Using donor eggs

At the Lister Fertility Clinic, you’ll find a dedicated egg donation programme that’s one of the longest running and most successful in the UK, with over 1000 babies born.

In 2022-2023, our recipient pregnancy rate using donor eggs was over 70%.

Many people come to the decision to use donor eggs after a long fertility journey and failed treatment cycles. That can cause a big emotional strain.

Our dedicated egg donation team are here to help with continuity of care in a warm and welcoming environment with expert treatment and ongoing support.

To make sure you’re as prepared as possible before your consultation, our specialists have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about using an egg donor.

Many people can benefit from egg donation. They include those who:

• Are producing too few or poor quality eggs
• Are no longer producing eggs – either due to age-related infertility, early menopause or medical treatments such as chemotherapy
• Have tried to conceive unsuccessfully using fertility drugs or IVF
• Have had several recurrent miscarriages
• Have a high risk of passing on a serious inherited disorder

Our egg donation team screens a constant flow of new egg sharers and donors each month. As soon as  you register on our waiting list as a potential egg donation recipient you can email or call the team at any point. Our egg bank means we currently have no waiting list for most ethnicities.

We’ll work tirelessly to find a match for you based on your preferences and give you all the information we can under HFEA guidelines.

If you decline a match, don’t worry – there’s no penalty. And for those who decide a UK donation isn’t right for them, we also liaise with several leading overseas clinics.

It is important to remember that, while we always try to match the donor and recipient’s physical characteristics as closely as possible, we can’t guarantee the results.

How much information will I receive about my donor?

You can ask for information about your donor at any point in the process. All the information we’re allowed to give you is non-identifying, and includes:

Can I recruit my own donor

Many people prefer to use known donors (either a family member or friend), or one-to-one donation. We understand this, and have streamlined our process to ensure that, if you have your own donor, you can start treatment as soon as possible.

Our marketing team can also help you to build your own advertisement or poster to help you recruit your own donor.

The Lister Fertility Clinic also works with Altrui and Grace, private donor recruitment companies.

Will the donor be anonymous?

Yes. You won’t meet your donor, unless you’re using someone you know.

However, information about the donor will be held at the central register of the Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA). Any person born as a result of sperm, egg or embryo donation will be able to access identifying information about their donor once they reach the age of 18 (this doesn’t apply to donation treatment received before 1 April 2005).

The only information the donor may access is whether somebody has been successful using their own eggs.

We’ll talk you through each stage of the process at your consultation. They are as follows:

• The donor receives fertility drugs (similar to those given to women undergoing IVF) in order to enhance egg production. 
• At the same time, the recipient is prepared for transfer. This could be simply monitoring a natural cycle or using hormonal medication. Your consultant will decide this with you depending on how regular your cycles are and whether you are using fresh or frozen eggs.
• Once the eggs have been collected from the donor, they are fertilised using either donor sperm or sperm from the recipient's partner. 
• After fertilisation has occurred, one or two embryos are placed into the recipient’s uterus.

Will I have access to counselling?

On your first visit you’ll have a meeting with a counsellor to discuss the ethical, legal and social aspects of using donor eggs. You’ll also have access to free counselling before, during and after treatment.

What additional support can I access?

If you have any questions before, during or after your donation, please feel free to get in touch – a member of our team will be happy to help in whatever way they can.

As well as access to our counselling team, we recommend the Donor Conception Network (a parent-led and child-centred organisation based on mutual support) and the Daisy Network (a support group for women suffering from premature ovarian insufficiency).

More about the Donor Conception Network

More about the Daisy Network