Jazmine
September 17, 2026
The short answer
If you donate your eggs, any child conceived from them shares about 50% of their DNA with you, but you are not the child’s parent.
The intended parents are the legal parents, and the mother who carries the pregnancy shapes the baby's development through gestation.
This guide covers what you pass on genetically, who the parents are legally and biologically, what contact can look like, and how Donor Nexus handles each piece.
If I donate my eggs, will the child be biologically mine?
If you donate your eggs, any child conceived from them shares about 50% of their DNA with you, but you are not the child's parent. The intended parents are the legal parents, and the mother who carries the pregnancy is biologically connected to the baby through gestation.
An egg carries half of a person's nuclear DNA (the other half comes from the sperm), so a child conceived from your egg inherits roughly half of their genes from you.
Is an egg donor a "biological mother"? Why the words matter
Your egg provides the genetic blueprint, but you do not carry the pregnancy, you do not have a legal relationship with the child, and you are not raising them. That is why donors, parents and fertility professionals separate three ideas that everyday language tends to lump together.
| Connection | Egg donor | Mother who carries and raises the child |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic (DNA) | Yes, about 50% of nuclear DNA plus mitochondrial DNA | No, when donor eggs are used |
| Biological through pregnancy | No | Yes, nine months of gestation shape how genes are expressed |
| Legal parent | No, rights are waived in the donor agreement | Yes |
| Role in the child's life | None, unless an Open ID or identified agreement allows contact | Parent |
Who is the mother of a child born from donated eggs?
When donor eggs are used, the mother who carries the pregnancy is the child's biological mother through gestation, while the egg donor is the genetic contributor. "Biological parent" is often used to mean the same thing as genetic parent, but in egg donation the woman who carries the pregnancy also forms a biological connection with the baby, so the term covers more than DNA. That means the roles are divided: the donor provides the DNA, the mother who carries the baby holds the biological connection of pregnancy, and the intended parents are the child's legal and social parents from birth.
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When I think of our egg donor, I have so much gratitude in my heart. Thanks to her donated eggs, I get to be a mom to the most incredible human being ever created.
Victoria Niño, mother through egg donation
Will the child look like me or know who I am?
A child conceived from your eggs may share some of your features, such as eye color, hair texture or height, because those traits are largely shaped by genes. The child inherits genes from both you and the sperm provider, so there is no way to predict which features they will have, and things like nutrition can also influence traits such as height.
Whether the child ever learns who you are depends on the type of donation you agree to:
- Nonidentified donation. You and the intended parents do not exchange identifying information.
- Open ID donation. You agree to share identifying information and be open to contact if a donor-conceived person age 18 or older asks for it.
- Identified donation. You and the intended parents exchange identifying information, which allows for direct communication. How much contact you have is agreed on case by case and does not have to mean an ongoing relationship.
You choose your preference on your egg donor application, and our guide to nonidentified, identified and Open ID egg donation explains each option.
A note on anonymity
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) cautions that anonymity cannot be guaranteed now that consumer genetic testing is widely available.6 Donor-conceived people can and do find genetic relatives through DNA databases, so keep that possibility in mind.
What is my role as an egg donor?
As a donor, you provide the eggs that make a pregnancy possible, and once your retrieval is complete, the family you helped carries it forward from there. For many of the intended parents who come to Donor Nexus, a donor is the only path to having a baby, and what usually grows out of that is a mutual, mostly unspoken gratitude, with intended parents thankful for the woman who made their family possible and donors often feeling thankful to have been part of it.
“My heart couldn't feel more full. I'm so happy I made this experience possible for them.”
Donor J., Donor Nexus egg donor
Whether there is any contact afterward depends on the level of openness agreed on before the match, so in a nonidentified donation that gratitude typically stays private. Once in a while it finds its way into words, as it did for the intended mother and donor in our pen pals story, who began writing letters to each other while keeping the donation nonidentified.
Our donor-first approach
At Donor Nexus, we show our own appreciation through a donor-first philosophy: you choose your own compensation, you have a dedicated case manager you can text with any questions, your own legal counsel at no cost, and a companion of your choosing with you on retrieval day, with their travel and lodging covered alongside yours. Several of the women on our team have donated through the program themselves, and about 70% of our cycles come from repeat donors and through our referral program.
What happens to your eggs after retrieval?
Your part of the process ends at egg retrieval. What happens next depends on the program you choose, and at Donor Nexus that choice is yours.
| Fresh donor matching | Frozen egg bank | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses your eggs | One family you are matched with, who receives all the eggs from your retrieval | Intended parents who choose a cohort of your frozen eggs later |
| What happens after retrieval | Eggs are fertilized right away at the intended parents' clinic | Eggs are vitrified (flash-frozen) and stored until selected |
| Your timeline | Several months, because you wait to be matched | Often 8 to 12 weeks, because no match is needed first |
| Your compensation | You set it with guidance from our team, with no cap | You set it with guidance from our team |
| Payment | By ACH or wire within 5 to 7 days of retrieval | By ACH or wire within 5 to 7 days of retrieval |
You can compare the two in more detail on our egg donation programs page, or read how the egg donation process works step by step.
Since 2012, Donor Nexus has completed more than 1,000 egg retrievals, and about 70% of cycles come from repeat donors and donor referrals.
How do parents explain the egg donor to their child?
Most parents who use donor eggs tell their child early, in simple and positive language, that someone gave them a very special gift so their family could grow. Parents tend to describe the donor as a kind person who helped. ASRM supports telling children about their donor conception.7
“Through biology, I gave my daughter everything she needed. She had a healthy DNA blueprint from her egg donor and her father, but my body gave her life and nurtured her into the human she is.”
Victoria Niño, mother through egg donation
Some families share nonidentifying details, such as your hobbies or why you chose to donate, which is they read on your egg donor profile. If you are curious how parents approach these conversations, our article on talking to your child about donor conception shows the other side.
Frequently asked questions
If I donate my eggs, is the child biologically mine?
No. A child conceived from your egg shares about half of your DNA, but the biological connection through pregnancy belongs to the mother who carries the baby, and the intended parents are the child's legal parents.
If I donate my eggs, will the child have my DNA?
Yes. A child conceived from your donated egg inherits about 50% of their nuclear DNA from you, because an egg carries half of a person's genetic material and the other half comes from the sperm. Your egg also supplies all of the child's mitochondrial DNA, the small set of genes passed down only through the egg. That shared DNA can show up in traits like eye color, hair texture, or blood type, but it does not make you the child's parent: the intended parents are the legal parents, and the mother who carries the pregnancy shapes how the baby develops.
Can I find out if a baby was born from my eggs?
Some donors ask to be told about pregnancies or births, and some intended parents agree to share updates. Clinics hold pregnancy data, so it depends on your agreement and the intended parents.
Do egg donors have parental rights?
No. Before any medications start, you and the intended parents sign a legal agreement that spells out that you have no parental rights or responsibilities, and that the intended parents do. The intended parents are listed on the birth certificate. You are not financially or legally responsible for any child born from your donation.
Parentage laws back this up. The Uniform Parentage Act, adopted in a growing number of states, puts it in one line: "A donor is not a parent of a child conceived by assisted reproduction."5
At Donor Nexus, egg donors receive legal counsel of their own, separate from the intended parents' attorney, at no cost to you.
Will the child born from my eggs have my blood?
The child could share your blood type, since blood type is inherited through the genes in the egg and sperm. No blood passes from you to the child, and our article on egg donor blood type explains more.
Does donating eggs affect my own fertility?
Current research has not found that an egg donation cycle reduces a donor's future fertility, because the medications recruit eggs from that month's group that would otherwise be lost. Our guide to donating eggs and future fertility covers the research, and your doctor can talk through your own situation.
Sources
- International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART), et al. The International Glossary on Infertility and Fertility Care, 2025. Fertility and Sterility. 2026;126:127–49. asrm.org
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Third-Party Reproduction: A Guide for Patients. ReproductiveFacts.org. reproductivefacts.org
- MedlinePlus Genetics. Mitochondrial DNA. U.S. National Library of Medicine. medlineplus.gov
- Vilella F, Moreno-Moya JM, Balaguer N, et al. Hsa-miR-30d, secreted by the human endometrium, is taken up by the pre-implantation embryo and might modify its transcriptome. Development. 2015;142(18):3210-3221. journals.biologists.com
- Uniform Parentage Act (2017), as adopted in Washington State. RCW 26.26A.605, Parental status of donor. app.leg.wa.gov
- Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Interests, obligations, and rights in gamete and embryo donation: an Ethics Committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility. 2019;111:664-670. asrm.org
- Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Informing offspring of their conception by gamete or embryo donation: an Ethics Committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility. 2018;109:601-605. asrm.org
Disclaimer
This article is general information about egg donation and is not medical or legal advice. Laws vary by state and country, so talk with your doctor and your own attorney about your situation before you sign a donor agreement.
Egg donation involves a screening process. Not all potential egg donors are selected. Not all selected egg donors receive the monetary amounts or compensation advertised. As with any medical procedure, there may be risks associated with human egg donation. Before an egg donor agrees to begin the egg donation process, and signs a legally binding contract, she is required to receive specific information on the known risks of egg donation. Consultation with your doctor prior to entering into a donor contract is advised.
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Jazmine
Jazmine is a Case Manager at Donor Nexus, where for the past three years she has coordinated cycles for both egg donors and intended parents. She knows this journey personally as well, having completed five egg…
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