Egg donation programme

We offer both egg donation cycles with fresh donor eggs and egg donation cycles with frozen donor eggs.

Patients who wish to use international donors will need to travel there for embryo implantation, however The Fertility & Gynaecology Academy can help facilitate this process.

A cycle with fresh donor eggs is likely to give you more eggs. However, a cycles with frozen donor eggs can be started immediately and allows you to choose from a number of donors.

Sometimes women who are unable to conceive due to a condition called premature ovarian failure (POF) will use egg donation. POF is when the ovaries have stopped working before the age of 40. Some women with POF still have occasional periods but, unfortunately, they cannot conceive.

We take care to try to match the physical features of the recipient and the donor. All egg donors are younger than 35, and are usually in their twenties or early thirties. Additionally, they have a clean bill of health and fertility.

We try to match height, weight, skin colour, hair colour, eye colour and ethnic background as close as possible. You may request certain criteria but must bear in mind that being overly prescriptive can result in longer waiting times for matches.

Fresh egg donation: With fresh-egg donation, timing is key. The release of eggs in the donor has to correspond with the fertility cycles of the donor. For this to occur, the donor needs to have her ovaries stimulated while the recipient is using hormone tablets or patches to build up the lining of her womb for egg implantation. Once healthy eggs are taken from the donor and fertilised with sperm they are placed in the recipient’s womb within a five-day period.

Frozen egg donation: Because of the difficulty in recruiting a donor at just the right time, frozen eggs are sometimes implanted instead of fresh ones. The egg-freezing process involves a quick cooling method known as vitrification.

Once frozen, the eggs are stored at extremely low temperatures in liquid nitrogen. The statutory storage period for eggs as defined by the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is up to 10 years.

Using a donor’s frozen eggs is a viable method which has shown proven results over the years – but it is important to bear in mind that not all the eggs will survive the freezing process.

When the recipient is ready, the eggs are thawed and fertilised. The embryos are usually implanted into the womb five days later.