Egg Donation: Your FAQs

Have you ever thought about being an egg donor? We’re one of the UK’s most successful and trusted egg donation clinics, with an award-winning egg donation programme. We don’t only give women the information they need to decide to become an egg donor, we support them during their time as an egg donor too.

We’re always asked lots of questions by women who have seen our social advertisements, or blog posts, about just what egg donation involves. Our dedicated Donation Team, which supports our egg donors at every stage of their journey, answer some of your latest ones:

Do I get paid to donate my eggs?

Being paid to donate your eggs in the UK is illegal. Instead you receive compensation of £985 per donation cycle, which is designed to reflect the time and commitment needed to be an egg donor, and to cover you for any expenses you incur as an egg donor, such as travelling to and from the clinic.

Will other clinics that need egg donors pay me more for my eggs?

Every clinic in the UK that advertises for and recruits egg donors can only pay the same amount of £985 per donation cycle, as set by regulatory body the HFEA. So if you hear that other clinics ‘pay good money’ for your eggs, or regardless of what any advertisement may indicate, the amount you receive is actually exactly the same from clinic to clinic.

Unlike in countries like America where egg donors can ‘name their price’, it doesn’t matter how good in quality you think your eggs are, or how popular you think you’d be as an egg donor.

The set amount of £985 per donation cycle ensures that egg donation remains an altruistic act, carried out by women to help other women have a baby. You’re giving the gift of life, and it’s important that the motivation for this isn’t financial.

How do you make sure I have enough eggs to donate?

We first need to conduct a simple test that will tell us how well you will respond to the fertility medications you need to take to be an egg donor. If your results are good and you’re able to proceed, we will give you a tailored course of fertility drugs that stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs. We only ever use the lowest dose needed, and you’ll be carefully monitored throughout this phase through blood tests and scans at our clinic, to make sure you’re responding as you should be.

How do you get the eggs out?

Once your scans indicate your eggs are ready, you’ll be booked into our clinic theatre for egg recovery. This is done via a very fine needle, which gently retrieves your eggs. You’ll be given light sedation so you won’t feel any discomfort. We’ll be able to tell you straight away how many eggs you’ve donated to our donor programme.

Where can I donate my eggs?

The entire process of egg donation is carried out at our private fertility clinic in Cheadle, Cheshire. We are a National Gamete Donation Trust Centre of Excellence – we’ve been independently assessed and judged to provide the highest, first-class standard of care to all of our donors at every stage. You’ll be supported throughout your donation journey by our dedicated Donation Team.

How does someone choose me as their egg donor?

You’ll complete a detailed personal profile, where you’ll tell prospective recipients of your eggs all about yourself, and why you chose to be an egg donor. You can also include a personal message to any child that’s born with your help.

Women who need donor eggs use your profile to decide if you’re the donor for them.

I want to know who’s used my eggs, and if a baby has been born. Can I find out?

You’re never given any identifiable details about the person who uses your eggs to try for a baby; you’ll not be able to find out who they are. But you can find out if the treatment using your eggs was successful. You can be told the year the baby was born, and its gender.

I’d like to know more about being an egg donor. Where do I start?

Read about the process of egg donation, and the criteria to be an egg donor, as you must be aged 18-35, a non-smoker and in good health to donate. If you’d like to apply, simply fill out this form. We will review your application and get back to you if you’re suitable to proceed. If you’ve got any questions, we’d be happy to help – just call us on 0161 300 2730.