{"id":1825,"date":"2022-02-28T10:43:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T10:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expecting.ai\/blog\/?p=1825"},"modified":"2026-08-09T11:21:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T11:21:01","slug":"save-time-and-money-by-gauging-egg-donor-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expecting.ai\/blog\/parenting\/save-time-and-money-by-gauging-egg-donor-potential\/","title":{"rendered":"Fertility Expert: Save Time and Money By Gauging Egg Donor Potential"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor’s note (August 2026):<\/strong> This is a historical interview originally published in 2022. AMH and antral follicle count can help estimate ovarian response to stimulation, but they do not measure egg quality or guarantee how many embryos or children will result from a donor cycle. Statements below describing a donor as a \u201chigh producer\u201d or predicting family size should be read as the interviewee’s practical perspective, not as a medical guarantee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our Expecting Answers episode<\/a>, we spoke with Xiomara Hernandez, international liaison at the Idaho <\/a>Center<\/a> for Reproductive Medicine<\/a> and a third-party reproduction professional, to discuss choosing an egg donor. Here are her tips for intended parents, in her own words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basically, choosing an egg donor<\/a> is probably the most difficult decision. It\u2019s also very personal and depends on many factors. Depending on what the budget looks like and what criteria and preferences the intended parents have in mind for their egg donor, this process can start in many different ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Clinics VS Agencies<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Most of the clinics<\/a> in the US have their own in-house donor pool. There are certain advantages to choosing a donor that works with a clinic<\/a>, but I would also say that we [clinics] are limited in the variety or amount of egg donors that we have in our donor pools. So, if the intended parents are looking for a donor with specific criteria or exotic features, then they may be better off working with an international or a US egg donation agency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many fantastic agencies, but there are pros and cons for working either directly with a clinic or choosing the egg donor from an agency.<\/a> At the time of this interview, the speaker described clinic-based donor programs as generally more cost-effective and agencies as offering a wider donor pool. That should be treated as a historical perspective, not a universal rule. Current total cost and donor availability vary by clinic, agency, egg bank, donor arrangement, medications, travel and laboratory fees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Xiomara
Xiomara Hernandez, International Liaison at the Idaho International Center for Fertility Medicine<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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2. How To Determine The Egg Donor\u2019s Potential<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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The questions you should ask are really about what\u2019s most important to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I know that most people, when they look at this process, have an ideal donor in mind. But, they have to keep in mind that the success of their journey is more related to the egg donor they\u2019re choosing than the doctor  or the agency they\u2019re going to be working with. In the end, the best doctor in the world cannot do much if you choose the wrong donor egg and you have poor quality eggs or embryos, or just a few embryos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, although physical features are important, <\/strong>the donor\u2019s health is the most important, which is why most of the donors are pre-screened<\/a>. There are certain criteria that are set, so not everyone who is 25 and wants to be an egg donor can. Some women will have fantastic fertility when they\u2019re 25 and some will not. So we have to look at a lot of factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re choosing an egg donor who hasn\u2019t donated before there\u2019s more uncertainty, because we\u2019re always looking at her follicle count and AMH levels in order to get an idea of what to expect from an egg donor if they\u2019ve never been through a cycle before. In our clinic, since we are a local fertility clinic and we work with local donors, we can easily call and ask a donor to come in for a few more tests to make sure we have an idea of the quality of the donor eggs before we match them with any intended parents. When you\u2019re working with out of state donors or agencies, typically these tests are not performed in advance because they cost more money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But, how would you know that the donor you’re interested in has been properly pre-screened? You have to understand that these two factors – follicle count and AMH levels – are very important to get an idea of the kind of donor you\u2019re selecting, if she\u2019s never donated before. So, if you\u2019re using a clinic to choose your egg donor, simply ask the clinic if they have this information and if they do, you\u2019d be able to have a better idea of what to expect and avoid unnecessary risks. Of course, until the donor goes through the first cycle you can never know exactly if those eggs are going to become embryos or not. But at least you’re not blind picking an egg donor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re choosing an egg donor through an agency, just have an open conversation with them and make sure that you are selecting and choosing a flexible provider that\u2019s going to be able to help you. At the time of this interview, the speaker referenced spending \u201c30, 40 or $50,000\u201d on donor and agency-related fees. That figure reflects the historical context of the interview and should not be treated as a current market estimate. The underlying advice remains useful: before committing substantial funds, ask the clinic what screening and ovarian-reserve information is available and what it can\u2014and cannot\u2014predict about likely response. So if the agency hasn’t performed these tests, which is normal because most don’t, then ask if it\u2019s possible to run them before she travels to the clinic, so you can have an idea of the potential this candidate has. You’ll be better off because you\u2019ll have more certainty and peace of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We don\u2019t want people to have to do this more than once. We want people to choose well and be done with it after one cycle. We want you to have enough embryos to have one, two or even three kids after one cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s best to discuss these things before you make a decision. Get everyone who is helping you involved to advise you. If we see you\u2019re focusing on an egg donor that isn’t good for you, we\u2019re going to be transparent and say, \u201chey, you want to have two or three kids and this egg donor may not be enough because she is not a high producer.\u201d If you only want to have one child, that\u2019s another thing. We encourage intended parents to have open conversations with us before they choose an egg donor or surrogate. In the end, we don\u2019t want you to spend more than you should and we want you to be successful on your first cycle and have as many kids as you want. This means that, depending on your end goal or the idea you have for your process, maybe you’re looking at an egg donor that’s not relevant to you. The same egg donor is not going to work for everyone. That\u2019s why there are so many service providers and donors – so you can choose the right one for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Watch the full interview with Xiomara<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n