Where best to go for donor eggs?

[Ozma4]

Hi there, having been through 3 failed IVF attempts I have been told there would be a greater chance of success with donor eggs. My consultant suggested going abroad for this as there is a larger base of donors there that can be matched to me quicker than the UK (he said we'd be looking at a 3 year wait). I have no idea where to start with this, what clinics to look for, where, and even if they are open currently due to the pandemic! We also don't know anyone else who has been through donor route before so would be good to message if possible. Any help or suggestions would be lovely. Thank you.

[JenRoy]

The options in the UK are:

- joining a specific clinic’s donor egg waiting list (the wait varies at the moment)

- go to an egg bank, choose a donor and purchase their frozen eggs and then use a clinic that will work with the egg bank eg IVI and London egg bank (frozen eggs have a slightly reduced success rate as not all may survive thawing)

- go through a egg donor agency - you pay them a fee, they’ll search for a donor for you and once matched, will refer you to a clinic they work with

Donation in the UK is altruistic and anonymous until the child is 18. Then the child can request ID release to find out the identity of the donor.

Abroad the top donor egg treatment destinations seem to be:

- Spain

- Greece

- Portugal (ID release at 18)

- Czech Republic

- Russia eg Olga Fertility Clinic

- Ukraine

Abroad the treatment is usually cheaper and donors can be found much quicker. But they are anonymous and no ID release so the child cannot find out the identity of the donor. Which may have implications for them later on. But lots of people go abroad and have no regrets.

If you’re Asian or Black, it can be very hard to find a good donor match so looking at the USA may be an option.

[Ozma4 in reply to JenRoy]

Thank you so much for this information. Really useful thank you.

[Cinderella5]

We went to Athens in Greece as it was easy to get to, affordable, short waiting time for a match. Lots of countries do DE treatments so depending on where is easiest to get to and what your budget is then that is always a good place to start. It's not quite so easy these days due to covid but travel does look to be getting a little easier through time. Happy to help if you want to discuss.....I'm due twins in a week.xx

[Ozma4 in reply to Cinderella5]

Thank you so much, I have just looked at a website with a clinic in athens. Time for travel to be easier will give us more time to save up so we dont mind a little wait, though I am now 40 so cant wait too long! How long did you go for if ypu dont mind me asking? Congratulations on your expecting twins! Very exciting x

[Cinderella5 in reply to Ozma4]

We were around €5500 for our DE cycle in Athens which is fairly reasonable compared to the likes of Spain, it tends to be a bit more expensive. We also looked at Czech Rep but decided we would go to the sun!😂 There are a couple of different scenarios you can do. Fly out and leave hubby's sperm to be frozen and come home so a short visit. The donor is then stimulated and her eggs collected, fertilised and taken to day 5 blastocyst and frozen. You can then at your convenience prepare your lining and go out for a few days for transfer of embryos. Or you can sync your cycle with the donor and fly out for around 10 days, so prepare your liking whilst the donor stimulates. Egg collection is done whilst you are there, hubby gives sample and the embryos taken to day 5 and transferred to you and the rest frozen. We used to try to make a bit of a holiday of it too and enjoy some sun, relaxation and time on the beach. You can ask anything you like!xx

[Ozma4 in reply to Cinderella5]

Hi, so I've emailed a few places through Medipass including 2 clinics in athens, both of whom have got back to me super quick after I filled in my form etc. What do I need to look for do you think in deciding which place is best? I'm mind blown from what each are saying about success rates etc! They're all around a similar price really too. Xx

[Cinderella5 in reply to Ozma4]

I think it's more of a gut feeling when you chose a clinic. It might be useful to do a skype video call with the coordinators to see if someone gets back to you quicker or if you feel they have a warm approachable manner etc. Good luck.xx

[TheodoraT]

Hi, I went to a private clinic in the UK. It only took around 8 weeks to be matched with a donor. It’s worth looking into doing it in the uk at the moment with the covid restrictions on travel.

[Twoscreens in reply to TheodoraT]

Still on the waiting list to get access to the frozen donor egg bank after 2 months and no clear idea when we will be able to start searching for a donor. Which clinic are you using? The wait is torturous. Thank you

[User20]

Hi Ozma,We are currently in the process of doing a donor egg IVF cycle in the UK. As others have said it is more expensive on the UK compared to abroad. (although for us going abroad was not an option as my husband doesn't fly..)

The matching process itself did not take a very long time. All in all from start of appointments (counselling and doctors/nurses appointment) to starting the cycle was about 6 months...

Happy to answer any questions

Good luck

[Hollibob]

We used access fertility and went to a clinic in Manchester, as other ladies on here had success there, even though it’s hundreds of miles away from us. We’ve got a little boy now, so it was worth it in the end 🙂

[Lisaj1911]

Hey! I'm now pregnant with my second child through IVF with doner eggs. I'm English but living in Spain and we've had a really good experience with a private clinic here.

Like other ladies have said, it's cheaper here than in the UK, and a lot quicker by the sounds of it. All completely confidential. The only thing I know about the doner is her age.

Also happy to answer any questions xx

[Ozma4 in reply to Lisaj1911]

Thank you Lisaj1911 I have looked at an emailed the medipass website to a few clinics in Europe to enquire about if they can help us. I've had 3 emails back from seperate Dr's but now no idea which to go for or do I have zoom appointments with each to discuss further and then choose?! It's all quite mind blowing! X

[Lisaj1911]

Yes maybe speak to all of them and see exactly how they work.

I suppose each clinic will have their own guidelines.

Good luck, keep me informed x

[Running79]

I had a donor round in the U.K. - my sister was the donor so had no waiting time at all, at a London clinic. The cost of our donor round was £11,500 - £12,000

[Owengle123]

Hi Ozma4,

We’re currently investigating the DE options in Spain (UK based) we’ve spoken to one clinic already and speaking to another in May.

As one of the previous posts, you can book two trips. The first for any further tests and sperm sample and the second for a FET or you can sync your cycle with the donor.

I’m still trying to get my head around it all tbh but as I’m 41 time isn’t on my side, so we’re going to try to go for it this year.

Happy for you to PM me if you want the details of the clinics? Both recommended in this forum

Xx