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Being an egg donor
- Dedicated in-house egg donor programme
- The UK's largest private IVF unit
- Before you start your family, visit ours
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IVF AT HCA UK
Why choose us?
At HCA UK, our egg donation programme is one of the longest running and most successful in the UK. Since 1988, more than 1000 women have altruistically donated at the Lister Fertility Clinic. Our dedicated IVF egg donation team has over a decade of experience assisting donors through the process.
Egg donation is a remarkable act of generosity, helping others to achieve their ultimate dream of having children. But there are several things you need to be aware of before you consider it.
Egg donation means giving some of your eggs to help someone else have a baby through in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The recipient may then become pregnant using an embryo created from your eggs and sperm from a partner or donor.
If you choose to donate, you'll go through the first stages of an IVF cycle, which includes ovarian stimulation and egg collection. Our experienced team will guide you through every step, ensuring you feel comfortable and supported.
Many people choose to donate to a friend or family member, while others donate to help someone they don't know. If you donate to someone you don't know, we'll carefully match your eggs with a recipient at our clinic.
Making the decision to donate eggs takes careful consideration, and we're here to support you every step of the way. Our experienced counsellors can help you understand the ethical, legal and social aspects of donating your eggs, so you feel confident in your choice.
This includes knowing what information will be shared with your egg recipient and any children born from your donation. We explain everything clearly, ensuring you have all the details you need to make the right decision for you.
You won't meet your egg recipient – unless it's someone you already know. And we won't give them any identifying information about you, such as your name. But egg recipients may receive non-identifying information about you, such as your height, ethnicity and skin tone.
We try to match the egg donor and recipient's physical characteristics as closely as possible. You can choose to give a personal description of yourself and a goodwill message if you wish. This will be available to your egg recipient and any children born from your eggs from the time of your donation.
We try to match the egg donor and recipient's physical characteristics as closely as possible. You can choose to give a personal description of yourself and a goodwill message if you wish. This will be available to your egg recipient and any children born from your eggs from the time of your donation.
We usually prefer our egg donors to:
- Be aged between 21 and 35
- Be in good health
- Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 30
- Have no history of hereditary diseases
We may make exceptions in certain circumstances, and our fertility specialists can offer you support and advice.
22,000+
babies born with us
17
dedicated fertility consultants
35+
years with a history of success
All procedures and treatments
carried out on-site
In-house laboratories
Fully personalised care in
state-of-the-art facilities
The egg donor process
What to expect
We work with leading fertility experts across a range of medical fields, including gynaecology and urology. That means you'll be supported by a team of experts, from consultants, embryologists and sonographers to counsellors and experienced fertility-trained nurse practitioners.
Before the procedure, there are several steps to help you prepare for egg donation. These include:
01
Initial consultation
You'll have a named doctor for your initial consultation and any planning for your treatment. They'll discuss your treatment options with you and come up with a tailored treatment plan you're happy with.
02
Counselling
You'll meet one of our counsellors to ensure you fully understand the procedure and the ethical, legal and social aspects of egg donation. Our free counselling service is available before, during and after treatment, ensuring you always have the support you need.
03
Screening tests
We'll screen for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and gonorrhoea. We'll also run tests to check your haemoglobin levels, blood grouping, chromosome studies and cystic fibrosis screening. This is to make sure the chance of passing on any infections or serious health conditions is as low as possible. With your consent, we'll also request your medical history from your GP.
04
Egg donation procedure
As in a standard IVF cycle, you'll have hormone injections for a couple of weeks to stimulate your ovaries. When the follicles reach a specific size, you'll have a minor vaginal procedure to collect your eggs. We perform this under anaesthesia or sedation, so it won't be painful. Your eggs may be used by your recipient straight away, or egg freezing can be used for later use.
Where can I access egg donor treatment?
Across our extensive network of hospitals and treatment centres, we have dozens of industry-leading fertility experts who can help you, from initial consultation to treatment and next steps.
Lister Fertility Clinic
Chelsea Bridge Road SW1W 8RH London
Lister Fertility Clinic at The Portland Hospital
First Floor 215 Great Portland Street W1W 5PN London
Lister Fertility Clinic at The Beaconsfield Clinic
Little Hall Barn Windsor End, Beaconsfield HP9 2JW Buckinghamshire
Lister Fertility Clinic at The Shard
The Shard Outpatients St Thomas Street SE1 9BS London
Accessing private health care
Self-pay
You don’t need health insurance to be seen quickly. If you’re looking for treatment and don’t want to wait, all of our fertility treatments can be paid for as and when you need them.
And to give you peace of mind from the start, we’ll provide you with a clear and transparent quote outlining exactly what’s included in your self-pay package.
Being an egg donor FAQs
This is unlikely. You should still be able to try for children of your own as normal after egg donation. The fertility medicine you take during the egg donation procedure stimulates more of your eggs to grow and develop. But these would otherwise be lost as part of your normal menstrual cycle. It doesn't mean you use up more of your eggs.
Egg donation is generally very safe, and most egg donors won't experience any problems. However, it's possible to have some side effects from the IVF procedure. This might include a reaction to fertility medicines. Common side effects include hot flushes, discomfort and bloating, breast tenderness and headaches.
It's possible to develop a more severe reaction to the fertility drugs, called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This is when too many eggs develop in your ovaries. Your consultant will tell you signs to look out for.
It's possible to develop a more severe reaction to the fertility drugs, called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This is when too many eggs develop in your ovaries. Your consultant will tell you signs to look out for.
You are free to withdraw consent to your egg donation at any time until the embryos are used. We understand egg donation is a difficult decision to make with a high emotional and physical burden. Please rest assured that there will be no financial penalty or judgment if you change your mind.
No, it's illegal to pay egg donors any compensation in the UK. However, all your medical expenses will be covered, so you won't need to pay for this. We'll also cover reasonable expenses such as travel and childcare costs.
We won't be able to give you any details about your egg recipient. If you'd like to know the outcome of your egg donation, you can contact us at any time. We can tell you whether any children were born as a result of your egg donation, their sex and the year they were born. We can't provide you with the names or other identifying information about children conceived with your eggs.
This will be a joint decision between you and your doctor. However, the law states that a donor's eggs can't be used to create more than 10 families. We can let you know if you reach this limit.
Yes, the egg donor and egg recipient do not meet. However, children born with egg donations can access information about their donor at the age of 18. This may allow them to make contact, if they wish.
Children born as a result of egg or sperm donation have the right to access information that could identify their donor once they reach 18 years of age. Your details will be kept in a central register with the Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA) Register, which will be carefully protected. Only children conceived from your donated eggs will be able to access this when they turn 18.
If they contact the HFEA, they will be told:- Your name
- Your date of birth
- Your place of birth
- Your last known address
This information may allow them to try to contact you. It's your choice whether you want to have any contact. You won't have any legal rights or responsibilities to children born as a result of your donated eggs.
If you have any questions before, during or after your donation, please call your clinic. They will be glad to help and put you in touch with the egg donation team. Our counsellors are available at any time before, during or after your treatment. You can find more information on egg donation on the HFEA website.
Our patients' fertility stories
How Lister Fertility Clinic helped two fathers-to-be
Paul is sitting in his home in Belfast, with his husband Neil and their beautiful three-month-old son Felix, talking about their journey to fatherhood – a journey that the Lister Fertility Clinic, part of HCA Healthcare UK, accompanied them on.
Clare’s fertility treatment
Clare and her husband Derek thought they might never have children, until joining the egg-sharing programme at the Lister Fertility Clinic.
Alice and Aaron's fertility treatment
After being told they’d never have children, Alice and Aaron turned to the Lister Fertility Clinic. They now have a beautiful two-year-old daughter.
“After several rounds of IVF, IUI, natural conceptions, late miscarriages and finally egg donation, we finally have our little girl. We will be eternally grateful to Dr Parikh, as our daughter would not be here if it were not for her. We cannot recommend her enough!”
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This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.