Types of Agencies

Advantages / Disadvantages
(opinion based and generalized)

1. Internet Agency - Speaking only of Fertility Network Agency, this service openly presents pre-screened applicant donors to interested recipients or fertility centers on the Internet.  The recipient can "reserve" a donor and we will forward the application to the fertility center of their choice to meld with their system.  Our application is very universal and comprehensive, but may require additional steps at the fertility center based on their unique requirements.

This service provides quick determination of baseline eligibility.  It allows donors to be broadly promoted to recipients through the open Internet.  It allows donors to not be "locked in" to working with one fertility center or just the customers of an egg donation agency.  It has a low impact on the overall cost of treatment to the recipient and/or fertility center.

This service is limited in capabilities and requires a "hand-off" to fertility centers early in the process.  They may have a higher chance of ultimately being declined than what an egg donation agency would provide (but that hasn't been concluded).

2. Egg Donation Agency - Many egg donation agencies are owned by attorneys, thereby providing a broader range of services especially in the "contracting" area.  These agencies develop their own donor population, recruit their own recipients for selection or allow fertility centers and/or fertility center recipients to review and select donors (almost always password protected).  Sometimes they contract with third party solutions for psychological testing, or have a mental health professional in house.

Egg donation agencies provide a broad range of services and provide a better solution for donors who may need a bit more "hand holding".  They get to know their donors very well, thereby provide valuable  determinations of character and completeness of treatment.

This service provides personal attention, thereby adding to the overall cost to the recipient for this service.  Often these agencies don't have the Internet promotion capabilities to reach a large pool of recipients.  Therefore, donors may wait until fertility center needs are not met by the donors at the fertility center agency.

3. Dr's Office Agency - The fertility center itself may offer an internal agency, providing their own donors from their own donor population, whom they have recruited, determined eligibility and present to recipients.  These are typically full-service in nature, sometimes with outsourced professionals used for recruiting, psychological evaluations and contracting.  Clearly they handle the physical and lab testing, as well as the ultimate treatment.

This is clearly the most full-service option of all three for continuity of care.  The cost savings to the recipient is completely dependent upon the charges for services by the fertility center.

Donors in this service are limited to support the recipients of that fertility center only.  Additionally, doctor websites generally do not have the Internet visibility for promotion to recipients.