Donating your eggs is a great opportunity to help hopeful parents struggling with infertility realize their dreams of a family. As per studies in 2010 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12% of assisted reproductive technology procedures comprised egg donation.
But eggs used in IVF process and embryo transfer need to come from a younger woman in order to ensure a successful pregnancy resulting in a healthy baby being born. Hence, college-going females between the age of 18-26 are ideal when selecting an egg donor.
If you are a college student looking to donate eggs, you may be wondering how to manage your busy school schedule with the responsibilities of being a donor.
Although egg donation is one of the best ways to pay off a significant amount out of your college loan debt, it is a big commitment that takes a lot of time and planning. In the following piece, we will discuss how you can donate eggs while going through the day-to-day stresses of being a student.
First of All – Why Donate Eggs?
As said above, many egg donors at Coastal Fertility, California do it simply to help another family that cannot achieve a pregnancy without the assistance of a 3rd party.
Regardless of how much the compensation is, egg donation is a selfless, altruistic act that enables you to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Many of our donors use the compensation to settle college loans, save up for graduate school, or set up their own business after leaving school. You get paid a handsome sum of money for a short time commitment (about 3 to 4 weeks), and the great news is, you can donate more than one time.
Fitting Egg Donation into Your School Schedule
There are several screenings, medications, and appointments you’ll have to be on top of during the egg donation process. This can be a little bit difficult amidst a busy college schedule.
But that does not mean it is not possible.
Before you enter an agreement with the intended parent, you have to be sure that you can be fully committed to the egg donation process, from the beginning to the end.
As the egg donor, you need to do your best to ensure the cycle goes well.
In most cases, intended parents are willing to work around your college schedules and fix the egg donation process to summer, spring, or winter school holidays.
However, some donors may still choose to undergo the process in the middle of a semester. And that is fine, provided you can keep up with morning monitoring appointments and stick to your medication regimen. The egg retrieval process itself should not take much of your time.
A lot of donors are able to resume school or work the following day, but it’s advisable to plan for an extra day of rest after the procedure.
It’s good to inform your professors you are donating eggs if you think that the process will affect your class schedule or workload. The entire process takes a couple of weeks, so they may be more forgiving if you miss deadlines or are late to class due to an appointment.
If you have any concerns regarding your schedule, don’t hesitate to tell your case manager. At Coastal Fertility partner – Lucina Egg Bank, your case manager will help look for ways you can easily fit egg donation into your hectic school schedule.
Out Of State Egg Donation
If you don’t reside in the state and want to donate eggs, we will take care of all your travel expenses for the donation process.
We usually advise that our traveling donors schedule their donation for one of the longer breaks in the academic year.
The Processes Involved in Egg Donation
Once you finish your registration and are accepted to be a donor, you will begin the first step in the egg donation process – getting paired with Intended Parents.
When someone likes your profile and selects you from our database, one of our case managers will contact you and take the process to the next step.
After you have been selected as a donor, we will invite you for a series of appointments to be sure that you are 100% healthy and ready for the donation. During these visits, you will undergo several mental, medical, genetic, and fertility screenings.
Once you are cleared to go ahead by our medical team, you will begin to take contraceptive pills to synchronize your cycle with that of the egg recipient.
As the date of the egg retrieval draws near, our physicians will start you on self-administered hormone injections that aid ovulation. Over the course of these injections, we will figure out when is the best time to harvest your eggs. Your part in the egg donation process ends once the retrieval operation is completed.
Preparing For Egg Donation
It’s good to start preparing for the egg donation before you register with a donor egg agency. This is to make sure that you are good to go as soon as you are admitted into the program. How?
1. Take Care of Yourself
You are probably wondering what you need to be doing in the period between registering to become an egg donor and being selected by Intended Parents.
In most cases, we only ask that you keep taking care of yourself as you would if you were not donating. We also recommend that you follow a healthy lifestyle by consuming a healthy diet, doing a moderate amount of exercise, and staying off alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs.
2. Plan Ahead of Time
Egg donation is a big commitment in terms of physical health and time. Hence, it’s always good to plan ahead for the donation with your other important engagements, like school or work.
The egg donation process involves several medical screenings and appointments, and you will want to ensure that you can have enough time off for these.
Although a lot of people quickly recover from the “actual” egg retrieval procedure, you need to make sure you have one extra day or more after the retrieval in case you don’t get back to normal as soon as you complete the procedure.
3. Ask Questions
You need to make sure you ask all the necessary questions to feel confident and comfortable to donate your eggs.
We understand that egg donation can be a daunting process, and we are here to assist you through it. Our medical team and the case manager will keep you informed from the beginning to the end.
Don’t hesitate to ask any questions about the process.
4. Build Your Support Network
One of the most significant steps when preparing for an egg donation is making sure you are properly taken care of not only during the process but also after it is completed.
Inform your family, friends, and the people you love about your decision donating eggs and ensure that you have their support. You will probably need someone to follow you to appointments, take you home after the retrieval operation, or just share your feelings with.
Paying Off Your Student Loans
Another thing you need to consider is how donating eggs can help offset your student loans.
The average US college student owes more than $17,000 in student loans, which is enough to purchase a new car or make an advance payment for a small house.
The student loan debt has increased by a whopping 157% since the Great Recession, and it is the second-largest source of household debt in the US.
According to a report, the average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges were $10,230 for the 2018–2019 academic year. And that does not include the costs of room and board or other important expenses.
Students and parents can expect to pay a lot more for a four-year private college.
According to Sallie Mae’s national study, “How America Pays for College,” student loans only cover about 25% of the total costs when scholarships, savings, and grants are not enough.
Some students are facing a mountain of loan debt that might take up to 30 years to offset.
A lot of American parents are now choosing between paying for their children’s college bills or funding their retirement. The issue is more difficult for older parents.
How Egg Donation Compensation Can Help Settle Student Debt
If you are an indebted student, it could feel like there is a long road ahead before you can be debt-free. However, you need to know that there are plenty of options to pay some of this debt.
Many students are reaching student loan limits early in their academic careers. So, if you have never considered your loan repayment options, now is the time!
With new technology and years of research-backed techniques for egg donation, women now have more power to take charge of their finances.
Egg donation can help you settle a significant portion of your student loan debt since donating eggs (even more than once) has no impact on your fertility or ability to have your own children in the future.
There are thousands of potential eggs (oocytes) in your body, and their quality stays the same during the period you are eligible to donate. This is the reason many clinics are looking for women aged 20 to 30 to be their donor.
One round of egg donation fetches donors between $5,000 -$10,000 and can be done every six months if you want, and up to six times.
The average student loan debt is said to be $17,126. Now imagine how much of a dent $10,000 or even $5,000 would make in the principal.
- For most federal student loans, you have a six-month grace period before you must begin payments. It’s good to start making payments early to lower interest. Plus, there is no minimum payment required for most loans or any penalty for early payoff.
- If you are still a student, try using the egg donation compensation for tuition, fees, and books instead of obtaining a loan.
- Since it’s possible to donate eggs multiple times, this can be a source of income to rely on all through your college education.
Consider the Level of Commitment Before Donating Your Eggs
Note that egg donation is a serious commitment.
It requires a surgical operation and the ability to visit the clinic from time to time during the treatment period.
For women who are working, the blood tests, ultrasounds, and egg retrieval itself could take a great deal of time. However, many clinics help reduce that stress by paying for your visits to and from the clinic!
The number of egg donation rounds you can do depends on how well your body can tolerate the procedure and your level of comfort with the process. You will need to consult with your physician to know if it is okay for you to do another round.
For women who can tolerate the procedure, egg donation remains one of the best options to offset tuition and loan debt. No matter whether you are still a student or have graduated, you have got an excellent option to help settle your bills.
There is a high demand for younger women (like you) because the younger the eggs, the healthier they are. And because of that and the compassionate desire to help another person build their families, egg donation is a worthy thing to consider.
But then again, the compensation you receive can go a long way if you are dealing with a huge amount of student loan debt that is preventing you from buying a car or beginning your own family.
Final Words
We understand that egg donation can be an intimidating process, especially if you are donating for the first time. Our partner Lucina Egg Bank, can help answer any question you have got about the process. Our case managers are always around to help and guide you through the egg donation journey.
Not all women are eligible to be a donor. However, if you are qualified, you can help another person achieve their dream of having a family while earning a handsome amount of money to minimize or completely pay off your student loan debt.
If you want to see whether you meet the qualifications to become an Egg Donor, simply fill out this form and find out if you qualify to become an egg donor.
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