Blog

The Myth of the Ivy League Egg Donor

Posted in Egg Donation on August 8, 2012 by Gail Sexton Anderson
image

I often have intended parents contact me in hopes of finding an Ivy League egg donor. This is not surprising and is not a case of couples looking for a designer baby; 95% of intended parents that I work with have advanced degrees from very impressive universities such as Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, and MIT. My clients are often looking for someone like themselves, but the truth is that very few egg donors are women from Ivy League schools.

There are a variety of reasons why women who attend Ivy League schools do not choose to be egg donors:

  • They may not have the financial incentive to want to be an egg donor.

  • They may not have the time to devote to being an egg donor.

  • Their family may not support them in being an egg donor.

  • Being an egg donor may not be seen as socially acceptable among their peers.

Additionally, I have had reproductive endocrinologists tell me that Ivy League donors, on the rare occasions when they have worked with them, tend to be more stressed out than the average egg donor. Stress is never good for an IVF cycle as it can cause the donors to not respond well to medication.

The bottom line is that while on occasion one may find a donor who has amazing SAT scores and is attending a Top 100 university, they are few and far between. What you can find are college-educated women, who are bright, look like they could fit into your family, and who are wonderful individuals who would love to help you to build your family. At Donor Concierge we have access to more egg donors than anyone in the world; if these women were out there I would have found them and I can tell you there are not very many.

In most cases if we take an egg from a reasonably intelligent female, fertilized by a reasonably intelligent male, you will have an intelligent child. This child will then be raised in a family of high academic achievers and is likely to do very well in this environment. Nobel prize winners rarely beget Nobel prize winners, though their children are reasonably, if not very bright and live happy well adjusted lives.

Finding an egg donor is very much about giving up control - control of how you thought you would have children, and letting the process unfold with the help of a great many people - your Donor Concierge case manager, your egg donor, agency, fertility clinic staff and your doctor.

In the end, you will be the one who will raise this child, educate and love them. While we know that sometimes intelligence is inherited, we never discount the influence that a loving and supportive parent has on a young mind.

Donor Concierge Blog

Welcome to Gail's Blog! Gail launched Donor Concierge in 2006 to provide intended parents with greater choice when searching for an egg donor or surrogate. Our Blog retains her voice, and our company retains her philosophy & ethics. We invite you to learn about finding an egg donor, finding a surrogate mother and the fascinating world of fertility.

* denotes mandatory fields

This site uses cookies, pixels and other similar technologies, as further described in our privacy statement. By using our site, you agree to our use of cookies. If you have any questions or would like to opt-out please contact us here.