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ADOPTION & ART ATTORNEYS IN MARYLAND, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA & VIRGINIA

ADOPTION & ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART) ATTORNEYS

    • Egg Donation

      ADOPTIVE FAMILY SERVICES

      Egg Donation

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    If you’re considering donating your eggs to hopeful parents, we can guide you through the legal processes required for egg donation in Maryland, the District of Columbia or Virginia.
    Egg, Embryo or Sperm Donor Services in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC

    An experienced attorney is needed to navigate you through the legal complexities of the egg donation legal agreement so that all parties are protected, whether yours is a known or an anonymous donor arrangement. Contact us now to learn how we can help you with your egg donation contract in VA, MD or D.C.


    The following information can help you learn about the egg donation legal agreement, the general process of egg donation, and why you’ll need an attorney as an egg donor.

    • What is egg donation?

      As an egg donor, you would be providing your healthy egg to someone who would use it to create an embryo using either donor sperm or sperm from an intended father. That embryo would be transferred to either an intended mother or a surrogate to carry.


      You can donate eggs anonymously, if you prefer, or you may be a known donor, meaning you either already know the recipients of your donated eggs, or you’re comfortable with the recipients of your donated eggs having access to information about you. 

    • Why Donate Eggs?

      Egg donors make hopeful parents’ dreams of becoming a family come true. By donating your eggs, you can help single parents, same-sex couples, or heterosexual couples who are unable to conceive on their own.


      In addition to the altruistic benefits of donating eggs, you can also be compensated for egg donation in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. While every state has a law making it illegal to sell eggs, it is not illegal to compensate a woman for her time and inconvenience going through the process to donate her eggs. An egg donor's time and effort is not inconsequential, so it’s fair to compensate her for it.

    • Egg donor requirements

      While specific egg donor requirements may vary depending on the clinic, most clinics require that egg donors:


      • Be between 21 and 28 years old
      • Have regular monthly periods
      • Be physically and emotionally healthy and willing to undergo medical and psychological screening
      • Be nicotine-free and drug-free
      • Be willing to undergo hormone injections
      • Be able to commit to the process for several months
      • Have a body mass index (BMI) of under 28 (calculate your BMI)
      • Have no reproductive disorders

    You don’t need to reside in the same state as the gestational surrogate or intended parents in order to be an egg donor. In fact, you can take your fertility medications at a clinic close to wherever you live. As the time approaches for the egg retrieval, the clinic performing the egg retrieval and transfer procedure will require you to be regularly monitored.


    It’s imperative that you have a formal egg donation contract prior to beginning the medical process. For this, you’ll need legal representation.

    The Legal Process of Egg Donation

    In general, the laws pertaining to egg donors are more permissive than the laws for surrogates.


    It is important to have a written egg donation legal agreement between the intended parents and the egg donor if using either a partially known or known donor. This agreement will delineate fully and clearly the rights of the parties. It will make clear that the donor voluntarily relinquishes all rights to the eggs and also has neither rights to make any decisions over the fate of any embryos nor any parental rights over any child(ren) created using those eggs. The agreement will also protect the egg donor by making it clear that the resulting child is the child of the intended parents. It will also stipulate that the egg donor has no parental obligations, regardless of whether the child is born with birth defects or other problems. As with a surrogacy contract, intended parents can protect the viability of the donor agreement by paying an agreed-upon sum for the donor to have independent legal representation.


    • Giving all rights of your retrieved eggs to the intended parents.
    • Protecting you from any parental rights related to children resulting from your eggs.
    • When and how egg retrieval is to happen.
    • How the intended parents will cover your medical insurance in the event of a medical complication.
    • How the intended parents will cover your travel expenses related to the egg donation process.
    • How you’ll be compensated for your time and effort, and how that fee will be held in escrow.
    • Any fees for potential canceled cycles.
    • What level of contact, if any, you and the intended parents wish to have after donation is complete.
      + And more.

    The goal is to protect you. This is why it’s important to retain separate legal representation from the intended parents for your egg donation contract. Contact us now to learn how we’ve represented egg donors in D.C., VA and MD.

    The Medical Process of Egg Donation

    After you’ve been cleared by a doctor to proceed with the egg donation process and once we’ve finalized your egg donation legal agreement, you will be ready to begin the medical process.


    After successfully completing medical and psychological screening, you will undergo a few weeks of daily fertility injections that trigger your ovaries to produce multiple eggs in one cycle. Then, once your body is ready, those eggs will be removed through a minor surgical procedure, for which you will be sedated.


    The side effects of the hormones needed for egg donation, as well as the surgical procedure for egg retrieval, are minimal, but you should always discuss potential health side effects with a doctor before any medical procedure, including egg donation. You can learn more about the medical process of egg donation     here.


    How We Help Egg Donors in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia

    If you want to donate your eggs to hopeful parents, we can ensure you remain legally protected and make sure you receive the compensation you’re due for your time, commitment and sacrifice.


    Some donors worry they’ll somehow be held responsible for a child born from their eggs if the intended parents don’t assume responsibility for the child. Women who wish to donate their eggs anonymously may worry their privacy will be breached. We’re here to make sure your egg donation contract is legally watertight so you don’t have to worry about anything.

    Call us today to talk to us about creating your Virginia, D.C. or Maryland egg donor contract.

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