Egg donation podcasts/videos

[IVFlife]

Can anyone reccomend any books/podcasts or videos about how to navigate egg donation?

Particularly how to select characteristics etc.

Really wanting some opinions on what should be the plan when deciding

Hi, to be honest selecting donor characteristics tends to be secondary to deciding how long you're prepared to wait, how much you're prepared to pay and how important it is to you to have a donor who can be identified when any child born is 18 (known as ID release) as opposed to an anonymous donor. As a rough rule of thumb, it's cheaper and often quicker to use a clinic in say Spain or Cyprus, but then your donor will be anonymous (although I think some Cyprus clinics work with UK clinics on an ID release basis).

Everyone's preferences are different. Some recipients want all main physical characteristics between them and the donor to be similar, others are less bothered by that but want to find a donor whose profile they really connect with. Some have a preference for a "proven" donor who has donated successfully previously, or has had her own children. Others only want a very young donor, say no older than 25. Some sadly have a failed cycle with a donor who seemed a perfect fit for them on paper, and then decide to try again with another donor who is less of a "perfect" fit but seems more likely to produce a good number of quality eggs.

I would recommend you contact the Donor Conception Network - they have WhatsApp groups for people considering using donor eggs. Good luck!