Receiving donor eggs

You might need donor eggs to be part of your fertility treatment journey for a number of reasons. This could be due to medical complications or factors as simple as age or premature menopause or maybe you are a same-sex couple who need donor eggs to use in surrogacy.

Whatever the reason you need donor eggs, there are several different pathways to treatment, depending upon who your donor eggs come from. It is a very successful form of treatment as often there is nothing apparent wrong with your uterus and so replacing good quality embryos derived from donor eggs can result in a very good chance of a pregnancy.

There are three different types of donor; altruistic donors, known donors, and egg sharers.

• Altruistic donors are women who donate their eggs in the hope of giving other women the opportunity to have a family. They will not know who they have donated to, or the details of any children born with the help of their donation. Once any children born reach 18 years of age, UK law allows them to access information that could lead them to find out the identity of the donor, if they wish.

• Known donors – perhaps obviously – are people who agree to donate eggs to an individual or couple they know. Because all parties involved know each other’s identities, and perhaps know each other quite well personally, it is important give this option careful thought, and essential to seek counselling.

• Egg sharers are women undergoing IVF treatment who decide to donate some of the eggs collected during their cycle.  Often it is a male factor issue causing the need for their treatment.

All donors are fully screened before donating eggs including genetic screening.  All donors undergo counselling and contact is made with their GP before acceptance.   A donor can be chosen whose physical characteristics match those of the parent.

As a couple or individual receiving donor eggs for IVF treatment, the fertility treatment journey follows the pattern outlined below. We’ll match you with a donor and conduct all the necessary tests before treatment starts. We do place additional emphasis on implications counselling for couples receiving donor eggs.

• Pre-treatment – preliminary tests and screening, initial consultation
• Counselling – implications counselling, support counselling
• Pre Treatment Appointment – consent forms, how to use treatment drugs, payment
• Egg collection – (Donor coordination – donor goes through stimulation/monitor/trigger/egg collection)
• Sperm collection
• Insemination – IVF/ICSI
• Monitoring
• Embryo transfer
• (Embryo freezing if there are left over embryos)
• Pregnancy test
• Outcome

At Simply Fertility all our recipients are asked to use our counselling service before a recipient treatment cycle. Our trained and experienced counsellor will discuss all the implications of receiving donated eggs including the following:

• The welfare of any child born as a result using donated sperm, eggs or embryos
• The rights/ needs of any resultant child/children with regards to conveying information about their conception
• The advantages/disadvantages of secrecy within a family
• Other potential implications for the future
• Donor anonymity implications