The Impact of Age of Egg Donation: What You Need to Know

Here at Egg Donors UK, we have supported donors through the journey of donating eggs for more than 35 years. We're proud of our work and always grateful to those who want to invest their time to help someone else create their family.

We would love to welcome everyone who can donate eggs to do so. However, not everyone will meet the criteria set out by our regulator, The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA).

An essential criterion for egg donors is age. If you want to donate your eggs, the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority maintains that you must do so before your 36th birthday due to the impact your age can have on your reproductive health. You must also be over 18 to donate eggs in the UK. Learn more in our blog, The Impact of Age on Egg Donation: What You Need to Know.

The Impact of Age on Egg Donation

Women steadily lose the number of eggs they are born with as they age. This is supported by figures from the British Fertility Society, which suggest that at birth, most girls have about 2 million eggs; and that by age 37, there remain about 25,000.

The British Fertility Society also states that, on average, there is a decline in female fertility starting in the mid-thirties, with lower fertility, especially after age 35, which is why your 36th birthday is the latest time you will be allowed to donate your eggs.

In some rare cases, the HFEA may make an exception and allow someone who is older than 36 to donate their eggs, such as if you're donating to a family member or to provide eggs for someone to create embryos that are biologically related to a child born using donor eggs in previous fertility treatment.

However, if you are currently 35, please do not let the thought that your age may stop you from submitting your application – as you might be the perfect candidate for donation. As we want to ensure every person who wants to donate has an equal opportunity, we will still consider you so long as your donation can be completed before your 36th birthday, in line with the HFEA's guidance, and you meet the full donor criteria.

When you become an egg donor, you'll be asked to provide a complete genetic family medical history in addition to your own personal medical history. You will also give insight into your fertility status, your general health and well-being.

If you are successful and go on to become an egg donor, once your eggs have been collected, our team assesses the quality in a specialist embryology laboratory, ensuring your donation is suitable for use in someone else's treatment.

Why do you follow egg donor criteria?

Here in the UK, egg donors are always in high demand. Research from the HFEA indicates that children born in the UK with the help of donor eggs and sperm have risen by more than 64% since the 1990s.

Supporting our donors through the donation journey is a very important part of the work we do, and we're also responsible for matching potential egg recipients with your donor eggs.

We get to know both donors and recipients personally and want to ensure we're doing our absolute best for those on both sides of the journey. As such, we want to ensure those who need donor eggs in the future have the highest possible chances of creating their family. To do this, egg donor criteria are a vital part of the journey.

Find more information on the egg donation journey or our egg donor criteria on our website, or if you'd like to speak with a member of our dedicated donor team - contact Steph, Olivia and Gina at 0161 300 2734.

If you're ready to begin your egg donor journey, apply online today. We will be more than happy to consider your application and support you through your egg donation journey.