Directed donation, donor agreement, donor compensation
Directed donation
Egg or sperm donation by a person the recipients already know, also called known donation. See known, anonymous and identity-release donors.
Donor agreement
The contract between an egg donor and intended parents covering compensation, confidentiality and parental rights.
Donor compensation
Payment to an egg donor for her time, effort and risk. See egg donor compensation.
Egg donor, egg retrieval, embryo, embryo grading, embryo transfer
Egg donor
A screened woman, usually 21 to 30, whose eggs are retrieved to create embryos for another family. See egg donation.
Egg retrieval
A short procedure under sedation that collects eggs from the ovaries with an ultrasound-guided needle. See the donor process.
Embryo
A fertilized egg in its first days of growth, grown in the lab for 5 to 7 days in IVF.
Embryo grading
The lab's visual score of an embryo's development and appearance. See embryo grading.
Embryo transfer
The roughly 10-minute procedure that places one thawed embryo in the uterus, with no anesthesia.
Endometrium, ERA, escrow, estrogen, euploid
Endometrium
The uterine lining, built to about 7 millimeters or more before transfer.
ERA
Endometrial receptivity analysis: a biopsy taken in a mock cycle to check whether the lining is receptive on the planned transfer day.
Escrow
A fund held by an independent licensed escrow agent, financed by the intended parents, that pays the surrogate and vendors on the contract schedule. With PLS, parents fund $10,000 at match and the balance before medications start. See escrow.
Estrogen
The hormone that builds the uterine lining in a transfer cycle, taken by pill, patch or injection.
Euploid
An embryo with a normal chromosome count on PGT-A testing.
FDA donor eligibility, FET, fertility clinic, fresh cycle, frozen egg bank
FDA donor eligibility
Federal screening and infectious disease testing required of every egg and sperm donor. See donor screening.
FET
Frozen embryo transfer: the transfer of a previously frozen embryo. See the FET protocol.
Fertility clinic
The medical practice that creates embryos, screens the surrogate and performs the transfer.
Fresh cycle
A donor cycle in which your chosen donor is stimulated for you and all her eggs are fertilized for you.
Frozen egg bank
A company that sells a lot of frozen eggs from a donor who has already cycled. A lot is commonly 6 to 8 eggs. See fresh vs frozen.
How to cite this glossary
Cite as Private Label Surrogacy, "Surrogacy terms D to F: definitions," by Nancy Block, RN, medically reviewed by Mark Silverberg, MD, last updated October 14, 2026, privatelabelsurrogacy.com/glossary/surrogacy-terms-d-f/. Previous: terms A to C. Next: terms G to L.
| Term | Related page | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Directed donation | Donor types | ASRM |
| Embryo transfer, FET | FET protocol | ASRM, SART |
| ERA | Mock cycle | ASRM |
| Escrow | Escrow | PLS agreement |
| FDA donor eligibility | Donor screening | FDA, ASRM |
Sources
- ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine). https://www.asrm.org/
- SART (Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology). https://www.sart.org/
- CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), assisted reproductive technology data. https://www.cdc.gov/art/
- FDA (US Food and Drug Administration), donor eligibility rules for reproductive tissue.