Deciding between Basic and Extended egg donor profiles
When you are searching for the right egg donor for you, you should consider whether your egg donor should have a Basic or an Extended donor profile. You make this choice in combination with deciding whether the donor should be ID Release or Non-ID Release. Regarding anonymity it does not matter which type of profile you choose.
This means that your choice of profile is not an indicator of whether the egg donor is ID Release or Non-ID Release. But what does it mean, then? We answer the question in this post where we guide you through the differences between Basic and Extended egg donor profiles.
What is a Basic egg donor profile?
An egg donor with a Basic profile is registered with a number such as 456, 8756, 11250 etc. In a Basic profile you can access information about the donor's race, ethnicity, eye colour, hair colour, height, weight, and blood type. Often, you can also get information about the donor's education and occupation.
What is an Extended egg donor profile?
Egg donors who choose to have an Extended donor profile are registered with a fictional name such as ANGELINA, FELICIA, DARIA etc. The Extended egg donor profile has the same information as the Basic profile but also consists of 5-6 pages of personal information about the donor, information which the donor has provided herself. The Extended egg donor profile gives you an idea of who the donor is as a person and includes information about her education, family background, personality, hobbies, and interests. Additional information that may exist includes child photos of the donor, an emotional intelligence (EQ) profile, a handwritten message, and a voice recording.
How do we choose between Basic and Extended egg donor profiles?
The choice between a Basic and an Extended donor profile is individual and very complex. But there are two questions you could ask yourself to ease the process of making the decision:
- How much do I/we want to know about the egg donor?
- How much do I/we want my/our future child to know about its origins?
If your answer to these questions is 'As much as possible', you should probably choose an egg donor with an Extended profile. By choosing a donor with an Extended profile, you can get just enough information to imagine who the donor is as a person. You can also look at the donor's child photos and that way you can maybe find a donor who looks like yourself or your partner as a child. The Extended profile is often chosen by same-sex couples who have an explicit wish for their child to know about its origins. It is also a possibility to see pictures of the egg donors as adults, if you want more information regarding the physical appearance of a possible donor.
If you, on the other hand, want to know 'As little as possible' about your egg donor, you should probably choose a donor with a Basic profile. By making this choice, you will simply get the most essential information about the donor, and this may be enough for you. The Basic profile is often chosen by heterosexual couples. If you have doubts whether to choose ID Release or Non-ID Release, we recommend following the link to our blog post on the subject.
The choice is up to you, and most importantly you should choose based on what feels right for you. Note that if you are going to be inseminated at a fertility clinic, you should make sure that they are allowed to treat you with the type of egg donor you choose.
If you want inspiration before making your choice, we recommend you read our blog post about egg donor-conceived Katie.