Donating Eggs: What Your Recipient - and Their Child - is Told About You

When you donate your eggs, what information is given out about you? Can your donor egg recipient find out who you are?

Here is an overview of the details that are given to donors and their donor-conceived children, so you can understand what they can – and cannot know - about you:

Your donor egg recipient

As the egg donor you are anonymous to the person using your eggs.

The woman who chooses you as her egg donor is never given any identifying information about you, or details that could lead to you being identified.

She is given your donor profile, which has basic details about you such as your height, weight, hair and eye colour, ethnicity and occupation. She is also given your personal pen picture, part of your profile which you complete as part of the donation process.

Your pen picture is your own self-description, in your own words, where you can write about your personality, your hobbies, your outlook on life and why you decided to donate. You are also asked to write a personal goodwill message to any resulting child, perhaps your hopes for them and how happy you were to help them to be born.

It is designed to give someone who is looking for an egg donor a good idea about what you are like as a person, so they can decide if you are the right egg donor for them.

Your profile also gives your recipient valuable information they can share with their child one day, if they decide to explain genetic origins, which is something we very much encourage.

Donor-conceived children

When it comes to donor-conceived children, you are not anonymous. For donor-conceived people, it means a great deal to be able to learn about their genetic heritage and truly understand ‘where they came from’. So the law was changed many years ago in the UK to make this possible.

It works via the HFEA’s Register. The fertility regulator keeps a record of all births from donor eggs via licensed fertility clinics, which includes the donor responsible and all her information, including name, address and date of birth.

When a donor-conceived child reaches the age of 18, he or she can apply to the HFEA for the information it holds on its Register about you. It is then up to the donor-conceived person if they wish to get in touch with you.

This means that there is the potential for you have contact many years from now with the person you’ve helped to be born. Having this amazing opportunity depends on whether the person knows they are donor-conceived, and if they do wish to contact you.

Donation Team and counselling support

Our Donation Team and our counsellors will explain what details are shared about you, as part of the donation process.

Counselling is essential for all egg donors, so you are fully aware of the implications of donation not just now, but in the future. Counselling happens early in the process, so you can decide if egg donation is right for you before you progress.

Donate eggs with Manchester Donors

Learn more about how egg donation works. You can also read our FAQs and browse our blog library to learn about being an egg donor. If you would like to apply, complete our no-obligation online egg donor application form or call us on 0161 300 2734.