PollenTree

Egg Donation - the basics

Healthy women between the ages of 18 to 35 can usually be egg donors. This is because a woman’s fertility decreases from 35 years onwards.

Women who have been sterilised can still be egg donors as long as they have ovaries.

Egg donation can only take place through a licensed clinic or hospital.

Egg donation is not legal in all countries and so you will need to check the laws in your country.

Egg donation is legal in the UK, but must be done through a licensed clinic and the donor can only be paid for their reasonable expenses up to a maximum of £250.


Need for donations
There may be all sorts of reasons why a woman might need the assistance of an egg donor. These include women who have had their ovaries removed due to cancer, women whose ovaries are damaged by chemotherapy or radiotherapy and women who are born with a condition known as Turner’s Syndrome which means they do not have a functioning ovary. Egg donation is considered as valuable as organ donation to a patient.


Screening process
If you decide to be an egg donor you will be screened for any serious medical conditions or hereditary diseases. You will have to undergo a medical examination as well as screening and blood tests. You will also need to stop taking any contraceptives as you will need to ovulate to produce eggs that can be collected during ovulation.


Collection of eggs
Collection of eggs will involve daily hormonal injections for 10 – 14 days to stimulate your ovaries. These injections can usually be done by you at home or at a licensed clinic. The clinic will monitor your ovulation cycle by regular ultrasound scans and when your eggs are mature they will be collected during surgery under local or general anaesthetic.


Donor identity
In the UK any child born using your eggs is entitled to information that will identify you. They can obtain information about your physical appearance such as hair and eye colour when they are 16 and further information to help them locate you when they are 18.


Donor not parent
In the UK an egg donor will not be regarded as the legal mother of any children born using her eggs and will not have any legal right to contact the child or any other legal rights over the child.


For further information about egg donation in the UK contact the National Gamete Donation Trust - www.ngdt.co.uk