Egg donation

How does an egg donor program work for intended parents?

The short answer

An egg donor is a screened woman, usually 21 to 30, who undergoes about two weeks of ovarian stimulation and a 20-minute retrieval so her eggs can be fertilized with the intended father's or donor sperm to create embryos for another family. Intended parents use donor eggs for diminished ovarian reserve, age-related egg quality, genetic conditions, or because two dads or a single man need eggs. The Private Label Surrogacy egg donor program matches parents with donors screened to ASRM and FDA standards; the match fee is $11,000, or $8,500 when bundled with a PLS surrogacy journey, with donor compensation (usually $6,000 to $20,000) paid through independent escrow. Founder Nancy Block, RN ran The Center for Egg Options Illinois for 15 years before founding PLS.

Written by Nancy Block, RN

Founder and Director. Fertility nurse, 17 years at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Former President, SEEDS.

Medically reviewed by Mark Silverberg, MD

Last updated October 14, 2026

Who needs an egg donor, and why?

This section is being written.

Where do egg donors come from: agency, clinic, bank, known donor

This section is being written.

How are PLS egg donors screened, and how do you choose one?

This section is being written.

Fresh, frozen or bank eggs: which fits your plan?

This section is being written.

Known, anonymous or identity-release: what will your child be able to know?

This section is being written.

What does an egg donor cycle cost and how long does it take?

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How does egg donation combine with surrogacy?

This section is being written.

How does PLS run an egg donor match?

This section is being written.

Table in preparation

Egg donor cost and timeline summary: match fee, donor compensation range, clinic stimulation and retrieval, PGT-A, escrow, legal, with typical weeks per step

Editor notes (D-030): Relaunch page for the egg donation program. Match fee $11,000 / $8,500 bundled: CONFIRM WITH NANCY. Confirm whether PLS keeps its own donor database or matches through partners. Retrieval duration and cycle timing are general clinical figures; Dr. Silverberg to review.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an egg donor cost in total?

Donor compensation usually runs $6,000 to $20,000, plus the PLS match fee of $11,000 ($8,500 bundled with surrogacy), legal and escrow fees, and clinic charges for screening, stimulation and retrieval.

How long does an egg donor cycle take?

About 2 to 3 months from match to embryos: screening 4 to 6 weeks, stimulation 10 to 14 days, retrieval, then 5 to 7 days of embryo culture and 1 to 2 weeks for PGT-A results.

Will the donor be the legal mother?

No. Donors sign an agreement with independent counsel relinquishing all parental rights, and under Illinois law the intended parents are the parents.

Can the child contact the donor later?

Only under an identity-release or known arrangement agreed at the start. Direct-to-consumer DNA testing means no donation is reliably anonymous for life.

Does PLS have its own donor database?

PLS matches from its own screened candidates and partner clinic and agency pools. Confirm current database size with the team.