Egg Sharing IVF | Family by Co

What is Egg Sharing?

Egg sharing is a model of egg donation where instead of cash compensation, an egg donor gets to keep half of the eggs retrieved for her own future use. Initially developed to address donor egg scarcity, this practice is common in European countries like the UK, where donor compensation is illegal.

At Cofertility, we designed our egg sharing programs to provide intended parents with value-aligned choices and establish a mutually beneficial model that honors both the egg donor and the recipient(s). Instead of cash compensation, our donors receive accessible egg freezing, retaining half of the eggs retrieved when they donate the other half to your family.

Why we champion the egg sharing model:

Ethical and human-centered

In a recent Harvard study, it was revealed that 62% of donor-conceived adults viewed the exchange of money for donor gametes as ethically problematic, with 41% expressing discomfort regarding the monetary aspect of their conception. If cash compensation doesn't align with your values, egg sharing offers a compelling alternative that can eliminate discomfort and ethical concerns associated with treating eggs as commodities.

Shared outcomes

Instead of mere financial gain, our donors are motivated by a deeper desire to help others while also taking proactive steps toward their own reproductive future. They are invested in helping you, but also in achieving their own fertility goals. With a personal stake in the outcome, they’re also more committed to following protocols and less likely to conceal relevant medical information.

Greater donor diversity

The shortage of qualified egg donors, particularly among women of color, poses a significant challenge for diverse intended parents seeking a genetic match. Egg sharing can help address this disparity as ethical considerations and cultural acceptance may play a greater role compared to traditional cash-compensation donation. The unique structure of egg-sharing programs removes barriers and fosters a welcoming environment for women of all races and ethnicities.

A win-win scenario for all

Egg sharing helps intended parents grow their families while simultaneously empowering women by expanding their reproductive choices and increasing access to fertility preservation. In addition to providing women with more options and agency, research indicates that egg sharing donors consistently report higher levels of satisfaction and positive experiences, underscoring the transformative impact of this approach on donor well-being.

Will I get enough eggs?

Egg-share programs like ours implement meticulous testing and medical screening to ensure donors have a high likelihood of success. For those who match with a donor in our fresh egg donation program, the average number of mature eggs a family receives and fertilizes is 12. The number of eggs retrieved varies by patient and cycle, but can be predicted by a donor’s age, AMH, and antral follicle count, all of which will be known to you after the donor’s initial screening.

Qualified candidates have an ample ovarian reserve for both their own needs and sharing. Egg share donors also often work closely with a fertility doctor to determine, based on their own medical history, the optimal number of eggs needed for their own future family-building goals. Should it make sense for the donor, they may choose to pursue a second egg-sharing cycle to maximize the chances of success for everyone involved.

Matching with a donor in our frozen program can provide a unique opportunity to move forward with your family-building plans faster, as frozen eggs can be fertilized or shipped to your clinic immediately or as soon as the cycle is complete. Donors undergoing frozen donation cycles complete equally rigorous ovarian reserve testing. While the total number of frozen eggs available will vary based on the donor’s retrieval outcomes, every frozen match is guaranteed to have a minimum of at least 6 frozen eggs.
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In Cofertility’s programs, if the eggs retrieved do not lead to a live birth, you are covered by our Baby Guarantee and we will re-match you for free.

Egg sharing with Cofertility

At Cofertility, we believe in everyone's right to build their family as they choose. Rather than cash compensation, in our egg sharing program our donors keep half of the eggs retrieved and donate the other half to your family. We believe this model benefits everyone involved, particularly the donor-conceived child.

We have hundreds of available donors, each as unique as the intended parents they match with. They represent more than 55 ethnicities and over 40% have a graduate degree or higher. With cash compensation eliminated from the process, our donors are also less likely to donate to multiple families. This limits the number of potential biological siblings your future child may have.

With our unique egg sharing model, your family building journey is more financially accessible — and the cost will never vary based on the donor’s background (which can feel kind of icky). We're committed to helping you grow your family, which is why we also offer a Baby Guarantee. If anything outside your control prevents you from bringing your baby home, we'll rematch you at no additional fee for as long as it takes.

Here’s how to get started on our Family by Co platform:
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‍• Browse donor profiles: Create an account to tell us about your family, what you're looking for, and get instant access to explore our donor database.
• Find your match: Get to know our pre-qualified donors — their values, personalities, medical histories, and more — to find your perfect match.
• Get support for life: Your Member Advocate will guide you every step of the way, providing support that continues even after your baby arrives.

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In traditional egg donation, the donor's eggs are given to the intended parents in exchange for cash compensation. However, in the increasingly popular egg sharing model, the donor has the opportunity to keep half of the eggs retrieved for her own future family planning. At Cofertility, we exclusively work under the egg sharing model, which we call Split, because we think it’s ideal for everyone involved – the intended parents, the egg donor, and ultimately the donor-conceived child.

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