Donate Your Eggs for Cash at Nurture – CapeTown, Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal South Africa

Information about the egg donor program by Nurture

Nurture was founded in 2008 by Tertia Albertyn. She is locally and internationally acclaimed for her profound research and work in infertility advocacy and egg donation. The company has its headquarters in Cape Town, and a small team of 6 ladies manages it. These ladies possess varying skills and years of experience that align with the clinic’s vision and mission.

The egg donor program has been around for longer than competitor clinics and has the largest egg donor database in South Africa.

Other services offered by Nurture

While Nurture is widely known for the egg donor program, they do have other services such as surrogacy, egg freezing, infertility treatments and IVF.

Nurture Egg Donor Program Eligibility

The requirements of an egg donor

The following is the list of requirements needed to be considered as an egg donor for Nurture:

• Be between the ages of 19 – 29 years old.
• Make sure your BMI falls within the healthy range of 18 to 29 – use the calculator on the website to input your height and weight, and it will calculate it for you automatically.
• Must not have any severe medical conditions, as well as not having a history of hereditary or genetically transmitted diseases.
• Must be free from drug use and alcohol addiction.
• Be a non-smoker.
• Must be available for all the 6 – 7 medical appointments that will happen throughout 2 to 3 months.
• Must have a Matric Certificate (grade 12).
• Must be receptive to completing a very detailed online application that includes information about the donor and immediate family.
• Must be willing to self-administer injections daily for 10 – 12 days before the retrieval.
• Must be prepared to be under light anaesthetic for the egg retrieval.
• Be 100% committed during this process and follow all of the doctor’s, IVF co-ordinators and Nurture representative’s instructions.
• Be reliable, responsible and communicate effectively.

How does it work?

Consultations and medical evaluations

Before the donation process can happen, donors will need to undergo physical and mental medical check-ups to determine that they are healthy enough to continue. The medical assessment will take place at the clinic you have chosen to donate to, including a gynaecological check-up (to ensure the donor has enough and that the eggs are healthy), a general check-up and blood tests to test for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. Donors will also be required to complete a medical questionnaire. After that, the mental check-up will commence. A psychologist or social worker will chat with the donor to make sure that they are medically fit and competent to proceed with the egg donation. It is also an opportunity for the therapist to take a recount of the donor’s family medical history. A history of hereditary diseases such
as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia will mean that a donor is unable to proceed with the egg donation.

Self-administered medication

• Before the injections begin, donors will be put on a ‘mild oral contraceptive’ (the pill).
• This is to ensure that the donor and mother-to-be have cycles that are in sync.
• Donors will have to be on the pill for three weeks.
• After a visit to the clinic, a Nurture doctor will detail the next course of medication, the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This is in the form of an injection that the donor will have to inject themselves with for ten days. During these ten days, donors are required to go in for an ultrasound every 2 to 3 days.

The egg retrieval process

• On the day of the egg retrieval, the donor will need to make sure that they have the entire day off – the operation will not take that long, and it also accounts for recovery time. Nurture doctors will provide donors with a doctor’s note if required.
• The donor will be put under mild anaesthetic (twilight anaesthesia) that will be like a ‘deep sleep’ as described in the blog. Once the donor is asleep, a thin needle will be inserted through the vaginal wall to reach the ovary. The needle will gently suction the eggs out. And that is it. Half an hour later, the donor will come to, be given a snack and some fluids, and be able to go home.

Payment for egg donation

How much do you get paid to donate your eggs at Nurture?

• Depending on a few factors, donors can expect a compensation fee of around R8000 – R10000
• Factors include which clinic the donor is at, how many times they’ve donated (if applicable) and the distance the donor has travelled to get to the clinic.

How to apply?

Nurture Egg Donor Program application process.

First and foremost, the potential donor must meet the abovementioned requirements. Interested parties will click on ‘egg donors’ at the top of the panel and scroll to the bottom to select ‘Apply to be an Egg Donor’.

Donors need to fill out the following form; these are the questions that need to be answered:

• The city you live in
• First and last name
• ID type and number
• Birthdate
• Height and weight
• Race
• Any reactions to anaesthesia?
• A history of bipolar or schizophrenia in the family?
• Are you breastfeeding or pregnant?
• Do you or your family members have diabetes?
• Do you have epilepsy?
• Glaucoma in you or your family members?
• Do you or your family members have any bleeding disorders?
• Cellphone number

Donors will need to set a password and create an account on Nurture’s website to sign up.

Most asked questions

How does the recipient select a donor?

• Many factors are involved in this decision. A lot are personal preferences. Donors have a profile that recipients are able to look through. The profile includes two pictures of the donor from their childhood and basic information such as race, hair colour, eye colour, height, hobbies and academic qualifications.

Will the family meet the donor?

• Nurture, like many other fertility clinics, operates on an anonymous basis. Donors will not know who has selected their profiles, and their families will not know who they have selected. Everyone’s identities are hidden.

More Information about Egg Donation at Nurture

Egg Donor Stories

If you are interested in this journey, take a look at what some of Nurture’s previous egg donors have had to say. One donor has donated four times in one year! Click here to follow her and many others’ journeys.