Beverly Hills Egg Donation’s Robyn Perchik on the recruiting and screening process, determining the intended parent(s) criteria and insider tips
What exactly is an egg donor agency?
Egg donor agencies play a critical role in the journey that some intended parents take to start and complete their families. Recruiting and screening prospective egg donors, helping intended parents find a donor who fits their needs, and coordinating the donation cycle from initial screening appointment to egg retrieval procedure are some of the important responsibilities entrusted to egg donor agencies. The ultimate goal? A successful pregnancy.
Can you tell our readers about the process?
The process is so personal that it’s different for every intended parent. Many people want a donor who looks like they would fit into their family, who reminds them of a sister or a cousin. I work with intended parents who want a “smart” egg, meaning that they are looking for an academic achiever. Then there are recipients who want an “athletic” egg, or a “musical” egg, and so on. Everyone has different criteria and a different process to find and choose their donor.
My colleagues and I spend time with the intended parent(s) as early as we can in the process to learn what their criteria are and to help them decide which criteria are most important to them. Some criteria—a particular ethnic background, perhaps, or a certain advanced level of education—might be harder than others to find, or more popular among intended parents, so we try to manage expectations.
Can intended parents meet their donor?
As part of the matching process, we will arrange Zoom calls with the donor, if the intended parents want that and the donor is open to it. Intended parents may choose to have these calls because they want to be able to tell their future child that they met the egg donor, or because they want to get a better sense of the donor’s mannerisms and personality.
In the last decade, we have seen a movement towards partially or fully open donations, with more intended parents meeting their donor and/or discussing the possibility of future contact with their donor. Especially in the LGBTQ+ community, personally interacting with the donor before and after the cycle has become increasingly important. We work with many LGBTQ+ parents—both singles and couples, in the US and internationally—who want to keep communication channels open with their donor for future relationships. Our intended parents have met their donors in several US cities, all facilitated by BHED staff. One intended parent flew his donor to Europe after his child was born. We have also seen more donors wanting to feel a connection with the intended parent(s). Some donors have requested a short letter from their intended parents as a way of learning a little about the their backgrounds and interests.
How much does the process cost?
Donor fees start at $10,000 and our agency fee starts at $12,500. Other costs include all medical fees which are paid directly to the intended parents’ clinic, and travel if the donor isn’t local.
Are there any “insider tips” regarding egg donation?
When researching egg donor agencies, ask if they use international donors. We only work with donors who reside in the US, who are either US citizens or are legally able to work here.
Choose an agency that has a contractual refund policy; many do not.
Ask the agency questions that will give you an indication of their fee structure. Do they take a percentage of the donor fee in addition to the agency fee? Do they “mark up” travel, or provide it at cost? Do they collect the donor’s receipts and reconcile the expenses? Are there surcharges for cycle coordination? What happens if you don’t have a successful pregnancy?
The lowest agency fee may not be the lowest overall price, or the best value.
How did you get involved in this field?
My background is insurance—risk management—with a law degree thrown in. I was an underwriter of commercial casualty insurance for Fortune 500 companies. An underwriter is akin to the quarterback on a football field, having to work with a lot of different customer service and legal/financial personnel to get to the goal. As I was thinking of retiring from the company that I worked with for 30 years (right out of college), I received an interesting phone call. The previous owner of BHED, who I knew through a mutual friend in the fertility field, was going to sell the business. I have never regretted the career change.
What is your connection to the LGBTQ+ community?
Personally, my connection with the LGBTQ+ community has been through family and friends on both coasts of the US. Professionally, I have worked with LGBTQ+ families in more than 17 countries, including New Zealand, Norway, China, Germany, Australia, Israel, Greece, and the UK. Visiting and keeping in touch with our LGBTQ+ families has been a very rewarding part of owning an egg donor agency. I love visiting with my international families in their home countries, and getting to see their children growing up.
For more info call: (310) 279-5272 or visit: www.bhed.com.
