Frequently Asked Questions: Recipients

lease note that NY LifeSpring LLC does not give medical advice. We are licensed only for matching donors with recipients and referring both to comprehensive facilities. For answers to medical questions, we will refer you to the appropriate medical professionals at the hospitals and comprehensive facilities with which we work.


> Do I (the prospective recipient) pay a fee up front?
> How much is the donor compensated?
> Can the donor set her own level of compensation?
> Is the donor's compensation different if she has donated before?
> If there are donor expenses required to complete a donation cycle, will I receive an itemized list?
> Is there a charge for psychological testing (ie. MMPI)?
> Who screens the donors?
> Can we meet the donor in person? Are we required to do so?
> Does NY LifeSpring LLC provide anonymous or known donors?
> Might the donor have previously donated through another agency?
> If a donor has already completed a cycle, can we find out the results?
> What if the donor wants to contact a child that resulted from her donation?
> Should we tell others about our decision to use a donor?


   



Do I (the prospective recipient) pay a fee up front?

Yes, there is a $250 initial consultation fee. This is a non-refundable fee covering the cost of meeting with new potential recipients, explaining our process, showing pictures of donors and supplying profiles.

   



How much is the donor compensated?

Upon retrieval of the oocytes (eggs), the donor is compensated $11,000 for the discomfort of taking blood tests, injections and undergoing retrieval. If the cycle is terminated prematurely, depending on why the cycle was terminated and who caused the termination, the donor may receive anywhere from zero compensation up to the full $11,000.

   



Can the donor set her own level of compensation?

No, the donor's compensation is set by the medical facility and by NY LifeSpring LLC. It is currently $11,000. Donors must sign an agreement for fixed compensation before beginning a cycle.

   



Is the donor's compensation different if she has donated before?

No, the donor's compensation is for the discomfort of taking injections and undergoing retrieval. It is not based on previous donations.

   



If there are donor expenses required to complete a donation cycle, will I receive an itemized list?

Any expenses that are required for a particular donor to complete a donation cycle will be estimated and agreed upon before any screening begins. At the completion of the cycle, NY LifeSpring LLC will give the recipients an itemized list of expenses, and for most expenses receipts will be kept on file. Any overpayment will be returned to the recipients.

   



Is there a charge for psychological testing (ie. MMPI)?

A full screening is required of all donors and includes the MMPI, which Israeli donors usually take in Hebrew. When taken in Hebrew, there is an additional $150 charge paid to NY LifeSpring LLC and forwarded to the psychological professional who administers the test. When taken in English, there is no additional cost. NY LifeSpring LLC matches recipients with donors and does not perform any medical, psychological or legal services.

   



Who screens the donors?

The medical facility that is performing the fertility procedures for you and the donor will medically and genetically screen the donor. They will also perform the donor's psychological screening or refer you to a psychologist with whom they work.

   



Can we meet the donor in person? Are we required to do so?

No, NY LifeSpring LLC does not allow direct meetings between donors and recipients. Recipients should not engage NY LifeSpring LLC's services with the intent of finding a donor who will meet them face-to-face.

   



Does NY LifeSpring LLC provide anonymous or known donors?

NY LifeSpring LLC does not allow face-to-face meetings between donors and recipients. In addition, no contact information for the recipients or the donor is exchanged between them. Recipients will see a written profile about the donor's background info, but identifying information is not included. In this way, donors referred by NY LifeSpring LLC are "anonymous". However, recipients also have the choice of viewing photos of the donor as an adult, and in this limited way a donor could be considered "known".

Sometimes, recipients arrange for their relatives or friends to serve as a donor and, while this may be a truly "known donor", NY LifeSpring LLC is not involved in such circumstances.

   



Might the donor have previously donated through another agency?

It is possible. Some donors have stated that after a cycle with another agency, they wanted to donate again but not with that agency.

   



If a donor has already completed a cycle, can we find out the results?

If the cycle was done through NY LifeSpring LLC, we will give you as much information as we are allowed. This will include at least the number and quality of eggs retrieved, and possibly how many fertilized, how many of those developed into embryos and whether pregnancy resulted.

   



What if the donor wants to contact a child that resulted from her donation?

Donors generally express as much concern about the issue of privacy as recipients do. While recipients want to be certain that the donor cannot claim to have any parental rights, donors want to be certain that their donation does not make them responsible for any resulting children.

Donors agree in writing not to try to establish any contact with the recipients or their children. Also, donors are not given any contact information about the recipients by NY LifeSpring LLC. We have not received any requests to contact parents on behalf of a donor to inquire about resulting children.

   



Should we tell others about our decision to use a donor?

This is entirely up to you. The only advice we can give is to consider this question carefully, since the decision to reveal the information cannot be undone.