An egg donation and an embryo donation differ in the stage of the process of conception that they are at. Egg donation involves donating only the mature egg to a woman who may not be able to produce eggs or produces low-quality eggs. With an egg donation, the woman would have a partner, or use a sperm donor, that would provide a semen sample in order to fertilize the egg to form an embryo. Embryo donation is one step further along than an egg donation in that the egg has already been combined with a sperm sample and an embryo has formed. This is an option when both the egg and sperm of the couple trying to conceive are not viable for a successful pregnancy, if there is a risk for either partner to pass on a genetic disorder to a couple or for women who are single that can’t use their own eggs to conceive.