September 12, 2024 • 15 mins
Learn more about how to Egg Donor Agency Fee is calculated.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Are you someone who is fascinated by all the pregnancy, childbirth,
and motherhood stuff few people talk about because they're too embarrassed?
If so, welcome to the motherload of all things taboo, or at least really wild and interesting.
The Asking for a Pregnant Friend podcast is based off the book of the same name
(00:21):
and dives in to all of the pregnancy, birth, and mothering topics that make
many people blush or scratch their heads.
I do all the boring research so you don't have to and bring you interviews with
the leading experts in the topics I cover.
I also share all the things about myself, Bailey Gaddis. I'm all about TMI.
(00:45):
You'll also hear stories from brave women who gave permission to have their
stories shared. So come along, my friend, on a journey into the beautiful underbelly
of making, growing, and raising babies.
Music.
(01:09):
A common question that I get asked by intended parents working with my egg donor
and surrogacy agency, Graceful Beginnings, is what is included in the agency fee.
So the agency fee is the payment that goes to the agency.
And it is one of the big costs of egg donation.
(01:32):
You know, the egg donor fee and the medical costs are usually higher, but the agency fees,
you know, for agencies in California, this fee can range anywhere from $9,000 up to $15,000.
But a lot goes in to that agency fee.
(01:53):
We do a lot of work to earn that fee. So I'm going to share what that is.
So that donor that you fall in love with on the donor database,
a lot of work went into even getting her on the database.
We spend a lot of time, a lot of money recruiting donors.
(02:14):
We do all sorts of referral bonuses, getting current donors to refer friends
that they think would be a good match. So a huge part of our job is donor recruitment.
And then again, paying those referral fees, paying for ads.
We also often do, you know, a lot of work with intended parents before there's even a match.
(02:38):
So numerous phone calls, lots of emails to give them as much information as
they need before matching. machine.
And sometimes we don't get paid for that time if the intended parents decide
not to match with that donor, which is of course fine, but that is a big piece of our job.
(02:58):
Another thing is the insurance for egg donor and surrogacy agencies is incredibly high.
So that is a big expense that that donor agencies, surrogacy agencies have.
And so a piece of that is built into the agency fee.
(03:18):
And then next, when intended parents request to match, you know,
we do a lot of coordination with the donor, making sure that the schedule works for her.
If it doesn't, figuring out how how we can adjust things to make it work for her.
Sometimes intended parents want a video of the donor or they want to do a Zoom
(03:42):
call. We facilitate all of that.
If that is a request that's made.
And then next, if there is a match, then we coordinate on all of,
or actually this happens before a match, retrieving the donor's records from past cycles.
(04:02):
This is sometimes easier said than done, but we make sure we get those.
If somebody wants to match with an experienced donor, we send all of those records
over to the fertility clinic that the intended parents are working with.
So the donor can get preliminary approval.
If she gets that, then we do the match because we want to make sure that preliminary approval is given.
(04:26):
In some cases, that doesn't happen first.
You know, if it is a really experienced donor that has just impeccable records
and say there's two intended parents that both want to match with the donor,
sometimes intended parents will forego that preliminary approval approval,
and then just want to match with the donor.
(04:49):
So all sorts of factors there that we support intended parents through.
All right, next, if it is a first-time donor, the agency is responsible for
scheduling the donor's psychological evaluation, making sure that happens in a timely manner.
We are responsible for scheduling the donor's family risk assessment with a genetic counselor.
(05:13):
Throughout all of this, we are regularly communicating with the intended parents
to keep them up to date with everything.
We are almost constantly texting with our donors, you know, making sure they've
scheduled their appointments.
We have notes on our calendars, myself and my coordinators, to make sure that
we are checking in with the donor the day before her appointment to make sure
(05:37):
she shows, you know, so we are doing.
Almost constant communication with our donors who are in cycle.
Once we get all of the results back from those preliminary evaluations,
we of course send them to the fertility clinic.
And then if they all look good, it is time to schedule the donor's medical evaluation.
(05:59):
So we facilitate that we work with the donor and the clinic to find,
you know, the ideal day and time for that evaluation.
If the donor is out of town, the agency is responsible for coordinating all of the travel.
The intended parents pay for the travel, but the agency coordinates it.
So we book the flights, we book the accommodations, transportation,
(06:24):
and then we have escrow send the per diem to the donor based on how many days
the donor was out of town.
And so this involves quite a lot of coordination with the donor.
To make sure everything works for her,
to make sure she's okay with the accommodations and so on and so forth.
(06:44):
Sometimes we have donors that have never traveled on there. And so we do a lot
of coaching in that regard.
We're almost, you know, constantly on the phone with them as they're getting
ready to go through security or whatnot, just making sure they're comfortable,
making sure that they get where they need to be.
All right, so once that medical evaluation is done, there are results that come
(07:11):
in usually about a week later.
As an agency, we check in regularly with the clinic to see when the results are in.
Some clinics are really busy and they don't notice right away when those results come in.
So it can be helpful for the agency to regularly kind of give that little push
(07:31):
like, hey, can you check to see if the results are in?
And if so, then the doctor reviews them.
They give approval, medical clearance.
And so once we receive that medical clearance, the agency,
we work with the intended parents attorney and the donor's attorney to get the
(07:55):
drafting of the donor contract started.
Oftentimes, both parties have quite a few questions for the donor agency to
make sure that the donor contract reflects certain terms that were in the retainer agreement.
If, you know, both parties want to have, you know, a semi-known or a known donation,
(08:17):
there's a lot of coordination that goes on there with the agency often being a middleman with that.
We're also making sure that the legal process moves forward in a timely manner.
You know, if we have a very clear deadline, we make sure that everybody knows
about that and that everything is moving as quickly as possible.
(08:40):
Once that legal clearance
is given then it is time for the clinic
to create the the cycle calendar so as soon as we get that cycle calendar we
check with the donor to make sure that works with her schedule if it doesn't
then we work with the clinic to figure out an alternative we also of course
(09:03):
are checking with intended parents throughout all of this,
to make sure that they don't have
any conflicts. So a lot of our job is communicating with intended parents,
the clinic, and the donor to make sure that everybody is on the same page and
moving forward at the same pace.
(09:26):
And so once the donor calendar is set, everything looks good.
Typically, the donor is starting birth control.
We check in with her to make sure she starts birth control on the correct day.
We always have every appointment, every piece of the donor calendar in our calendar.
(09:48):
So again, we check in with them to make sure the day that they're supposed to
stop birth control that they stop,
that the day before all of their monitoring appointments, we check in and remind
them, make sure that they know where to go, what time they need to be there.
If it is an out-of-town donor, the agency is responsible for finding the outside
(10:09):
monitoring clinic, getting all of the needed information to that clinic,
scheduling the appointments.
And we're also regularly checking in with the donor to see how she's feeling,
to see if she has any discomfort, if she needs anything,
we are very present at all times, but especially during the cycle to make sure
(10:32):
the donor has everything that she needs.
She understands how to do the fertility injections.
Of course, you know, the nurses at the fertility clinic provide a lot of support.
But my co-founder, Anna Lee, she is also an RN.
She was a third party coordinator for a major clinic in Los Angeles for about 15 years.
(10:55):
Before that, she worked at a fertility clinic in Austin, Texas for about 10
years. So she has a ton of experience as well.
I've worked in this industry for about 15 years. I was a donor many times in my 20s.
So between the two of us, we're able to give a lot of support for the donor injections.
Annalise sometimes does FaceTime with the donor to make sure that she is doing
(11:20):
the injections properly and again at the correct time.
All right, and if the donor is an out-of-town donor, we again coordinate all
the travel to the fertility clinic, make sure that she gets on that airplane on time,
yada yada, similar to if she needs to travel for the medical evaluation,
(11:41):
but obviously she's there for a longer period of time.
Throughout all of this, we are
also responsible for requesting payments to different parties from escrow.
So we provide instructions for escrow to send payment to the psychologist that
does the psych evaluation, to the genetic counselor that handles the family risk assessment.
(12:05):
We are responsible for obtaining the donor insurance policy.
For making sure the donor attorney is paid for, making sure the donor per diem
is paid, that the donor receives reimbursement for all incidentals, such as birth control.
And then we are responsible, too, for the donor receiving her $500 start of
(12:30):
medication fee from escrow.
And then, of course, right after she receives or right after she undergoes the
egg retrieval, we instruct escrow to remit her the remainder of her donor fee.
Throughout all this time you know we are also
communicating with the intended parents regularly letting them
(12:52):
know when the donor is going to start medications how she's feeling when she'll
be traveling to the clinic making sure that they have all of the information
they need i myself i answer phone calls and text messages all seven days of the week at all hours.
Especially you know if a donor is traveling if
(13:15):
she gets to the car rental place at
4 a.m and nobody's there then they're
talking with me to figure out you know how
to get to their accommodations so I am pretty much always on and providing support
to our donors and intended parents and then after the egg retrieval technically
(13:38):
our job is done but I personally stay in communication with the intended parents.
Making sure that, you know, they have all the information that they need,
and just to support them through some of those next steps if they want it.
So I'm sure I've forgotten a few pieces of all of the things an egg donor agency
(14:00):
does, but that is a broad strokes view of everything that is included in that agency fee.
If you can like subscribe comment that would be so incredibly helpful that will
allow me to keep providing this content for you guys all right love you,
Are you newly pregnant and overwhelmed by the prospect of navigating this journey?
(14:25):
Are you hoping to find calm, empowerment, and transformation but don't know how to make that happen?
Enter the book Feng Shui Mommy, Creating Balance and Harmony for Blissful Pregnancy,
Childbirth, and Motherhood.
This book is a holistic companion for pregnant women who wish to awaken their
spirit, harness the true potential of their mind, and nourish their body before,
(14:50):
during, and after childbirth.
This book provides in-depth guidance through all four trimesters,
offering specific suggestions for mind, body, and spirit nourishment.
It allows mothers to welcome delight and curiosity into the journey while embracing
each phase with purpose and calm, and even a sense of fun.
(15:13):
You can get your copy from Amazon or from Barnes & Noble, Target,
and everywhere else books are sold.
Music.
Are you someone who is fascinated by all the pregnancy, childbirth,
and motherhood stuff few people talk about because they're too embarrassed?
If so, welcome to the motherload of all things taboo, or at least really wild and interesting.
The Asking for a Pregnant Friend podcast is based off the book of the same name
(00:21):
and dives in to all of the pregnancy, birth, and mothering topics that make
many people blush or scratch their heads.
I do all the boring research so you don't have to and bring you interviews with
the leading experts in the topics I cover.
I also share all the things about myself, Bailey Gaddis. I'm all about TMI.
(00:45):
You'll also hear stories from brave women who gave permission to have their
stories shared. So come along, my friend, on a journey into the beautiful underbelly
of making, growing, and raising babies.
Music.
(01:09):
A common question that I get asked by intended parents working with my egg donor
and surrogacy agency, Graceful Beginnings, is what is included in the agency fee.
So the agency fee is the payment that goes to the agency.
And it is one of the big costs of egg donation.
(01:32):
You know, the egg donor fee and the medical costs are usually higher, but the agency fees,
you know, for agencies in California, this fee can range anywhere from $9,000 up to $15,000.
But a lot goes in to that agency fee.
(01:53):
We do a lot of work to earn that fee. So I'm going to share what that is.
So that donor that you fall in love with on the donor database,
a lot of work went into even getting her on the database.
We spend a lot of time, a lot of money recruiting donors.
(02:14):
We do all sorts of referral bonuses, getting current donors to refer friends
that they think would be a good match. So a huge part of our job is donor recruitment.
And then again, paying those referral fees, paying for ads.
We also often do, you know, a lot of work with intended parents before there's even a match.
(02:38):
So numerous phone calls, lots of emails to give them as much information as
they need before matching. machine.
And sometimes we don't get paid for that time if the intended parents decide
not to match with that donor, which is of course fine, but that is a big piece of our job.
(02:58):
Another thing is the insurance for egg donor and surrogacy agencies is incredibly high.
So that is a big expense that that donor agencies, surrogacy agencies have.
And so a piece of that is built into the agency fee.
(03:18):
And then next, when intended parents request to match, you know,
we do a lot of coordination with the donor, making sure that the schedule works for her.
If it doesn't, figuring out how how we can adjust things to make it work for her.
Sometimes intended parents want a video of the donor or they want to do a Zoom
(03:42):
call. We facilitate all of that.
If that is a request that's made.
And then next, if there is a match, then we coordinate on all of,
or actually this happens before a match, retrieving the donor's records from past cycles.
(04:02):
This is sometimes easier said than done, but we make sure we get those.
If somebody wants to match with an experienced donor, we send all of those records
over to the fertility clinic that the intended parents are working with.
So the donor can get preliminary approval.
If she gets that, then we do the match because we want to make sure that preliminary approval is given.
(04:26):
In some cases, that doesn't happen first.
You know, if it is a really experienced donor that has just impeccable records
and say there's two intended parents that both want to match with the donor,
sometimes intended parents will forego that preliminary approval approval,
and then just want to match with the donor.
(04:49):
So all sorts of factors there that we support intended parents through.
All right, next, if it is a first-time donor, the agency is responsible for
scheduling the donor's psychological evaluation, making sure that happens in a timely manner.
We are responsible for scheduling the donor's family risk assessment with a genetic counselor.
(05:13):
Throughout all of this, we are regularly communicating with the intended parents
to keep them up to date with everything.
We are almost constantly texting with our donors, you know, making sure they've
scheduled their appointments.
We have notes on our calendars, myself and my coordinators, to make sure that
we are checking in with the donor the day before her appointment to make sure
(05:37):
she shows, you know, so we are doing.
Almost constant communication with our donors who are in cycle.
Once we get all of the results back from those preliminary evaluations,
we of course send them to the fertility clinic.
And then if they all look good, it is time to schedule the donor's medical evaluation.
(05:59):
So we facilitate that we work with the donor and the clinic to find,
you know, the ideal day and time for that evaluation.
If the donor is out of town, the agency is responsible for coordinating all of the travel.
The intended parents pay for the travel, but the agency coordinates it.
So we book the flights, we book the accommodations, transportation,
(06:24):
and then we have escrow send the per diem to the donor based on how many days
the donor was out of town.
And so this involves quite a lot of coordination with the donor.
To make sure everything works for her,
to make sure she's okay with the accommodations and so on and so forth.
(06:44):
Sometimes we have donors that have never traveled on there. And so we do a lot
of coaching in that regard.
We're almost, you know, constantly on the phone with them as they're getting
ready to go through security or whatnot, just making sure they're comfortable,
making sure that they get where they need to be.
All right, so once that medical evaluation is done, there are results that come
(07:11):
in usually about a week later.
As an agency, we check in regularly with the clinic to see when the results are in.
Some clinics are really busy and they don't notice right away when those results come in.
So it can be helpful for the agency to regularly kind of give that little push
(07:31):
like, hey, can you check to see if the results are in?
And if so, then the doctor reviews them.
They give approval, medical clearance.
And so once we receive that medical clearance, the agency,
we work with the intended parents attorney and the donor's attorney to get the
(07:55):
drafting of the donor contract started.
Oftentimes, both parties have quite a few questions for the donor agency to
make sure that the donor contract reflects certain terms that were in the retainer agreement.
If, you know, both parties want to have, you know, a semi-known or a known donation,
(08:17):
there's a lot of coordination that goes on there with the agency often being a middleman with that.
We're also making sure that the legal process moves forward in a timely manner.
You know, if we have a very clear deadline, we make sure that everybody knows
about that and that everything is moving as quickly as possible.
(08:40):
Once that legal clearance
is given then it is time for the clinic
to create the the cycle calendar so as soon as we get that cycle calendar we
check with the donor to make sure that works with her schedule if it doesn't
then we work with the clinic to figure out an alternative we also of course
(09:03):
are checking with intended parents throughout all of this,
to make sure that they don't have
any conflicts. So a lot of our job is communicating with intended parents,
the clinic, and the donor to make sure that everybody is on the same page and
moving forward at the same pace.
(09:26):
And so once the donor calendar is set, everything looks good.
Typically, the donor is starting birth control.
We check in with her to make sure she starts birth control on the correct day.
We always have every appointment, every piece of the donor calendar in our calendar.
(09:48):
So again, we check in with them to make sure the day that they're supposed to
stop birth control that they stop,
that the day before all of their monitoring appointments, we check in and remind
them, make sure that they know where to go, what time they need to be there.
If it is an out-of-town donor, the agency is responsible for finding the outside
(10:09):
monitoring clinic, getting all of the needed information to that clinic,
scheduling the appointments.
And we're also regularly checking in with the donor to see how she's feeling,
to see if she has any discomfort, if she needs anything,
we are very present at all times, but especially during the cycle to make sure
(10:32):
the donor has everything that she needs.
She understands how to do the fertility injections.
Of course, you know, the nurses at the fertility clinic provide a lot of support.
But my co-founder, Anna Lee, she is also an RN.
She was a third party coordinator for a major clinic in Los Angeles for about 15 years.
(10:55):
Before that, she worked at a fertility clinic in Austin, Texas for about 10
years. So she has a ton of experience as well.
I've worked in this industry for about 15 years. I was a donor many times in my 20s.
So between the two of us, we're able to give a lot of support for the donor injections.
Annalise sometimes does FaceTime with the donor to make sure that she is doing
(11:20):
the injections properly and again at the correct time.
All right, and if the donor is an out-of-town donor, we again coordinate all
the travel to the fertility clinic, make sure that she gets on that airplane on time,
yada yada, similar to if she needs to travel for the medical evaluation,
(11:41):
but obviously she's there for a longer period of time.
Throughout all of this, we are
also responsible for requesting payments to different parties from escrow.
So we provide instructions for escrow to send payment to the psychologist that
does the psych evaluation, to the genetic counselor that handles the family risk assessment.
(12:05):
We are responsible for obtaining the donor insurance policy.
For making sure the donor attorney is paid for, making sure the donor per diem
is paid, that the donor receives reimbursement for all incidentals, such as birth control.
And then we are responsible, too, for the donor receiving her $500 start of
(12:30):
medication fee from escrow.
And then, of course, right after she receives or right after she undergoes the
egg retrieval, we instruct escrow to remit her the remainder of her donor fee.
Throughout all this time you know we are also
communicating with the intended parents regularly letting them
(12:52):
know when the donor is going to start medications how she's feeling when she'll
be traveling to the clinic making sure that they have all of the information
they need i myself i answer phone calls and text messages all seven days of the week at all hours.
Especially you know if a donor is traveling if
(13:15):
she gets to the car rental place at
4 a.m and nobody's there then they're
talking with me to figure out you know how
to get to their accommodations so I am pretty much always on and providing support
to our donors and intended parents and then after the egg retrieval technically
(13:38):
our job is done but I personally stay in communication with the intended parents.
Making sure that, you know, they have all the information that they need,
and just to support them through some of those next steps if they want it.
So I'm sure I've forgotten a few pieces of all of the things an egg donor agency
(14:00):
does, but that is a broad strokes view of everything that is included in that agency fee.
If you can like subscribe comment that would be so incredibly helpful that will
allow me to keep providing this content for you guys all right love you,
Are you newly pregnant and overwhelmed by the prospect of navigating this journey?
(14:25):
Are you hoping to find calm, empowerment, and transformation but don't know how to make that happen?
Enter the book Feng Shui Mommy, Creating Balance and Harmony for Blissful Pregnancy,
Childbirth, and Motherhood.
This book is a holistic companion for pregnant women who wish to awaken their
spirit, harness the true potential of their mind, and nourish their body before,
(14:50):
during, and after childbirth.
This book provides in-depth guidance through all four trimesters,
offering specific suggestions for mind, body, and spirit nourishment.
It allows mothers to welcome delight and curiosity into the journey while embracing
each phase with purpose and calm, and even a sense of fun.
(15:13):
You can get your copy from Amazon or from Barnes & Noble, Target,
and everywhere else books are sold.
Music.
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