Will I be considered the parent of any children born from my donations?

No, by donating through a licensed clinic you will not be the legal parent of any child born as a result from treatment with your eggs. You will not have any legal or financial responsibilities and you will not be named on the birth certificate.

How many children could be born?

Current British law allows a maximum of 10 families to be created from one donor. With egg donation, each donation cycle helps 1 – 2 women.

What information will be given out about me?

Only non-identifying information will be given to the recipients you are matched to. This includes a physical description, ethnic group, details of the screening tests and medical history. Other information that can also be given includes your occupation, interests and skills as well as a good will message and a pen portrait (description of yourself as a person).

Anyone born from your donated eggs will be able to request non-identifying information once they reach age 16.

At aged 18 or over they can then choose to find out who you are. They can request your identifying information (full name, date of birth and address). Only the child themselves can request identifying information, not their parents.

I’m concerned about a donor child just turning up unexpectedly.

Any request for identifying information will be handled sensitively by the HFEA. They would attempt to contact you first to let you know a request for identifying information has been made. Both parties would receive support and counselling if they wanted to. It is important that you keep your contact details up to date as if the HFEA were unable to contact you the information would still be given out.

Can I find out whether those who received my eggs had successful treatment?

You are able to find out how many children were born (multiple births are a possibility), the year they were born and whether they were a boy or girl.

Do I get paid for being an egg donor?

In the UK it's illegal to pay for egg donation. Egg donors can receive compensation of up to £750 per donation ‘cycle’ to cover their costs (a donation cycle is one complete round of treatment, at the end of which the eggs are collected and donated). However, you can claim more if your expenses for things like travel, accommodation and childcare are higher than this. 

Alternatively if you need IVF treatment yourself, then compensation can be given in the form of a reduced IVF treatment package price at one of the Bourn Hall Clinics instead.  

Will my eggs be frozen?

At present our best success rates are with fresh eggs, so we will try to use them for treatment straight away. If we are unable to match you to a recipient they can be frozen for future use.

Will I have to have injections if I become a donor?

Yes, the medication needed to stimulate your ovaries to make eggs has to be injected. The injections are in easy to use pre-filled pens. You would be shown at the clinic how to use them and you would then need to administer them yourself at home.

Will donating eggs affect my fertility?

Being an egg donor will not affect your long term fertility. In each donation cycle the number of eggs that are used is similar to the number lost in each natural cycle.

How many visits to the clinic will I need to make?

We will first ask you to visit our nurses at the clinic for a blood test to test your ovarian reserve and check your BMI. The next visit will involve a medical consultation with a doctor, a counselling session and screening tests. If all is well with the screening tests a further visit is required to complete consent forms and to learn about the drugs and injections. When you are ready to start your donation cycle you may be asked to attend the clinic for a scan and then once you start taking the medication to stimulate your ovaries to produce eggs you will need to visit the clinic several times every few days to see how the follicles are growing (roughly 3-6 visits). When they are ready you will return to the clinic for the egg collection procedure.

What screening test are performed?

The following screening tests will be carried out to assess whether you can donate;

• HIV
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Cystic fibrosis screen
• VDRL and TPHA (to exclude syphilis)
• Cytomegalovirus – CMV (IgG and IgM assay)
• Cytogenetic analysis to examine the chromosomes of the cells
• Blood group
• Chlamydia (urine test)
• Gonorrhoea (urine test)

There may be additional tests that need to be carried out depending on your ethnicity or country of birth.

My partner and I need IVF ourselves; can I still become an egg donor?

Yes. If you are the correct age and you have a good ovarian reserve you may be eligible to become an egg sharer. We run a successful egg sharing programme at the clinic for those who require fertility treatment.

Our egg-sharing programme means you can receive a free standard IVF treatment package to reduce the overall cost of your own treatment, whilst helping others through the donation of some of your eggs.

Can I donate to someone I know?

Yes, if you have a relative or friend who needs donor eggs, it may be possible for you to donate to them at one of our clinics.

There are restrictions on mixing the eggs and sperm of close family members such as brother and sister (including half brothers and sisters) or uncles and nieces, but donating to any of your female relatives, however, is fine.

If you’re donating to a woman you know and you only want her to receive your eggs, then you’ll need to state this in your consent form.

Where will the information about me be stored?

The details about you will be stored at the Bourn Hall clinics. In addition to this, we will also register you as an egg donor with the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) and the information will be stored in their offices in London. The HFEA licence and regulate UK fertility clinics.

Do I have to be a certain height or look a certain way to be accepted as donor?

No! Those who need the help from egg donors are all different, different heights, different ethnicities, different characteristics. That’s why it’s important that our donors are too!

I am in a relationship, can I become an egg donor?

Absolutely. Egg donors can be single or have a partner. If you are in a relationship, it's really important you discuss becoming an egg donor with your partner as they may have questions as well. You would be welcome to attend the consultations and counselling together if you wish.