as it can take up to 12 weeks to receive the screening results.
Ongoing support
Fertility treatment can be an overwhelming and daunting process, as can the thought of first-time parenthood. You will be surrounded by experienced and compassionate healthcare professionals every step of the way, including your counsellor, fertility nurses, and fertility specialist.
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