.png)
Donor eggs
A More Ethical Jewish Egg Donor Database
At Cofertility, we have helped many Jewish families find Jewish egg donors to expand their family. In fact, while other agencies struggle to recruit Jewish egg donors, we have dozens of Jewish egg donors ready to be matched at any time. This unique position has given us valuable insights into the complex landscape of Jewish egg donation and the specific needs of Jewish intended parents.
Read more about Cofertility in Hadassah Magazine.
The journey to parenthood through egg donation is a path filled with hope, but for Jewish families, it also comes with unique considerations. As modern fertility treatments intersect with ancient Jewish traditions and laws, many couples find themselves navigating uncharted waters. They often grapple with questions that bridge millennia: How does Judaism view egg donation? What are the ethical implications of this process? How can one honor both their desire for a family and their commitment to Jewish values?
These are not just theoretical concerns. For Jewish couples hoping to expand their families while staying true to their faith, these questions have real-world implications.
This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide for Jewish intended parents considering egg donation. We'll examine the various perspectives within Judaism regarding egg donation, discuss the ethical implications of different compensation models, and offer guidance on what to look for in an egg donation service that respects Jewish values and traditions.
Furthermore, we'll share insights into our unique egg sharing model at Cofertility, explaining how it addresses many of the ethical concerns surrounding egg donation in the Jewish community. Our approach has not only allowed us to attract numerous Jewish egg donors but also to create a program that aligns closely with Jewish values of mutual aid and community support.
Whether you're just beginning to explore egg donation or are further along in your journey, we hope this information will empower you to make decisions that align with both your family-building goals and your Jewish faith and values.
How to find a Jewish egg donor
We have hundreds of kind, smart egg donors that have been pre-qualified and are ready to match with your family. So how do you get started?
- Create a free account. Fill out our form to share about your family and what you’re looking for in a donor. It just takes a few minutes.
- Find your match. Learn about our pre-qualified donors — their values, personalities, and more. Once you’ve found the right match, we’ll make it official with your doctor’s approval.
- Get support for life. After you bring home your baby, continue to enjoy our resources — educational materials, support systems, and more — for life.
It’s important to know that our model is different. We empower women to take control of their own reproductive health while giving you the gift of a lifetime. Our donors aren’t doing it for cash – they keep half the eggs retrieved for their own future use, and donate half to your family. Because of this, we have been able to recruit and match truly amazing egg donors.
Jewish egg donor compensation
The topic of compensation for Jewish egg donors is an area where ethical considerations come into play. In the broader context of egg donation, compensation practices vary widely, from completely altruistic donation to significant financial remuneration to egg sharing programs like we offer at Cofertility.
In the religious context, there are a few key points to consider:
- Ethical concerns: Some argue that paying for eggs commodifies human life, which could be seen as contrary to Jewish values. Others view fair compensation as ethical, recognizing the time, effort, and potential risks involved in egg donation.
- Halakhic (Jewish law) perspectives: Some rabbinical authorities express concern that payment for eggs might be construed as selling a part of one's body, which is generally prohibited in Jewish law. However, others interpret compensation as payment for time and discomfort rather than for the eggs themselves.
- Motivation: There's often a preference for donors who are motivated by the mitzvah (good deed) of helping others build a family, rather than primarily by financial gain.
- Cultural sensitivity: Compensation practices should be sensitive to Jewish cultural values and norms.
Given these considerations, our program focuses on the egg sharing model, where donors freeze their eggs for free in exchange for donating half of them to a family like yours.
It's worth noting that in Israel, egg donation was only legalized in 2010, and the law prohibits direct payment to donors beyond reimbursement for expenses and loss of work time. Our approach of egg sharing aims to prevent commercialization of the process.
Best Jewish egg donation database
When it comes to choosing the best Jewish egg donation database for your family, there are a bunch of factors to consider. An ideal platform should not only be able to match you with qualified Jewish egg donors, but also uphold the highest ethical standards. Here are some key features to look for:
- Ethical practices: Look for platforms that prioritize the well-being of both donors and recipients, with transparent policies and fair practices.
- Comprehensive screening: Thorough medical and genetic screening of donors is crucial, especially given the higher prevalence of certain genetic conditions in Jewish populations.
- Cultural sensitivity: The platform should demonstrate a deep understanding of Jewish cultural values and religious considerations.
- Education and support: The best platforms offer comprehensive education and support for all parties involved, including long-term support for donor-conceived families.
- Diverse options: Given the diversity within the Jewish community, a good platform should offer a range of donors reflecting different Jewish backgrounds.
- Legal clarity: Clear legal frameworks that align with both secular and Jewish law are essential.
We aim to stand out across all these dimensions. As the CEO of Cofertility, I can speak to our unique approach that aims to address many of these ethical considerations.
At Cofertility, we've developed an egg sharing model that we believe serves everyone involved ethically and compassionately. After extensive research with intended parents, egg donors, and donor conceived individuals, we created a program that empowers women to take control of their reproductive health while helping others build families.
Our model is distinctive: donors aren't motivated by financial compensation. Instead, they keep half of the eggs retrieved for their own future use and donate the other half to intended parents. This approach aligns well with Jewish values of mutual aid and community support.
How much does it cost to match with a Jewish egg donor?
We know IVF and egg donation are big expenses for families, and we want to help you financially plan for your donation journey. During a fresh egg donation journey with Cofertility, you will pay a match deposit, coordination fee, administrative expenses plus any medical expenses from your clinic associated with the screening, and egg retrieval. If your donor needs to travel for any part of this, you will be responsible for covering those costs.
In a frozen egg donation journey with Cofertility, the number of eggs that you receive will vary based on the donor’s cycle outcomes. Pricing is based on a per-egg pricing model and the total cost of each match in turn varies based on the number of frozen eggs available. The match cost is inclusive of the match deposit and all expenses associated with the coordination of the cycle and with the donor’s screening, retrieval, and medications. It’s the all-in cost of getting frozen eggs.
All of our pricing also includes our Baby Guarantee, our promise that if for any reason outside your control your initial match does not lead to a live birth, we’ll re-match you for free until that happens.
For more detailed information about our pricing, including estimates, please visit our pricing page.
We’d love to help your family on this journey
When you work with Cofertility, you’ll have access to view our donors for free. All women on our platform are incredibly impressive, if we do say so ourselves.
With a matching platform like ours, you can evaluate various donor matches based on criteria you’ve set forth, including searching by Jewish ancestry. Our goal is to be as human-centered, transparent, and ethical as possible — giving you a real glimpse into who all of our donors are as true humans, including their personalities, values, and backgrounds. Of course, this is in addition to their medical profile, genetic history, and more.
The Cofertility team understands the unique challenges that come with finding a Jewish egg donor. With our extensive network of amazing egg donors, and partnerships with leading fertility clinics, we are able to provide a better egg donation experience.
Read more:
Lauren Makler
Lauren Makler is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cofertility, a human-first fertility ecosystem rewriting the egg freezing and egg donation experience. Previously, as an early Uber employee, Lauren founded Uber Health, a product that enables healthcare organizations to leverage Uber’s massive driver network in improving healthcare outcomes through patient transportation and healthcare delivery. Under her leadership, the business helped millions of patients get to the care they needed. Prior to that, Lauren spent the early years at Uber launching the core business throughout the east coast and led the company’s first experiment in healthcare, national on demand flu shot campaigns. After a rare disease diagnosis, Lauren’s fertility journey led her to believe that everyone should have the opportunity to freeze their eggs–and that there should be better access to egg donors. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their miracle baby girl. She was named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business in 2023 and recieved her BA from Northeastern University in Organizational Communication.
Read more from
Lauren Makler
