Egg Donation
What is Egg Donation?
Egg donation is the use of a donated egg to start or grow a family!
It is a fertility treatment for women unable to produce or use their own eggs or at high risk of transmitting a genetic disease. The donated eggs are fertilised with a partner’s (or donated) sperm in a conventional IVF treatment cycle, and one (or two) embryo(s) are transferred in the hope of achieving pregnancy.
Why would someone need to us Donated Eggs?
The main reason why women may have problems using their own eggs is related to age; as women grow older their supply of eggs declines in number and quality up to the menopause, by which time natural reproduction is no longer possible. Some women can experience a premature menopause (known as 'primary ovarian insufficiency'), while others may have ovarian problems which preclude egg development and ovulation. In such cases (even in women beyond a natural menopause), egg donation is the best treatment for pregnancy.
How common is Egg Donation?
Egg donation is common. Data collected by ESHRE for 2013 show that 39,000 egg donation treatments were performed in Europe from a total of almost 500,000 IVF cycles.
Pregnancy rates were very high at around 50% per treatment, with delivery rates somewhat lower (fresh eggs 33%, frozen embryo transfers 25%, and embryo transfers from frozen eggs 21%). Interestingly, ESHRE data studies have also found that around 50% of all European egg donation treatments are performed in Spain, most in overseas patients. Data from the Spanish national registry for IVF (for 2014) show that 8.5% of all fertility treatments in Spain were in foreign residents, the majority (66%) for egg donation.
Inter-country Regulations
Each country will have different rules and regulations around egg and sperm donation. Egg donation, like sperm donation, is a 'third party' treatment and sensitive to local culture and regulation. In Germany, for example, egg donation is not allowed, while elsewhere in Europe it is allowed with either donor anonymity (as in France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain), or non-anonymity (as in Ireland, Austria, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden and UK). Some countries allow both anonymous donation.
Many women travel abroad for cross-border egg donation treatment because of the poor supply of donor oocytes at home (and long waiting-lists), costs or legal restrictions (such as anonymous or non-anonymous donation). The most common country I see women travelling to is Spain. Spain appears to have the most plentiful supply of donor eggs. Interestingly, in one ESHRE survey, Spain had the highest proportion of student donors (25%) and the lowest rate of donors in full employment (28%).
Known Donation:
With known donation, the donor provides identifying information that’s accessible to the donor conceived child at 18 years of age. In some countries, this information is accessible from the age of 16. In the UK and Ireland, all imported donors (sperm or eggs) must be from a non-anonymous donor. Personal information about the donor will not be available to the intending parent(s), only to the donor-conceived person should they wish to contact the donor. The non-anonymous donor does not receive any identifying information about the donor-conceived child or parent(s) but they can find out if a child has been born as a result of their donation and the sex of that child. Importantly, the donor does not have any parental rights to the child born following treatment using donor eggs.
Current data on egg donation and follow-up studies on children born through egg donation show us that known egg donation can have a positive impact for both the donors and intended parents. It's designed to give intended parents direct access to you if they or their children have any questions. It has been found to be effective in creating longer, healthier and more meaningful relationships between egg donors, children and the parents whose lives they've transformed.
Anonymous Donation:
Anonymous egg donation is for those who wish to keep their names and identities confidential. It means that any child born as a result of the egg donation cycle, will not receive identifying information about the donor.
For more information on egg donation and to connect with a community of others considering or having had treatment using donated eggs or sperm, The Donor Conception Network is a fantastic resource! They offer webinars, meet-ups and tonnes of online resources. The National Infertility Support & Information Group also offers brilliant resources
Resources:
The National Infertility Support & Information Group
Sources:
ESHRE Egg Donation Fact Sheet (2017)