Frequently asked questions
Below, you can find answers to the most common questions about egg donation.
If you need more guidance on egg donation, please get in touch with us on +44 (0)20 3770 9631 or eggdonor.uk@europeaneggbank.com
Becoming an egg donor
To become an egg donor at European Egg Bank, you need to:
- be between 18 and 35 years old
- be physically fit and healthy (BMI between 19 and 35)
- have a regular, monthly menstrual cycle
- have no serious inheritable conditions in your family
- be a non-smoker
- not previously have been an egg donor
We don't expect you to know your ovarian reserve and general fertility level when you apply to become a donor. We conduct fertility tests during the donor screening process to assess your fertility.
Our egg donors come from a wide variety of backgrounds and we welcome people of all backgrounds as egg donors irrespective of culture, faith, sexual orientation and gender identity. What they all have in common is that they are healthy and want to help others have a family.
You can read more about why people choose to donate eggs on this page.
In order to donate eggs, you need to be approved as a donor. Starting that process is simple. You just click the "Book appointment" button that you will find throughout this website. You can read more about the egg donation process and the donor screening here.
You should expect the donor screening process to take about 2-3 months, depending on your availability. The medical tests take some time to complete, and seeing as donating eggs is a big decision, many donors welcome the extra time to reflect on their choice to donate.
No, it is not possible to donate eggs anonymously in the UK. As part of the donor screening process, you will provide a range of information about yourself - for instance, your physical features and medical history as well as your full name and date of birth. According to UK legislation, this information will be kept on file with the HFEA, the UK governing body for fertility treatment.
Children born from your donation can request to find out the non-identifying information about you once they turn 16 (if they so desire). When they turn 18, they can request to learn your identity. The parents of donor-conceived children cannot request this information. You can find an overview of what information is provided at each age on HFEA's website.
There are national limits in most countries specifying the maximum number of families allowed per donor. Our donors help families worldwide and we oversee the number of pregnancies to comply with applicable legislation in all countries. In the UK, for example, your eggs can be used to create a maximum of ten families.
No. As an egg donor, you have no responsibilities for the children conceived with your eggs. Parents to donor-conceived children cannot make any financial claims towards you, nor can the children.
In return, you have no rights towards children conceived with your donation. You cannot find out who they are (unless they want to be known to you) or decide how or by whom they are raised.
You are, however, allowed to find out how many children have been conceived with your egg donations along with the gender and year of birth of these children. You can obtain this information through the HFEA, the UK regulator of fertility treatment.
Egg banks and fertility clinics in the UK are regulated by the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority), so we have strict protocols for all aspects of our operations, such as donor screening and safeguarding of donor information. Schedule 2 of the HFEA General Directive 0006 governs the movement of gametes across borders and ensures that you receive the relevant information required as a donor.
We store the eggs that you donate in Denmark where we have our storage facilities while always complying with HFEA regulations.
It isn't legal to sell your eggs in the UK, but it is allowed to receive compensation for the time and effort egg donation requires. You get £750 in compensation for each donation cycle. A donation cycle is one completed round of egg collection. The compensation amount is fixed and regulated by the HFEA, the UK's regulator of fertility treatment.
Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to facilitate known egg donation. That is, the donation of eggs to someone you specify or have a relation to.
Yes, if you live in the UK for at least 1½ years from the time of application.
Sadly, we cannot accept you as a donor if you do not know your biological family’s medical history.
At this time, we do not provide fertility preservation (freezing one's own eggs for future use) for our egg donors.
The egg collection procedure
Yes, you can bring someone to the egg retrieval. In fact, we encourage you to do so because you might feel a little discomfort after the egg collection. Also, the sedation can leave you feeling drowsy for a few hours, so you should not drive home yourself.
There is no clear answer to this question, because it varies from person to person. There are two different aspects to the topic: the hormonal stimulation and the egg collection itself.
The hormonal stimulation involves injecting yourself daily for two weeks. Some women are a bit nervous about making the first injection, but we will guide you thoroughly, so you feel at ease. Most people are fine with injecting themselves after having done so the first time. Generally, the hormonal stimulation for egg donors is mild, as egg donors have excellent fertility levels. This means that the impact and discomfort of the hormones is limited, but you may experience feeling bloated or tense in your pelvic area.
As for the egg collection, you will be under conscious sedation during the process which takes 20-30 mins. Conscious sedation means that you will be awake and aware without feeling the potential discomfort associated with collecting the eggs. You will have time to rest at the clinic afterwards.
You might experience some cramps and pain for a few days following the egg collection, but this discomfort can be eased with regular painkillers and you will be able to go to work. It is important to let your body rest after the egg retrieval. We recommend abstaining from physical exertion such as high energy sports for three to four days. You can resume sexual activity two days after the egg retrieval.
The egg collection takes 20-30 minutes. You will be conscious throughout as we use conscious sedation for the procedure. After the egg collection, we will take you to a wake-up room where you can rest and let the sedation wear off a little before going home.
We work closely with our partner, CARE Fertility, to carry out the procedure for us. CARE Fertility has many years of experience with egg collection, so you are in safe hands when choosing to donate. You can read more about us and CARE Fertility here. You can see our egg donation clinics on our Contact and Locations page.
It depends on your preferred contraceptive. If you use the pill or mini pill, you can take them right up to the start of your donation cycle. You’ll be able to start taking your contraceptive pills again straight after your donation.
When you become a donor, we will guide you on how to use contraception during donation periods.
We expect to collect 8-20 mature eggs per donation. On average, one in five donated eggs leads to the birth of a child.
Following recommendations from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), we allow our egg donors to donate a maximum of six times.
Health and medical
Infertility is defined by the NHS as the state of being unable to get pregnant despite having regular unprotected sex for a year. In the cases of single women or LGBTQ+ couples, infertility can also be diagnosed after a series of unsuccessful cycles of assisted reproduction.
Ova (eggs) or ovum (egg) are the medical terms for the female reproductive cells, eggs.
Ovarian reserve means egg count. As in, the amount of eggs you have left in your ovaries. We assess your ovarian reserve in two ways: firstly, we perform an ultrasound scan of your ovaries. Secondly, we measure the amount of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) in your blood. A high AMH level indicates that you have many eggs left in your ovaries whereas a small number means that you have a limited amount of eggs left.
AMH stands for Anti-Mullerian Hormone. AMH is produced by the follicle, the sac surrounding each egg, and for that reason, it is a good measurement of your egg count. The higher the AMH level in your blood, the more eggs you have. AMH does not reveal anything about the quality of your eggs, only the number of eggs in your ovaries.
Donating eggs involves hormonal stimulation to mature the eggs and to make your ovaries produce more than the one follicle (the little sac containing the developing egg) that is created during a regular menstrual cycle.
Egg donation is a very well-established procedure. There is no negative impact on a donor’s fertility or ability to conceive children of her own later in life.
When taking hormonal stimulation injections prior to the egg collection, there is a small risk of hyperstimulation (OHSS). This happens in about 1 in 100 women. If you experience shortness of breath, sudden weight gain, nausea, diarrhoea, abnormal bloating or decreased urination, we advise you to contact the clinic.
No. There is no evidence that a donor’s own fertility or ability to conceive children of her own is affected by her being an egg donor.
During the initial donor approval process, we carry out fertility tests (e.g., your AMH values) to assess your fertility. If we find that your fertility is not good enough to become a donor, we will not proceed with the process.
The eggs you donate can be used for several types of fertility treatment including IVF and ICSI.
In regular IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation) treatments, the egg is mixed with a large amount of sperm cells in a laboratory dish. The fertilisation of the egg happens when a sperm makes its way into the egg.
Meanwhile, in the ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection) process, a single sperm cell is injected all the way into the egg with a tiny needle.
If the IVF or ICSI procedure is succesful, the fertilised egg (embryo) is then inserted into the womb of the person who will carry the child.
Life as an egg donor
Heterosexual couples, LGBTQ+ couples and single people may all need donor eggs to conceive a child.
Typically, the people choosing to use donor eggs have struggled with infertility for a long time. In other cases, people want to avoid passing on a hereditary disorder to their child. A third possibility is that the donor egg recipient has gone through cancer treatment or early menopause which has affected their fertility.
You need someone to accompany you on the day of your egg collection, as you might be feeling drowsy from the sedation.
Apart from that, you are not required to inform anyone that you are an egg donor. We protect your identity and our staff is discreet and respectful of your privacy. Only children conceived with your donations are able to learn your identity (when they reach legal age).
However, we highly recommend egg donors to share with their partner and/or children that they have donated eggs as it can also have an impact on their lives.
Yes, you have the right to find out if your donation has been successful. In order to comply with the national pregnancy limits, European Egg Bank monitors the number of pregnancies from each donor. Within the UK, you can also find out the number of children, gender and year of birth of any children born as result of your eggs by contacting the European Egg Bank or the HFEA (Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority – the UK regulator). For other countries, European Egg Bank can only tell you if children have been born from your eggs, as details about the number of children, gender and year of birth for children born outside the UK are not available.
During the donor approval process, we do our utmost to ensure that you are well informed of what it means to be an egg donor. We offer all egg donors an implications counselling session, so you understand the long-term aspects of donating.
You may vary or withdraw your consent to the storage and/or use of your eggs in certain circumstances. If you wish to withdraw consent you will be required to sign a HFEA consent form stating this. Before filling out the form you will receive relevant information to make a fully informed decision. You should be aware however, that withdrawal of consent will not release you from all obligations i.e. reporting new medical information concerning you and your family.
Yes, the compensation you receive constitutes taxable income that you need to report yourself.
Following recommendations from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), we allow our egg donors to donate a maximum of 6 times.
After each donation, your donor coordinator will talk to you about whether you want to donate again.
Want to know more?
You're welcome to reach out to us if you have more questions about egg donation.
Phone us on +44 (0)20 3770 9631 or email eggdonor.uk@europeaneggbank.com
About Us
European Egg Bank is a UK-licensed fertility specialist founded in Denmark in 2004. Our purpose is to help bring healthy children into the world and to foster open-mindedness towards modern families.
Donate your eggs
Help aspiring parents have a family. You will be compensated with £750 per donation as per HFEA regulations.