27 May Egg donation: what are donors like and how are they selected?

Egg donation and its legislation is very different from country to country. There are countries with much more permissive laws in favour of this altruistic action, as is the case in Spain, and others are more restrictive, which either do not allow gamete donation or it is not anonymous. Ovodonation arrived in our country in 1988 and, since then, gamete donation has become one of the treatments and solutions most demanded by society. In Spain, 60% of egg donation cycles in Europe are carried out, so why is our legislation so special?

Our country’s law states that “the donation shall never be of a lucrative or commercial nature. The financial compensation that may be set may only strictly compensate for the physical discomfort and travel and work expenses that may be derived from the donation, and may not be an economic incentive for the donation“.

Thus, assisted reproduction treatments can be carried out at reasonable prices for the patient. In contrast, in the United States, for example, donor compensation varies according to multiple parameters such as phenotypic characteristics, profession (if she is a model or not), cultural level, religion, etc., and it is the recipient(s) who choose the donors based on a catalogue of photos and information on each of them.

One IVF cycle with donor eggs can cost between 25 and 45,000 € in the USA, while in Spain it costs around 5 or 8,000 €. In addition, it is the medical team that is exclusively responsible for assigning the donor to the recipient, based on their phenotypic and immunological similarities, which means that the patient has no say in the selection process.

There are other countries where donation is open, but there are different degrees of the concept of “open donation”. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands or our neighbour, Portugal, the child born of the donation is allowed to contact the donor when he or she reaches the age of majority of his or her own free will.

This concept of open donation in these countries is based on the law of protection of the baby and its rights. On the other hand, in other countries such as the USA, the donation is completely open, the recipient or recipient couple of the donated gametes can choose the donor by means of photographs and must establish direct contact before the donation. There is no doubt that there are many women who travel to our country to undergo assisted reproduction treatments for their future child, seeking the certainty that the donor can´t knock on their door at any time and with total security and quality in the process.

CBRC and ovodonation

Spain, therefore, has become an attraction for many couples or women who need fertility clinics to achieve the dream of motherhood. And not only for legal reasons, but also for other factors, such as price and the multitude of techniques that can be performed.

Practically all existing assisted reproduction treatments are allowed, except for gender selection or surrogacy. Moreover, as we have mentioned above, the anonymity of sperm, egg or gamete donation encourages many women and couples to choose Spanish clinics.

The same happens with such innovative and advanced treatments as the ROPA Method (Reception of Oocytes from the Couple), an ideal treatment for those couples who want to share motherhood and intervene in the same way, one being the genetic donor and the other the gestational carrier. Many couples, faced with the prohibition of this treatment in their countries, travel to our clinic to fulfil their dream of becoming mothers.

Who can benefit from egg donation in Spain?

There are several causes that can lead to infertility in women. If they are over 35 years old, have a low ovarian reserve, several failed IVF attempts with their own eggs, or a genetic disease in women, In Vitro Fertilisation with donor eggs is the assisted reproduction technique with the best prognosis and will help to achieve the dream pregnancy.

Donor requirements

• The donor must be between 18 and 35 years old
• The body mass, BMI, must be within the normal range. Thus, you cannot be underweight, overweight or obese.
• They must not suffer from genetic and/or chromosomal diseases, which can be transmitted in the embryos. Therefore, they undergo a somatic karyotype study and a blood study where more than 600 recessive genetic diseases are analysed.
• They must not have any hereditary diseases in your family.
• Must be free of diseases and infections.
• They must be in good reproductive and emotional health. Donation is a process in which the woman must be prepared to do it and be sure of it, as well as being 100% aware of the step she is going to take. For this, she must be validated by our psychologist.

Do you want to know more about egg donation in our country or egg donation around the world? If you think that egg or sperm donation can help you, contact us and we will help you. The first medical consultation is completely free and without engagement. Tell us about your case! You can also read other articles about egg donation on our blog.