Egg Donation
Egg donation is the process in which a woman chooses to donate her eggs to another woman (known as an egg recipient) who cannot use her own eggs to conceive.
The egg donor’s ovarian follicles are stimulated using IVF drugs. The eggs are then collected via a vaginal approach under sedation, and these eggs will be used in IVF treatment by the egg recipient.
Sometimes a donor will donate their eggs for a specific person; for instance they may be helping a friend or relative to conceive. However, most egg donors donate their eggs to an anonymous recipient.
At CRGH we run an active IVF egg donation program with one of the largest donor egg banks in the UK. It is a one stop service in which the consultation, screening and counselling are all coupled together on one day.
How to become an egg donor
In order to make an egg donation, you will need to fulfill certain criteria to establish your suitability:
- You must be aged between 20 and 35 years old
- You must be fit and healthy
- You must have no family history of inherited diseases or genetic disorders
- You must be within normal weight for your height with a BMI of between 19 and 30
- You must not attempt to become pregnant during the process
- You must have no unexplained infertility issues
Before donating eggs, you will be required to undergo screening tests to reduce the risks of passing on diseases or deformities to any resultant child.
It is a legal requirement for written consent to be obtained from the egg donor. Donors can withdraw their consent at any point until their eggs are used in treatment.
Do egg donors get paid for egg donation?
The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) has set guidelines for expenses to be paid to egg donors up to £750. This payment is designed to cover expenses an egg donor would incur during the process.
If you’d like to read more about becoming a donor, we recommend the HFEA website as a reliable source of information. Access their site at http://www.hfea.gov.uk/.
If you’d like to know more about IVF egg donation at CRGH, please contact our egg donation co-ordinator on +44(0)207 837 2905, or email info@crgh.co.uk.
