Inside
the Psychological
Screenings of Egg Donors
By
Dr. Laurie Kolt
WHO BECOMES AN EGG DONOR?
After doing nearly 1,000 psychological screenings for egg donors, I
can tell you that  egg
donors are a special kind of person. As a group, they tend to be caring, compassionate and often quite bright and accomplished
young women. Many of them have known someone who has suffered through infertility challenges and finds a desire within
themselves to help someone in a similar situation. The standard psychological screening is rigorous and must meet The American Society of Reproductive
Medicine (ASRM) guidelines. If the donor is a relative or other known donor, the psychological screening is even
more detailed.
WHY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENINGS ARE DONE
There are several reasons why psychological screenings are done. In part, we are making sure that they understand
what they are getting into and want to see if this can potentially affect their lives in any negative way, which is usually
not the case. We also want to know that they are responsible enough to complete the multiple phases of the process
successfully. Finally, we look to see if they are doing this for the right reasons.
We would like the psychological screening to be a positive and healthy
experience for the donor. They don’t have
to do this, they are volunteers. We also look to see how they view the monetary compensation for undergoing the work.
It’s okay if they want to use the money to pay off debt, pay for their college expenses or even explore the world
and travel. But are they viewing the procedure solely as a money making venture? That is not an appropriate ethical
decision. Occasionally, some candidates are still reeling from an emotionally difficult experience. Their
current life situation needs to be stable. A balanced life is required to be accepted into the donor program.
Psychological testing is used in conjunction with a clinical interview
and the Egg Donor Screening Questionnaire (EDSQ) to view any underlying psychological dysfunction, instability or current
issues that can point to this not being a good time for them to participate in the egg donor process.
The psychologist has a dual role. They are responsible for ensuring a stable donor for the couple, but they also
serve the function of making sure that this is a good time for the donor and good choice her to be making.
Not all assessment information can be outlined here, as some key variables of the assessment must remain unknown to any
potential donors in order for the assessment to measure all variables accurately.
OTHER EGG DONOR ASSESSMENT VARIABLES
By agreeing to complete the donor assessment, donors are also agreeing
to allow me to review their assessment material and provide a written report to The Donor Source and the recipients’ doctor. In order to ensure an unbiased
report, it is not customary to show the report to the donor. However, if they are excluded from the program for
psychological reasons, I will explain why and answer any questions she may have.
Here is a sampling of some of the donor assessment information:
WHO ARE THEY?
What is their personality like? What is their family history? What sports, hobbies or special interests do
they have? What kinds of people do they like most? Least? Do they have any significant religious affiliations?
LIFE STRESS AND COPING SKILLS
How do they handle stress? Who is in their support system? What are
their current life stresses? Do they have any
health problems?
FAMILY
BACKGROUND AND LIFE RELATIONSHIPS
What was their family of origin experience like? Have they had any significant losses regarding people or events in their
life? What is their drug and alcohol history?
OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
Have they ever been in a serious relationship, engaged, married, widowed or divorced? Are their parents, spouse or significant
others supportive of them being an egg donor? Who will they tell or not tell?
WORK & EDUCATION
What is their educational background? What is their occupation?
LEGAL HISTORY
Do they have a background with the law? Have they ever been
sued or sued another party?
REPRODUCTIVE EXPERIENCE AND SEXUAL HISTORY
Have they been pregnant? Do they have children? Do they want
to have children in the future?
How would they describe their sexual history?
PSYCHOLOGICAL HISTORY
Have they ever dealt with periods of depression, anxiety or significant
life stress? Have they seen a mental health
professional? Can the procedure reopen any old psychological wounds, thus harming them from the procedure?
Normal and healthy people can have life challenges, and we integrate their history into the profile that emerges in the
clinical interview.
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