MIDDLETON, Wis. — As national conversations around IVF and fertility treatments continue to heat up, the demand for egg donors is on the rise.
One Dane County clinic has seen that spike firsthand—and one local woman is sharing her deeply personal journey from egg donor to expectant mother.
Savanna Longstreet, a Walworth County resident and soon-to-be mom of two, knew exactly what she was witnessing when she saw her baby boy moving on the ultrasound screen: joy, gratitude, and the full-circle power of a gift she’s given many times before.
“My body is capable and able to produce something that other families are so desperately wanting and needing,” Longstreet said. “And I have the time and the ability to donate. Why not?”
In her twenties, Longstreet began donating some of her eggs at the Wisconsin Fertility Institute. The process, which involves about two weeks of hormone injections and an outpatient egg retrieval procedure, is no small commitment—but she said the care and support from the clinic made all the difference.
“You feel really, really taken care of by the staff here as far as your journey,” she said.“You feel really, really taken care of by the staff here as far as your journey,” she said.
Dr. GG Collins, Medical Director at Wisconsin Fertility Institute, said the clinic relies on donors like Savanna because of the state’s smaller population.
“We are not a major metropolis,” Collins explained. “So, we don’t have a lot of egg donors. We really look to the community—Wisconsin and the surrounding areas—for anyone over the age of 21 and under 30 to come in and get screened.”
With federal discussions about IVF access gaining momentum, Collins said she hopes to see broader support for fertility treatments.
“It’s also pretty rare to have egg donation covered under any insurance in any of the states, although it is very state dependent,” she said. “Our hope is that with the buzz that’s going on nationally right now, we’ll get some sort of national mandate so that we can expand our access to coverage for IVF—for all couples who present to our clinic.”
At Wisconsin Fertility Institute, egg donors receive $5,000 per cycle. For Longstreet, that compensation became a way to build a future for her own growing family.
“Pay off debt, put a down payment down towards our house, pay off vehicles, student loans, things like that,” she said. “So, the compensation certainly is another added benefit to it.”
Still, Dr. Collins said finances aren’t usually the primary motivator.
“I meet with all of our egg donors and walk them through the process,” she said. “Very rarely is the money the motivating factor that brought them in here.”
For Longstreet, it was something more personal. Her own sisters’ struggles with fertility inspired her to become a donor. Now, as she carries her second child, she reflects on the many families she helped build—some of whom she’ll never meet, and one she had the chance to know.
“One open donation last year—a healthy, happy baby boy,” she said. “They sent pictures. They gave me the birth story. And there’s nothing more rewarding than being able to—especially now that I am a mom.”
Learn more about becoming an egg donor at Wisconsin Fertility Institute, here.