Who can be an egg donor?
Any woman that meets the following requirements can be an egg donor:
Aged between 18 and 35
Good physical and mental health
No personal or family medical history of hereditary diseases
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Why become an egg donor?
There are a growing number of couples and women that cannot have children due to a problem with their eggs, and whose only chance at a pregnancy is to resort to an egg donation treatment.
It includes young women who, due to illness, cannot use their own because of surgery or chemotherapy, as well as women who, due to postponing pregnancy, are at an age where they are incapable of producing enough eggs or those they have are of poor quality.
Fortunately, thanks to the solidarity of many women who donate their eggs, these women have the opportunity to achieve a pregnancy at Barcelona IVF.
What can I do to become an egg donor?
To become an egg donor, you should contact us on our website or by telephone at 93 417 69 16. We will get in touch with you immediately to arrange a visit for you to address any questions you may have.
For further information on egg donation, come to Barcelona IVF and we will gladly inform you!
What are the steps of the process?
The process consists of 2 main steps:
Ovarian stimulation + gynaecological tests
Egg collection
How is the treatment performed?
We will share everything you need to know.
General information
How long does the egg donation process take?
The egg donation treatment lasts for around 12 days, starting from the start of ovarian stimulation until the ovarian puncture.
Will I be able to have children after egg donation?
Egg donation does not affect your fertility. The possibility of having children in the future will depend on many factors, but the donation treatment does not reduce the number of your eggs. During your life, you will only use 0.1% of all your eggs and the rest are lost naturally during each ovarian cycle. These are the ones used for donation.
Are there any risks or side effects?
Thanks to specific ovarian stimulation protocols for donors, treatments risks have been substantially reduced, especially that of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Nevertheless, you might occasionally feel bloated due to ovarian stimulation.
Another treatment risk is bleeding from the ovarian puncture, which can cause abdominal pain on the day of the puncture. This pain usually disappears when resting during the day. In exceptional cases, this bleeding may require surgery to stop it.
Can I have sexual intercourse?
You will have to avoid having sexual intercourse during the egg donation treatment until your period starts as there is a risk of complications, such as abdominal pain or unwanted pregnancy.
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What is the first informative visit?
During the informative visit, we will give you all the information you need to know to become an egg donor. We will also perform a case history to verify the relevant clinical aspects of your health.
The procedure will be explained to you in detail during this visit, and you will be informed of its risks. You will be given a consent that you will have to sign afterwards and which will act as a contract between yourself and the clinic.
Which previous tests are necessary?
In order to become an egg donor, a series of additional tests need to be performed. These tests are:
- Gynaecological examination
- Psychological evaluation
- Ultrasound
- Complete blood count
- Serologic test
- Karyotype
- Carrier evaluation for DNA mutation analysis
Once we confirm that these results are normal, you will be ready to perform egg donation.
What is ovarian stimulation?
In order to perform egg donation, your ovaries need to be stimulated by administering medication to ensure a sufficient amount of eggs are produced. We will perform several ultrasound scans during this time to evaluate treatment development until the ovaries are ready for the eggs to be collected.
How are the eggs collected?
We will collect the eggs by ovarian puncture. To avoid any kind of pain, the ovarian puncture is performed under sedation. The sedation is a type of mild anesthesia, with which you will be asleep for the 10 minutes the procedure will last. The ovarian puncture is performed vaginally (like a gynaecological ultrasound), aspirating the eggs that have been produced in the ovaries. When the procedure is finished, you can go home after 1-2 hours once you have recovered from the process. Nonetheless, remember that you cannot work on this day and you must rest at home, accompanied by an adult.
During the first week after treatment, you need to lead a relaxed pace of life, avoiding sports and especially sexual intercourse. Once your period has arrived, you will have to come in for a check to ensure that everything is fine.
Legal information
How is egg donation regulated?
Egg donation is regulated by Law 14/2006 of May 14th on human assisted reproduction techniques, which states that donation must be performed anonymously and voluntarily, and it must be informed and unpaid.
Furthermore, the Law states that the child born after egg donation will never have access to the egg donor’s identity.
Can the donor’s identity be discovered?
In Spain, egg donation is anonymous. Through anonymity, the identities of the donor and the recipient of the eggs is protected. All of this information remains confidential and protected by the center where the treatment takes place.
What information can the recipient learn about the donor?
The recipient will only learn about the donor if there is something that may have clinical relevance to her pregnancy. She will also gain access to information related to their physical characteristics. She will never be able to learn any information that could reveal their identity.
Can a minor donate their eggs?
No. Spanish law states as a mandatory requirement that, in order to donate eggs, one must be aged between 18 and 35.
How many cycles can be performed?
As stated by Spanish law, an egg donor can donate until a total of six children are born.